Talking Dirty With the Player

by Jackie Ashenden

  She scowled at him. “It’s the only ball I’ve got. Is it my fault you didn’t bring anything with you?”

  “It’s not my fault when I only got an hour’s notice.”

  “Plenty of time to go get your kit at least.”

  “I couldn’t. I was buying a bloody present for you.”

  Color swept through her face and she looked away, her hands pulling at her clothes, smoothing her hair.

  He put his hands in his pockets to stop the instinctive urge to reach for her. Touch her. “Chemistry’s a bitch, huh?”

  “Tell me about it.” She glanced away, fingers reaching absently to brush the bird at her throat, the way she used to with the bluebird he’d given her. As if she was using his gift for reassurance.

  Determination settled down deep inside him. He’d had her trust once before. He would earn it again because she was totally worth it. The only thing he had to do was overcome the last eight years of living like he didn’t give a shit.

  Easy, right?

  A slightly awkward silence fell.

  Jude’s fingers dropped from the necklace. “Okay, so what do we do now?”

  Oh, there were a great many things he wanted to do. Things such as running his hands up her thighs and lifting her skirt to see whether she wore stay-ups or not. Unbuttoning that silky blue blouse and reacquainting himself with the softness of her skin. Kissing her delectable mouth…

  Patience, mate.

  With an effort, Caleb tried to get his thoughts back on track. “Well, we have a photoshoot to take care of first.”

  “I suppose so.” She blew out a breath. “Right, so, photos…”

  Caleb turned away, picked up the soccer ball, went over to the black chaise, and sat. “What do you want me to do with this?”

  She’d picked up her camera, looking down at the screen as she lined up the shot. Then she pulled a face. “No, it’s not right.” She bit her lip. “What I want is to recreate the pictures I took yesterday.”

  “What pictures?”

  “The ones of you and the kid.”

  “Seriously? You mean I should have brought a kid in here, too?”

  Judith threw him an irritated look. Putting down the camera, she walked over to the table again and fiddled around with the laptop. “Come here,” she said. “I’ll show you what I mean.”

  He put down the soccer ball and joined her, looking over her shoulder to the picture on the laptop screen. And his eyes widened.

  On the screen was a photo of him. A rain-soaked photo, the edges blurred a little, the colors cooled and darkened. He was crouched in the center of the picture, facing a boy. The expression on the kid’s face was one of pure enthrallment, the beginnings of a delighted grin turning his mouth. As for himself, well, he had his arms up, his hands outstretched, illustrating some point in the way the teachers at school had always encouraged him not to do because it was distracting. He looked intent and excited, his eyes on the boy’s, both of them totally caught up in the moment. A moment of connection.

  Judith had captured it beautifully.

  Something about the picture made his throat tighten. Made him feel as if she’d peeled away a protective layer of himself, exposing a sensitive, vulnerable part of him he hadn’t known existed. Really, he should be telling her to delete the photo, but he couldn’t. Because it was brilliant.

  “You can’t recreate that,” he said hoarsely. “Use that picture, Jude. Use it.”

  She turned her head, glanced at him in surprise. “That one?”

  Did she have no idea what she’d done? How perfect that picture was? “Look at it again.”

  Slowly she turned back. “The lighting isn’t great and there’s blurriness down at the bottom…” She stopped and for a long moment said nothing. Then she murmured at last, “It’s good, isn’t it?” She sounded as if she didn’t really want it to be.

  “It’s not just good, sweetheart. It’s genius. Hell, I’m just a dumb rugby player and even I can see it.”

  His gaze shifted to her obdurate back, black hair in glossy contrast to the dark blue silk of her shirt. “Surely you must have done spontaneous shots like this before?”

  She sighed. “Once. A while ago I did some arty stuff but it didn’t really work out. Now, I do everything in the studio. It’s where I have most control over the product.”

  “Control is not necessarily always a good thing, Jude. Why do you need it so badly?”

  She straightened. “Because then the only person I have to rely on is me.” Slowly she turned round. “And so far I’ve never let myself down.”

