by Jule McBride
Ariel pulled the wet white dress over her head and laid it on top of a hamper near the window to dry in the sunlight, then strutted to the bed in her panties. With her luck, Romeo really was in the water. The only stranger pairing than Eli and Great-gran would have been Ariel and Studs Underwood. “That’ll be a cold day,” Ariel said, lifting her suitcase, opening it on the bed next to her garment bag and staring at the neatly arranged contents.
The springwater had made her skin sticky, so she figured she’d shower. There was still time before dinner. Hopefully, Rex would have a long walk back to the house, and she could avoid him for the rest of his stay. “Maybe he won’t even make it before sundown.”
Her heart pulled as she thought of the coming night. She hadn’t been home in summer for three years, so she’d missed the events her relatives planned—bonfires and marshmallow roasts. Catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror on the back of the closet door, she groaned. She looked like hell. Totally mussed, but her body looked good. Given the kind of attention she’d always solicited from Studs, she didn’t know whether to be glad about that or not. As her eyes flicked over her figure, her throat constricted. “What a waste,” she couldn’t help but say.
She was tall and leggy, with full breasts and a nicely nipped-in waist. When younger, she’d always assumed she’d be married by now—working at a dream career and in a relationship to which she could give her whole self. It never occurred to her that she’d be cresting twenty-nine and still alone.
She opened the closet door. As she did so, she realized her head ached. “The pins,” she muttered, quickly removing them. As she stared at racks of clothes, she set the pins on a dresser top. She’d tried her best to look respectable today. But here she was, letting her hair down and contemplating wearing one of the outfits that had made her so infamous around Bliss.
She felt a rush of excitement. Maybe she’d put on something racy for dinner, just to watch Rex Houston’s eyes pop. She wasn’t going to sleep with him now. Of course she wasn’t! Not after the way he’d run right up to Studs and had shaken hands as if they were best friends. Yes…
She settled on a strapless leopard-print tube. Lifting it from a hanger, she tossed it to the bed. “Oh, yeah,” she said. “That and a pair of skintight white Lycra shorts. Thong panties.”
As furious as she was, it was tempting…damn tempting. She was going over some other offerings—a sheer halter, low-rise jeans, when the door flew open. She whirled, instinctively covering her chest, expecting to see her mom or Gran.
But it was Rex, and he looked just as shocked. He was frozen in the doorway, his hand on the knob, his widening eyes taking her in. Ariel was seized by a wicked desire to punish the man. “Don’t bother to knock,” she bit out, aware that every inch of her was laid bare for his eyes.
He had a totally dumb-guy expression on his face. “Huh?”
“You just burst into my room without knocking.”
He was still in shock, especially since she wasn’t even bothering to cover the rest of herself. “Uh…you stole the mobile lab.”
“Boo hoo.”
His gaze dropped down the length of her body. Clearly, she could have robbed him blind and he wouldn’t have cared. “It’s a government vehicle.”
She could see his broad chest heaving, as if he couldn’t take a deep breath. Her hands crossed under her breasts, both to indicate she was furious and to lift them for his gaze. Oh, yes…let him understand that she wasn’t nearly as proper as he’d assumed. Let him dream of all those things she’d supposedly done with Studs.
He paused, looking exasperated, and as if he knew the gentlemanly thing was to leave her to dress, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to do so. He eyed her panties. “Do you know what that vehicle’s worth?”
“Nothing to me,” she assured.
“Don’t you have any…” He searched for a word, just as his eyes searched her body, and he settled on saying, “Morals?”
“Funny, coming from a stranger who kissed me senseless an hour ago.” If people wanted to think she was a brazen hussy, without any morals to speak of, well she’d be happy to let them. A lot had happened since she’d driven into town with dreams of reinventing herself hours ago—like his kiss.
“It cost millions,” he finally managed to say, as if still completely undecided about how to respond to the fact that she was standing there, taunting him with her nakedness. “It’s not a car, Ariel. It’s a science lab.”
