by Jo Leigh
He stood straight with a gasp, making her laugh. Then he turned his head to look back at her, just as she’d done in the sea. “Impatient, are we?”
“We are.”
He turned the whole way, and while she wished she had the good manners to look him in the face, she didn’t. She looked down to the very respectable erection he sported. A clue that his impatience was just as fervent as her own.
She dipped her gaze just enough to see his thighs. Tension made the muscles bulge a bit. He shifted his stance, then, very slowly, brought his right hand up to skim the underside of his cock.
Her breath left in a whoosh and she felt all kinds of interesting things happen to the good parts of her body.
“It’s hot,” he said.
“I’ll say.”
Alex laughed. “The water.”
Her head went up with a snap. “Ah.”
He moved aside, letting her get near the shower stall. She stuck her hand in to make sure it wasn’t too hot, then stepped in under the spray. The pressure was perfect, and the showerhead was high enough and long enough that it made her think it had been designed with couples in mind.
She couldn’t believe how good the heat felt, or how amazing it was to have Alex join her. Especially when he pressed flush against her once more. She heard him doing something behind her, but she wasn’t sure what until she heard a bottle squirt. He’d gotten the sponge and soaked it with coconut-scented wonderfulness. Not moving an inch, with his entire front plastered to her front, he washed her back. Slow circles, first the sponge, then his hand. It was the most sensual thing she’d ever felt. Almost as if they were part of each other.
The realization that she was here, with Alex, and this was actually happening, hit her again. Most of her days were spent focused on problems. Diagnosing illnesses, fixing broken bones, healing and teaching and finding ways to ease the pain of creatures who could not speak to her. She wasn’t by any means a horse whisperer or pet psychic, yet she knew how to comfort, how to see what wasn’t immediately apparent in a hurt creature. It wasn’t magic, it was being open. Using her senses as best she knew how. It was science and it was concern, and to a large extent it was compassion that made her a good veterinarian. Yet she’d never been able to use any of these traits when it came to human males.
Until Alex.
It hadn’t been immediate. Layer after layer had been slowly peeled away as he became more forthcoming, as she became more willing.
The only thing that had made it possible at all was that they hadn’t met. Hadn’t even talked on the phone.
It was the computer that had given her the safety net of letting her guard down. And being with him in person threatened all they’d built.
She’d thought about canceling from the moment she’d logged off the night of her birthday.
Alex moved the sponge lower. Her eyes closed as he gently washed the curve of her bottom. But it was when his hand followed that she put her arms around his neck, her cheek on his chest, and let her body have its way.
His fingers were slippery with soap, the scent of coconut infused the moist air, and she parted her legs. She felt his cock twitch against her stomach as he touched her.
“Oh, my God,” she whispered.
“You feel incredible,” he said. “Everything about you makes me crazy.”
“So my plan is working?”
His chest rose and fell with his chuckle. “You like making me insane, do you?”
“I do.”
“Naughty, naughty.”
She wiggled against him, knowing she was asking for trouble. But trouble sounded too good to pass up.
He slapped her ass, making her jump. Not hard. Just right. A little bit of ouch that morphed into tingles that spread like honey. He did it again, the other cheek. It was loud in the shower, with them both being so wet.
“You going to behave?”
She shook her head, then turned so her lips were against his chest, right next to his right nipple, but not touching it. “Did you see, Alex? Did you see the panties I had on?”
“I did.”
“Do you know why I wore them?” she whispered.
“To please me?” he asked.
She nodded, then stuck out her tongue, licking up droplets.
He shifted and she knew he wanted her to lick his nipple. She didn’t.
Both of his hands grabbed hold of her ass. He squeezed, lifting her, moving her to the right.
She laughed. Then she bit him. Yeah, right there. She tugged his hard little nub, loving that his groan made him vibrate.
“Either we get out of this shower and go to bed, or I’m gonna have to take care of some things right here.”
“Some things?”
His hands moved from the back to the front. One finger slipped over her clit, then deep inside her. “Yeah. Things.”
“Bed,” she said, looking up.
He smiled. “Bed.” He released her, reaching back to turn off the shower. Then he leaned out, grabbed a big bath sheet and draped it over her shoulders.
She dried herself as Alex got his own towel. She briefly considered fooling around with the towels and difficult-to-reach places, then had an inspired idea that would make him even crazier.
Dashing out of the bathroom, she said, “Give me a minute,” before she closed the door. She went to the dresser, got another pair of white panties and slipped them on. She dropped the towel where she stood, then went to the end of the bed to wait.
The moment she heard the door open, she climbed onto the great big white comforter. On all fours, knowing he was watching every move she made, she crawled slowly up the mattress, amazed at her own boldness and the sensations coursing through her.
She’d never felt this powerfully sexual. Never known how much she could feel desired. She was someone else here, some other Meg.
The bed dipped behind her but she didn’t turn. She just kept inching forward, moving her shoulders and her legs as if she were a cat, as if she were the most exotic creature in the world. Her hair dripped, some water inched down her sides and her shoulders, and that felt intoxicating, too. Everything was hypercharged, as if lightning were about to strike.