  Yeah, he’d let her down once, he knew that. But he could make it up to her. He would make it up to her. Show her he could be someone she could count on, not stupid Abs of Steele with his parties and his playmates.

  The sun-and-flower scent of her began to creep into his senses, stealing his train of thought. She was so close. Close enough that he could see how fast the pulse at her throat was beating, the sapphire of the fantail’s eye glittering. See the faint outlines of her black lace bra through the silk of her shirt.

  Caleb reached out, took her chin in his hand, and forced her gaze back to his. “I won’t let you down, Jude,” he said thickly, trying to stay on track because this was important, but mostly failing. “Not again. I promise.” His thumb moved, tracing the line of her lower lip. It felt as soft as he remembered.

  Her throat moved, her mouth opening slightly as he stroked it. “It doesn’t matter now.” Somehow she’d moved even closer to him, and he could hear her breathing, uneven and fast.

  “It does matter.” He wanted to kiss her. Wanted more of what they’d had back in the locker room. And he could, couldn’t he? “I want to make you smile. Make you laugh. Make you happy. I want to be someone you can count on.”

  Her gaze seemed to be fixated on his mouth. “Caleb…” Her hand was pressed against his chest, fingers spread, and he could feel the heat of it go right through the cotton.

  Oh God. Perhaps this was a mistake. Perhaps this was going to be too much for both of them. But if so, it was too late. Because right about now the flammable mixture of memory and chemistry was going to blow up in his face.

  …

  Judith shivered as Caleb’s thumb made another gentle pass over her lower lip, chills chasing over her skin. This was crazy. Wasn’t she supposed to be angry with him? And yet she just couldn’t seem to make her feet move. Couldn’t seem to make herself take a step away.

  Desire coiled inside her, a sensation she’d never felt for any other guy, no matter how many abortive dates she’d gone on. It was always Caleb. It had only ever been Caleb.

  “Yes,” she breathed, unable to stop the words coming out of her mouth. “I want that, too. I want…to trust you. It’s just that I’m scared. You broke my heart once, Caleb…”

  “Ah, God, darling,” he murmured. “I know and I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt you.”

  All her earlier anger had vanished, her concentration narrowed down to the movement of his thumb and the way her mouth tingled. The heat of his tall, muscular body so close to her own. The familiar scent of his aftershave.

  What were they talking about again? She couldn’t keep track of it.

  “You smell the same,” she whispered, half dizzy with the sudden want that had come over her. “Still. After all these years.” So close now. All she’d have to do is lean forward a bit, rise up on her toes a bit, and she’d be kissing him.

  “So do you.” His voice sounded rough. “God, you’re driving me crazy. The things I want to do to you…” His thumb kept up that maddening caress, making her forget what she was doing. Forget everything but the fact that she wanted Caleb Steele and always had.

  “Things such as what?” Her fingers curled in the cotton of his shirt, holding on as her knees weakened.

  “Such as this.” He bent his head and his mouth took hers in a kiss that nearly made her knees give out altogether.

  Oh yes…God, yes… Her other ha
nd had moved to his chest as well, both of them clenching hard in the material of his shirt, holding on, as she opened her mouth to let him in. Deepen the kiss.

  It was so wrong to let herself get into this situation again with him. But a part of her that had been sleeping for years was suddenly awake and it was hungry. So damn hungry.

  She gave a soft, helpless moan, pressing her body against the hard, hot length of his, kissing him back passionately. Feverishly.

  The hand gripping her jaw moved, sliding into her hair, fingers tangling in the strands, urging her head back so he could kiss her deeper. Harder. Another moan broke from her and she released his shirt, putting her arms around his neck, pressing against him, loving the feel of his hardness against her softness.

  “And then,” he murmured, his voice on the edge of a growl. “I’ll undo the buttons of your shirt and kiss you somewhere else. Such as here, for example.”

  He swept a hand up from her hip, cupping her breast through the silk of her shirt, his thumb brushing over one painfully hard nipple. The touch sent a sharp arrow of pleasure straight through her, making her shudder and arch into his hand, wanting more.

