by Various
John stared at her with a tell-me-another-one look.
“Could we sit down?” she asked. “My foot is killing me.” It wasn’t, but she didn’t like him towering over her. She felt at a disadvantage without her stilettos. He nodded his head toward the living room. She moved to the couch, scooting over to make room for him, but he took the chair he’d brought out earlier from the dining area.
After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, she said, “I pegged you from the beginning as a totally insensitive, arrogant man with basically no redeeming qualities. I never expected to change my opinion of you. But as we spent some time together, I realized I was wrong. And then I guess I freaked out a bit because you are the donor father and I absolutely, positively cannot get emotionally involved with the donor father. Neither of us needs that kind of complication in our lives.” She glanced away, staring at Scarlett’s dirty fish bowl, poor thing. “Anyway, the whole thing caught me off guard.”
“So, because you didn’t despise me, you had to act like you did? That makes no sense, Sam.”
She blushed. “Maybe not to you, but I suppose I thought if I acted too, uh, attentive, you’d get the wrong idea.”
“God, Sam. You’re human. A person should have human reactions and emotions after incredible sex. It wouldn’t make me think you wanted to pick out China patterns for Chrissake.”
“Okay, so I’m slightly deranged when it comes to relationships.” She met his eyes squarely. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“You didn’t ‘hurt’ me,” John barked. “You just pissed me off.” His mouth twitched. He was silent a few moments. Suddenly, he stood. “Dammit, Sam!”
She leapt back into the cushions of the couch. “Wh-what did I do now?”
“Even when you’re being sincere, it feels like you’re toying with me.”
“I am being sincere,” she said.
“I know that, dammit.”
“Then why—?” She looked about as confused as he was.
He paced into the dining room and back. “If I were to change my mind, and that’s a big ‘if,’ how would I know it wasn’t all just another act with you?”
“You wouldn’t. You’d have to trust me.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’d know you were only thinking about getting pregnant.”
“That is why we’re here, John. I’m not going to lie and say it wouldn’t cross my mind, but — trust me — when we’re in the heat of things, I’m not thinking about making babies.” She looked at him from under those incredibly long lashes.
He couldn’t believe what he was about to say, but— “I’ll make a deal with you,” he said. She sat straighter on the couch. “I’ll think about helping you again—” A smile tugged at the corners of her luscious mouth. He held up his hand. “But, I want one night with you first.”
Her eyebrows drew together, puzzled. “What—?”
“I want one night where it doesn’t end with that damned pillow while you time yourself. I want to hold you in my arms afterwards — if I choose to do that. I want to make love to you. The real you. You got that?” He was insane. He should be committed. But this woman was too great a temptation to him. She was pure poison, and he couldn’t resist her.
She batted her eyelashes. Damn, she was good at that. “You are so romantic.”
“Sam, I’m serious. That’s the deal. Take it or leave it.” He moved across the room to stand in front of her. “But I’m telling you, if you pull any kind of crap with me, I’m out of here. Got it?”
She stood. With a sharp intake of breath he realized she wasn’t wearing a bra under that sweatshirt. Her breasts bobbed slightly with every step until she was just inches away. “Sounds like blackmail to me,” she purred, walking her fingers up his chest.
John sucked in his breath. He was friggin’ crazy. He had no self-control where she was concerned. He grabbed her hand to stop her from touching him. “Think of it however you like. Is it a deal?”
She entwined their fingers and nudged her body closer until the tips of her breasts grazed his shirt. The rest of her body didn’t quite touch his, but he felt her heat. She radiated it like white sand beneath a tropical sun. “Deal.” She rose and kissed his mouth, at the same time rubbing against him like a cat. She was shameless. She really was.
John wanted her. Bad. She was openly offering what he so badly wanted to take from her. Why deny himself? He yanked her into his arms and kissed her hard and deep until he felt her relinquish control to him. He pulled back just far enough to stare into her eyes, tangling his fingers in her hair, holding her gaze steady. “Why am I afraid I’m going to regret this when I wake in the morning?” he murmured.
She cupped his face, pulling him toward her and kissing the corner of his mouth. “If you don’t get any sleep tonight, waking up won’t be an issue.”
Chapter 11
Somehow they made it to the bedroom. John’s hands slipped under Sam’s sweater and urged it over her head as they neared the bed. He hooked his fingers in her waistband and slid her pants to the floor. She was naked in front of him, while he remained fully clothed.