Unconcerned, she turned toward the closet and began to rifle through the rack. She made a show of slowly licking her lips, knowing she was asking for it…wanting him to charge over and kiss her again. “If it’s so important to the government, you shouldn’t have left the keys in it.”
“I saw that goon down on the dock pawing you,” he muttered, sounding thoroughly frustrated. “And I…”
She couldn’t ignore the squeeze of her heart. So, he’d been rushing down the hill to rescue her from Studs? “I’m flattered.” She pulled out a short dress that buttoned down the front and held it out at arm’s length as if considering it. “It’s nice to know protecting me ranked higher than a mobile lab, but I didn’t need male protection.”
“Obviously.”
“I enjoy taking care of myself.”
“I didn’t know you knew him.”
“Ah,” she said turning to fully face him, loving how his eyes instantly glazed. She knew better than to play with fire, especially in Bliss. Wasn’t she just acting out the past, since seeing Studs again? Wasn’t this the most self-destructive part of her, which had gotten her into such trouble when she was a teenager? Why couldn’t she just accept that men always wielded power over women? Always had, always would. For every decent guy, there were a thousand Studses.
“One minute, my knight in shining armor,” she found herself saying. “The next, best friend to Studs Underwood. I figured you two wanted to get to know each other, and that he’d be happy to give you a ride. Of course, I didn’t think you’d get here so quickly.” She flashed him a smile. “But then, you had to race to your lab unit.”
“Losing it could cost me my job.”
She felt a twinge of guilt. “It won’t happen again.”
“On the way up here—” Interrupting his thought, he said, “The sheriff’s car was right on the top of the hill, and while we were following you, he offered to arrest you.”
Interesting. “You told him not to?”
“Yes. And he wanted to. He said you should have been arrested before now. In fact, it sounds like you have quite a reputation around here.”
“Does that bother you?”
He looked torn. “Dammit,” he suddenly muttered, thrusting a hand through locks of sun-streaked hair that hung almost to his shoulders. “The way you look now,” he said hoarsely. “No.”
“I thought you were a scientist,” she purred, still unable to take in that he’d eaten up what Studs had had to say like candy. “What’s a woman, after all? Just cells and microbes, right?”
Rex took a confused step forward. “What’s gotten into you? When I got here, you were wearing that little pink suit, acting holier than thou. And now…”
She felt both hot and cold all over, trembling inside, and something dark and shivery, like beams of moonlight seemed to stream through her veins. “Well, you heard what kind of girl I am, didn’t you? So, nothing should surprise you now.”
His gaze traveled from the closet to the leopard-print tube on the bed, then settled on the open suitcase. Inside, her new belts were coiled around two-tone pocketbooks and matching pumps, and neatly folded T-shirts lay next to stacks of walking shorts. Beside the suitcase, her new pastel suits were visible through the clear plastic of a garment bag.
Suddenly, he slammed shut the door behind him, and her heart beat furiously as he came toward her. He looked none too happy now, his lips pursed grimly and his expression determined. “Look,” he said, snatching the dress from her hand. “Just put this on. I don’t know
what the hell happened back there—” When she didn’t comply, he lifted her hand, thrust it through a short sleeve. “But let’s just forget about it. Let’s just get a fresh start here.”
Swiftly leaning, he reached for her other hand, urging it into the other sleeve, but as he moved, their bellies brushed. There was no way she could fight the response. Her flesh quivered, and her nipples constricted so quickly.
He stepped back, and when he did, there was no mistaking that he was breathing hard. His voice was gruff. “C’mon. Do a guy a favor. Button up.”
Every nerve inside her was jangling like bells. When her eyes dipped over his jeans, she could see the visible evidence of his excitement. This crazy day had just gotten a whole lot crazier. Was she really standing here, in front of a near stranger, a dress open over her body, which was naked save for a pair of panties? “What if I don’t take orders?” she said petulantly, her own ears registering the impossible throatiness of her own voice.
“C’mon,” he said. “Quit playing games, Ariel.”