  “Would you like me to do that, Judith?” he whispered against her skin. “Would you like me to kiss you here?” His thumb brushed over her again, sending another sharp bolt through her. “Lick you? Suck on your pretty nipples?”

  The blatant eroticism of his words and the way he said her name, with no shortening or adornments, sent another shockwave over her skin. “I…I,” she choked, unable to get the words out. “God…”

  And as if in answer, his mouth moved over her jaw, down her neck, to the base of her throat. Her eyes closed, fingers digging into the material of his jacket, gripping on to the powerful width of his shoulders, feeling the muscles flex and release under her hands as he moved.

  Ahem. Weren’t you NOT going to do this again?

  Yes, but then he’d promised, hadn’t he? He’d told her he wouldn’t let her down again. That he’d be there for when she needed him to be. And okay, she still had doubts, pretty major doubts it had to be said. Still, she was willing to give him a chance to prove himself.

  Mainly though, she just wanted him. Now.

  “Jude,” Caleb muttered, his breathing uneven. His hand moved, his thumb stroking over her nipple again. “If you don’t want this, you should probably tell me to stop.”

  She shuddered, the breath catching in her throat. “If you stop now I’ll cut your heart out with a spoon and feed it to my cat for breakfast.”

  “You don’t have a cat.”

  “I could get one.”

  He gave a ragged laugh, his arm circling her waist, a hand settling over one buttock and drawing her hips hard against his. “Don’t worry. I can’t stop. Christ… I’ve never forgotten that night we spent together. Never. And you feel just the same. So damn good.” He let out a breath. “Are you sure you’re okay with it?”

  She could feel how good he thought that was, the evidence pressed insistently against her thigh.

  Well she hadn’t forgotten, either. So maybe what they needed was a reminder. Another taste of it so they could put it behind them once and for all. After all, that’s what you did to satisfy a craving, wasn’t it?

  She looked up into his eyes, saw the glitter of desire in them. “Do I look like I’m not okay with it?”

  The breath hissed between his teeth. “I’m going to try, Jude. To be here as much as I can. I don’t know the filming schedule yet but I’m sure I can swing something. Maybe every second weekend, something like that.”

  Judith put her fingers against his mouth, stopping the words. “Hey, don’t go overboard. You don’t have to start picking out china patterns and looking through wedding catalogs. This is just step one.”

  He gave a shaky laugh, then said huskily, “You’ll be the death of me, babycakes.” His arms loosened and he let her go, stepping away from her toward the door. And for one awful minute she thought he was going to reject her again. But when he shut the door and put a chair up against it, she realized he had no intention of leaving.

  He turned back, his black gaze holding hers. Her breath caught, her mouth went bone dry.

  “Here?” she managed to get out.

  Caleb shrugged off his jacket and laid it on the table then began undoing his tie. “Yeah, here.” He pulled the tie off, tossed it over the jacket. “I can’t wait.” His fingers moved to the top buttons of his shirt and began undoing them.

  Judith took a shaken breath as it began to sink exactly what she’d asked for.

  Sex with Caleb Steele. In her studio.

  Chapter Seven

  A flash of uncertainty lit Judith’s eyes but Caleb was on it, undoing his shirt as he stalked over to her, slipping his hand into her hair to cup the back of her head. Turning her face up so he could kiss her beautiful, pouty mouth again.

  You broke my heart…

  But he wouldn’t. Not this time. If they were both careful it would be okay. He’d keep his promise, make certain he’d spend as much time with her as he possibly could. And as for Joseph, well, he would deal with that when the time came. Caleb was sick of fighting their chemistry. Sick of trying to be good when good was the very last thing he’d ever been. Sick of wishing he’d had more than one night.

  That kiss had started the fire and now the only thing they could do was let it burn.

  She sighed, her body relaxing against his. He took one of her hands, brought it up to his bare chest, pressed it palm down over his heart. Her skin felt so soft against his, the taste of her hot and sweet on his tongue.