When his hands came down on her waist, she gasped. Gripping her tightly, he lifted her clear off the bed, then flipped her over onto her back. He straddled her, his eyes dark with lust.
Her gaze moved down his bare chest, which was heaving with his breaths, but didn’t linger there. His cock, thick and weeping, caught and held her attention. She reached out with curious fingers, brushing the length of him.
He hissed as if she’d burned him. A flush of power made her grip him firmly and stroke down.
“You want this to be over now,” he said, his voice practically a growl, “keep it up.”
“I think it’s staying up quite nicely by itself.”
His look told her that humor was not going to win her major points. On the other hand, as hard as he was, she could pretty much do a riff on state birds, and he’d think it was the hottest thing since the blow job was invented.
But she decided not to torture him. Besides, he wasn’t the only one who needed more. Now.
She let him go only to wiggle between his thighs.
He leaned down, bracing himself on corded arms, and kissed her again, hot and deep. Even as she moved to hold him, he pulled away, lying beside her.
“You’re still wearing too many clothes,” he said.
“What are you gonna do about it?”
He smiled, nipped her shoulder, then inched down, pausing at her chest. He leaned over her body, flicking her nipple. She arched into the sensation, but he teased her, moving back so that just the tip of his tongue touched her, pointed, snakelike, making her moan.
Too soon, he was on the move again, kissing her waist, then her hip, licking his way to the edge of her panties.
He grasped the material in his teeth and edged it downward. His sigh carried to her just before his fingers reached acros
s her body to help.
Tugging, he whispered, “Up.”
She lifted her hips, and the last of her clothes slid down her legs. Since she didn’t want anything to stop the breathtaking stuff he was doing with his tongue, she used her toes to toss the panties away.
Naked now, suddenly aware that the bedside lamp was on and that she was on top of the covers, not hiding in any way, she boldly spread her legs in invitation.
His hand ran up the length of her inner thigh. “You’re so beautiful.”
“More,” she said, meaning his touch, although if he wanted to call her wonderful things, she wasn’t about to stop him.
“Don’t worry. We’ll get to everything.”
“Promise?”
“You have my word.”
He moved his hand up to the crease above her thigh, then he licked her, a long sweep of his tongue just above his thumb. “You taste like honey.”
In fact, she did. She had this marvelous hand-milled honey soap that she’d bought for this very reason. Although she had to wonder if he was just waxing poetic, given the shower and all. It didn’t matter. She felt as if she tasted like honey.
Her thoughts of soap were swept away when Alex moved between her legs. Now both hands explored the sensitive flesh there, and his breath warmed her mound.
His fingers brushed her gently, somewhere between a tickle and a caress. Something else she’d bought for the trip was her spankin’ new Brazilian wax. Given the sensations ripping through her, it had been worth the price, and yeah, the pain.
“You okay?”
“Uh-huh. Why?”
“Well, maybe if you relaxed just a bit…”
She realized she had his head in a death grip between her thighs. “Sorry,” she said, as she dropped her legs back to the mattress.
“Points for enthusiasm,” he said, his voice filled with humor.
“Do you deduct for bodily injury?”
“Depends on what parts.”
She laughed, but it turned into a gasp as he parted her lips and flicked her with his pointed tongue.
A low chuckle was quickly followed by an assault of the most amazing kind…He knew just where, how hard, and oh God.
Her hands fisted in the soft comforter and her muscles tensed. It had been so long. She closed her eyes and let the feelings take over. No thoughts except one—it was Alex.
Her breathing quickened as she felt the spark that was the beginning. Alone, she’d have stretched out, focused the vibrator in the perfect spot. A sound came out of her that was mostly a scream, but higher. When Alex stopped, stopped completely, it sure as hell became a scream.
He looked at her from between her thighs, his grin as wicked as his tongue. “Not yet,” he said.
“Are you kidding me?”
Shaking his head slowly, he crawled up the length of her until he looked straight down. “I have other plans for you.”
“What, you want to go square dancing?” she said.
“Not quite,” he murmured.
“It’d better be good.”
“Good isn’t even close.”
His hand went to her hair, where he gripped her, holding her steady. Then he leaned down and kissed her again. She tasted herself, and it was raw and a little wicked, and her hips lifted in a thrust beyond her control.
His knee slipped between her legs, right up against her crotch. With every stab of his tongue, he pressed into her, reawakening the nerve endings he’d abandoned so callously.
She whimpered, because it felt so good and because it wasn’t enough. His chuckle told her he understood, but that he wasn’t going to rush things, not even if she begged.
God help her, it made her insane with wanting him. This game, this torture, it was all in his hands. He was playing her. What she didn’t understand was how he knew what it would take to get her to this fever pitch. If she’d been asked exactly what she wanted, it wouldn’t have been this. She wanted to come. Wasn’t that the point? And yet…
He tugged at her hair, bringing her back from her thoughts. Forcing her to be right there as he took her mouth, as his knee pressed only so hard.