“But you heard it all from the good sheriff, didn’t you?” she taunted. “And now you know all about how the local bad girl likes to play games.”
She watched his tongue inadvertently circle his lips, and as she sucked in an audible breath, her breasts swelled, the tips aching for the lips he’d just wet. She felt her knees weaken, as if a gale wind had just sapped their strength.
“An hour ago you were all too happy to kiss me,” she whispered.
“Is that what you want?”
She knew she’d lost her mind, but it was the truth. “More.”
He took another deep breath as if to steady his nerves. “Right now, I think you’re mad at your boyfriend. Or old boyfriend. Or whatever he is—”
She barely knew what came over her. But she reached over and splayed her palm on his chest. “He is not my boyfriend,” she said succinctly.
“Okay,” said Rex, not about to argue.
“He has never been my boyfriend.”
Again, Rex looked torn, probably because of what he’d overheard. Beneath her skin, his T-shirt felt as soft as silk. His bare skin was even softer, and the threads of chest hair softer still.
When Rex spoke, his voice sounded thicker with a slow Southern drawl. “For not being your boyfriend,” he said, “the guy sure got you riled.”
“Why don’t you try to get him out of my system?”
Everything in his expression said he’d already been pushed beyond the limits of male endurance. “Could be difficult.”
“Maybe you can innoculate me.”
His voice caught as he angled closer, soliciting a shiver when the buckle of his belt pressed her bare belly. “Cure you of…”
“The heat,” she murmured.
“I’d only make you hotter.”
“Prove it,” she whispered as he placed a hand on her back, near the small of her spine. Warmth from his palm seeped through the thin fabric of the dress. Already, her panties were wet; when he exerted pressure, she arched, uttering a moan when she felt the strain of his erection against her.
The house was too old to accommodate central air and the room was so hot. Besides, she’d always preferred fresh air to the window air conditioners that had been placed in all the rooms, but now her skin felt like a heavy coat, and she quickly shrugged out of the dress he’d just insisted she put on. She glanced over her shoulder, toward the bed, trying not to think about how long it had been since she’d had sex. And yet how could she forget? Nearly a year. And with a date she hadn’t wanted nearly as much as she wanted Rex Houston. Ever since, during her and Ryan’s flirtation at work, she’d been hoping something wild would happen….
Seeing the hopeless mess on the duvet, she urged him backward toward one of the overstuffed chairs, until his knees hit, curled over the edge and he sat down. Shrugging out of the his T-shirt, he tossed it aside, and as her gaze drifted over his chest, she blew out a long, quivering breath. He really was gorgeous. Broadchested and tan, covered in blond hair.
The way he was looking at her was thoroughly unsettling, too. His midnight-blue eyes were steady, the gaze both hungry and self-assured. Like most people, he really thought she was a town bad girl, everything Studs had said. And right now, she didn’t mind in the least. In fact, she wanted to play the part. Leaning, she grabbed his belt buckle and flicked it open.
He leaned back his head, his lips parting in ecstasy as her nails teased the skin near the waistband of his jeans. She toyed, tracing the space as if they had all day to play, until he made a strangled sound—something between a moan and a curse. His own hand quickly covered hers then, and deftly, he snapped open his jeans and dragged down the zipper. A tuft of his briefs was visible, and he released another sigh, this time of relief.
“I haven’t even kissed you yet,” she whispered, tucking her hands behind him, under the waistband, so she could slip off his pants.
“Then you’d better start.”
Another wave of heat claimed her as her palms glided slowly downward over the smooth skin of his behind. “Would you like that, Rex?”
“Yeah,” he muttered.
Sweat and desire mixed, and when she leaned closer, she caught mingled scents, the pungent aroma of need shooting into her like a dart. It must have affected him the same way, because he lifted his hips, so she could divest him of his pants. Then he slipped a hand under the waistband of the briefs, gasping as the clothes came free.
“You said you want to be kissed,” she teased huskily, her heart hammering as she took him in. He was thoroughly aroused; she’d sent him over the edge with her taunts. “But you didn’t say where.”