  He remembered how amazing it was to kiss her, and her touch, at first hesitant and awkward, slowly becoming bolder. She’d been a virgin then, shy and inexperienced, but now she wasn’t. Now her hands moved over his chest, stroking, teasing, demanding. Her mouth under his, passionate and hungry, and he remembered that, too. The fire that she kept buried, locked down under that cool, don’t-mess-with-me exterior. It was still there. He knew it. And he wanted to free it.

  He pulled at the buttons of her shirt and she made a little protesting noise. And not because she wanted him to stop. “No, wait,” she panted. “It’s silk. You have to undo it carefully.”

  Still in control, huh? Well, not today. Gently he bent her back over his arm. “Go slow,” she murmured as he cupped one breast. “The material is very delicate.”

  The material could go to hell. He bent his head and put his mouth over her nipple, suckling her through the silk of her shirt and the lace of her bra. Judith gave a soft cry. “Oh…Caleb…you’ll ruin…the silk.” Her hand gripped the back of his head, fingers tightening in his hair.

  “Do you want me to stop?” He breathed over the wet fabric, watched her nipple harden further still, and her body trembled in response.

  “No.” The word came out in a soft whisper. “Don’t.”

  Who was he to argue with that? He bent his head again, feeling her body shake as he licked the hard little bud through her shirt. Of course he didn’t want to taste silk. He wanted to taste Judith. Lifting his head, he tugged open her shirt and this time she didn’t say a thing about the material, even when some of the buttons went flying. She only groaned as he pulled aside the cup of her bra to taste her bare skin, taking her nipple into his mouth again.

  “God, Cal…” The sound of his nickname, all throaty and husky and desperate, made him so hard he could barely think straight. Memories flooded through him. Of her naked in his arms, sweetly shy and blushing. Her gaze so full of trust and care and tenderness the breath had caught in his throat.

  “Caleb?”

  He blinked and realized he’d been standing there, holding her. Not doing anything.

  She lifted a hand and touched his mouth, her eyes smoky with desire. “What’s wrong? Have you…changed your mind?”

  The slight hesitation made something in the region of his heart constrict, the vulnerability in her eyes making it constrict even more. He couldn’t affo
rd to lose her.

  He nipped at her fingertips. “Are you kidding me?” Lifting her into his arms, he carried her over to the black velvet chaise longue and laid her down onto it. “Not changing my mind. No way in hell.”

  …

  Judith lay on the chaise and watched him as he began to undress, unable to help herself. He was so beautiful. The way the light fell over the dips and hollows of his collarbones, the way the muscles of his abdomen flexed as he undid his zipper. She became lost in the sheer physicality of him, the ache of longing becoming more and more intense.

  Perhaps this was a mistake. Perhaps she shouldn’t be doing this after all. Nervousness gripped her, and a feeling of dread crept down her spine. She’d had a few encounters with other men over the years, but none of them had come even close to the experience she’d had with Caleb. That night she’d had with him burned forever in her memory, no matter how hard she’d tried to forget it.

  Judith trembled as he knelt between her thighs, a funny little panic building inside her. Would this time be as good as it had been eight years ago? Would it be terrible? Or would it be even better? And if it was better, how the hell would she cope? He put his hand on her skirt, slid it up, and the panic became worse.

  Then his mouth curved in a gorgeous, naughty smile and he said, “Stay-ups. Oh, babycakes, I like.”

  And something about the way he said the nickname, his voice full of sensual heat, made the tight knot of panic begin to loosen. Yes, when he teased her it was better. Allowed a bit of distance somehow.

  “Believe it or not, I didn’t put them on for your benefit.” Her voice sounded weird, all rusty and cracked.

  Caleb’s gentle hands stroked her thighs in a caressing movement, tracing the tops of her stay-ups. The remains of the panic began to be replaced by a sensual, insistent ache.

  “Well, they’re for my benefit now.” His fingertips drew tiny circles on the sensitive skin of her inner thighs, making her shiver. “You feel so soft…” They moved higher, hooking into the waistband of her panties, easing them down.