She bit him. Not badly, not so it would break the skin on his lower lip, just to remind him who he was dealing with here. He winced, dabbed the aching spot with a flick of his tongue. Then he smiled at her, as if she’d just done the most delightful trick.
“I knew it,” he said.
“Knew what?” God, her voice was so breathless.
“That you, my dear Meg, are still undomesticated.”
“Is that so?”
He sat back, moved his legs so he was next to her, not touching. “I pictured this moment a hundred times. Only my imagination fell incredibly short.” He ran his hand down her arm, then to the shallow of her stomach. It rested there and his gaze didn’t waver. “I wanted this. I prayed you wanted this, too, although if you hadn’t…”
“You’d have wanted your money back?”
“Hell no. Don’t you get it?” He looked at her again. “This is the icing. Magnificent icing, I’ll admit, but no. The prize here is you. That I can make you shiver…”
She sat up, even though she didn’t want his hand to go away. But she needed him to know this, and it didn’t feel right lying down. “It’s going to make things difficult, you know.”
He nodded. “The only drawback.”
“Worth it, though,” she said.
“You think?”
She scooted closer to him. He was still erect, although not as fiercely as before. Which was only fair, because she was still thrumming with what he’d done to her. “Just know this,” she said, touching his shoulder. “When we finish chatting, and it’s very late, I’ll crawl into bed with the memory of this. And when I close my eyes it won’t be the vibrator I’m thinking about. Not some movie star, not an ex. It’s going to be you. I want to remember everything we do here. The swimming and the eating and the volleyball. I sound like a Hallmark card, but it’s true.”
“Oh, yeah, the Masturbatory Memories line?”
She gave him the look. “Pinching will hurt much worse without your pants on.”
He moved as if he was getting up. “I’d better go get them—”
She tackled him before he rose another inch. They fell back onto the pillows, his laughter as erotic as any touch.
“Too much, huh?” she said.
“What?”
She frowned. “I didn’t mean to get all serious on you.”
“You can be anything you want with me,” he said.
“That’s just because your dick is hard,” she retorted.
“Hey, not true.”
“Right. And the check is in the mail.”
He turned so their faces were mere inches apart. “I think you’re confusing me with someone else.”
“You’re a guy,” she said.
He sighed. “Meg, remember the first time we talked, I mean that whole thing about the big bands?”
She nodded.
“Since that moment I haven’t thought of you as anyone but Meg Becker. Not for a second.”
Her face got warm and she lowered her eyes. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay. Just don’t forget. I may do guy things, but I’ve never disappointed you. And I won’t now.”
“Okay, fair enough.”
He lifted her chin with his fingers. “Five days, four nights. Nothing but fun and food and sex. Got it?”
“Got it.”
“Now, where was I?”
“You said something about plans?” she said.
“Ah, that’s right.” His hands slipped between her legs, where his finger did evil things in the very best way.
She shifted until her head rested against his chest, near the crook in the arm he wasn’t using.
He moved so gently it was like being slowly lowered into a warm bath. Her shoulders relaxed, her breathing calmed and she wanted this, only this, to go on forever.
He kissed her temple, and for some we
ird reason, tears came to her eyes. Maybe because it was so sweet, or maybe because that tender act was the thing she’d wanted most.
She couldn’t remember the last tender moment she’d shared with a man. Hank hadn’t been anything but fast and hard. He was the least sentimental man she’d ever known, which had worked well for her back then.
She was older now, and kindness had gone to the top of her wish list.
“What are you thinking?” Alex whispered, so close to her ear she felt the warmth of his breath.
“That you’re nice.”
“Ouch.”
She turned a little to look at his face. He seemed pained. “What?”
“Nice? Is that any way to talk to the man who’s got you in such a vulnerable position?”
“It was a compliment.”
“Not from this side of the genetic pool.”
She could tell it hadn’t been too horrible a comment; his finger hadn’t stopped. In fact, the pace was exactly the same. Mesmerizing. “I think I got past my bad boy phase during college,” she told him. “The last thing I’m looking for in a friend or a lover is bad.”
“Nope, too late. The die has been cast. I’m nice. Nice Alex. I’m sweet, too. Dammit.”
“Okay, okay, you’re a card-carrying asshole. I was so, so wrong. Don’t hurt me,” she teased.
He laughed. “Damn straight.”
She snuggled closer, focusing more on her lower parts. He just kept circling in that same way, with that one finger. Only the more she thought about it, the less she cared about relaxation.
As if he’d read her mind, the circles grew smaller, quicker. When she grasped his arm, he moved, but only so he could be more precise.
Meg’s mouth opened but no sound came out. Nothing was happening now but tension. Her muscles, her pulse.
His other hand moved to hers and guided her down. She caught on quickly and slid over his flank until she found what she was looking for.
She circled him with her fingers, and while she meant to tease him, she couldn’t. Instead, she matched his pace, running the length of him, which wasn’t minor, from the base to the crown. Swiping her thumb across the head earned her a very succinct curse, but in a good way. She slicked him down again, knowing if he stopped this time she’d kill him.