“Where,” he said huskily.
She ran a nail from the scrotum all the long way up to the tippy top, testing each ridge, then she lowered her mouth.
He groaned. Hands fell to her hair. She wondered what had come over her, and why she wanted him so badly. Hours ago, he’d been a stranger. But her mind clouded as she tasted him, and every thought went spinning into some black void like a whirlpool.
He was salt and spice, arching as she clicked teeth on the silken skin of the head, until he was uttering a long, unbroken sound of longing and gathering her hair in fistfuls. Slowly, she flicked the sensitive underside until he was about to come.
It hit her that she’d always longed to feel a man’s mouth on her…Why not now, she thought. With him. Rex would do it. Already, he was full to bursting, straining. He’d do any damn thing she wanted! She felt wild with lust, too, determined to send him tumbling into oblivion.
Need forced her to her feet. She stood before him, taking in what she’d done to him. He was dusky with promise, completely hard. She wanted to feel his tongue plunging hungrily between her lips, to let him slake his thirst while she explored every crevice of his mouth. She wanted to be swallowed by his long, tan muscular arms, too, to drown in their embrace until the sun went down and the moon rose. Maybe then, they’d run naked in the woods like nymphs and fall asleep on a bed of soft pine needles.
Slipping both hands inside the front of her panties, she pushed them down, now pretending she was a master stripper and teasing Rex with the view, until she’d removed the last barrier between them. Just as her panties hit the floor, he reached for her, and she was in his arms, her legs parting to straddle him. Nothing had ever felt so good as those arms, she decided, as they wrapped tightly around her back. He lowered his head and caught one of her nipples between his teeth, expertly nibbling, then suckling hard, drawing gasps of pleasure. A moment later, their mouths locked and tongues greedily thrust.
“Condom?” he whispered wetly against her mouth.
She veered back. She hadn’t even thought of that, and didn’t need to say so. The panic was in her eyes. It was too late now, she was too far gone. She didn’t want to stop. As if reading her mind, he softly cursed. Her mind raced. Of course, they needed a condom. What had she been thinking? But the fact was, she couldn’t think. “I don’t have…”
A hand slid around her neck, pulling her mouth to his again, and as their lips covered each other, sizzling and burning, he urged her to the floor. Lying there, she looked up as he settled between her legs, his astonishingly big hands splaying on her thighs, his eyes taking their fill as he parted her.
As he slowly leaned, she felt his hot breath on her thighs. It whispered on her belly, and her tummy tightened. Then he kissed her, circling her navel with his tongue. Lower, she thought, suddenly crying and arching, scarcely able to believe this dream was coming true, begging him with the needy trajectory of her hips and the hands that found his shoulders and pushed. She’d never done this before. Never had a man…
Lower. Just the thought of it pushed her closer to the edge. Fever claimed her. She had to have him….
There. She exploded as his wet, open-mouthed kiss covered her, feeling better than anything she’d ever imagined. She was drowning then. Old, dark sensations took her completely. She’d never felt so wet. So adrift. And when the pad of his tongue settled momentarily, drenching her in warmth, she felt she’d die from the heat prickling every inch of her skin. Frustrated, she whimpered. “Please.”
The word was magic. Better than the waters of Bliss. It made that maddening tongue move on her clitoris. As the tip circled her bud, she flooded. Hands, at his sides just moments ago, were everywhere at once. A thick finger thrust inside her, pushing her to the edge.
Wildly, she reached, desperate to close her hand over his stiffened length, wanting this uncanny pleasure to be shared. He turned, angling his legs so they were side by side, his mouth only leaving her once, to cry out in maddened agony as her hand found him. She stroked hard as her mouth descended, the kisses reckless with her own heat, unraveling sanity.
The Ariel Anderson who’d driven into Bliss only hours ago, wearing a new suit and feeling determined to change her reputation, flung back her head and shamelessly forgot herself. He’d held her at the brink too long, until she felt crazy. Frustrated craving replaced rational thought.