She felt naked in more than just the literal sense. The way he stared at her was unnerving. Like he had something to prove and would stop at nothing to prove it. She shivered.
He reached for her breasts, his fingers pinching and rolling her nipples until she wanted to cry out from both pleasure and pain. All the while, his gaze didn’t leave her face. She knew he was testing her. He wanted to see if her responses to him were genuine. In some ways, she couldn’t blame him. But the whole thing made her a little nervous. She didn’t like not being in complete control.
He backed her to the bed. The edge of the mattress pressed against the bends of her knees. With one strong forearm at her back, he eased her backward.
He loosened his shirt from the waistband of his jeans, then pulled it over his head. His well-defined abdominal muscles rippled with every twist, every stretch. Sam had seen his bare torso many times now, but it never ceased to astound her. He was a perfect specimen of a man.
Her lips were suddenly parched, so she moistened them with her tongue.
“Scoot down.”
“Wh-what?” she asked.
His eyes were narrow blue slits in his face. “Scoot your hips down to the edge of the mattress here.” He hooked his hands around her knees and pulled her toward him. Then he knelt on the floor and lifted her legs to his shoulders, one on each side of his neck.
Her eyes widened. “Oh, John. I don’t think—”
“Shut up, Sam. We’re going to see just how good an actress you are.”
His left eyebrow lifted before he lowered his head. She squirmed to get out of his grasp. There was no way she could retain even the slightest bit of control if she allowed him to—
“Oh!” She almost jumped out of her skin as his tongue touched her intimately. His breath was hot. His mouth was cool. The double sensation just about floored her. “John, I really don’t think—” she started breathlessly, then all rational thoughts disappeared from her brain.
She heard herself moaning. Her stomach muscles tensed as she writhed against him. Her fingers twisted in his hair. She tugged his head closer. She arched her hips toward him. She wanted more of everything he was giving her. God, it was delicious. Mmm, it was amazing. It was— It was— It was—
Her hips bucked against him, her fingers digging into his scalp. Her screams of passion echoed in her head and throughout the bedroom. Her eyes remained closed as she drifted slowly, wonderfully back to reality. The bed shifted under John’s weight. She opened her eyes to find him leaning on one elbow, staring at her.
“I do believe you enjoyed yourself, Miss Rossi,” he said, his voice a sexy growl.
She was too relaxed to blush or be embarrassed. “Yeah,” was all she managed to say.
He trailed a finger lightly through the valley of her breasts and down her belly. She closed her eyes and let herself enjoy his delicate touch as it
reversed direction. Her body was still heavy with spent passion and her heart rate hadn’t yet reached its regular pace. Tired as she was though, he was slowly managing to awaken her desires all over again.
His finger drew a feather-light circle around one nipple, then the other. The burgundy nubs hardened under his attention, as if begging for more. He moved off the bed and stood, stripping quickly until he towered naked above her.
A flurry of excitement and desire raced through her. He crawled onto the bed until he was poised over her, his shoulder muscles tense, his chest muscles rippling with strength and power. That he was so physically dominant over her caused a dangerous thrill to shoot through her veins.
His intense gaze held hers captive. She felt hypnotized by those blue, blue eyes. The mattress shifted slightly as he moved his hand. It went first to her belly, then lower to slip into her triangle of dark curls. He stared into her eyes as he dipped even lower, his lips curling upward at the corner as her lids grew heavy with passion.
“Turn over,” he demanded, his voice raspy with desire.
“Wh-what?” She blinked a couple of times.
He slid his hands beneath her and flipped her onto her stomach so she was spread-eagle on the mattress. His knees urged her thighs apart. He definitely had the upper hand now. A tiny jolt of alarm charged through her. “John?”
He didn’t answer her but slipped a hand under her pelvis and lifted until she felt his hard erection at the apex of her legs. He thrust slowly into her from behind, filling her deeper than she’d thought possible. With his body weight on top of her, she was powerless to move. She wasn’t the only one here with a control issue.
His hands covered hers where they clenched the sheets. Slowly, slowly he moved in and out of her. She couldn’t do anything but lie there. And feel. Which made the sensations inside that much stronger, that much more erotic.
She felt his mouth on the back of her neck, trailing hot little kisses along the nape. She moaned as he pushed even deeper into her, his movements slight and controlled. He nipped and tongued her ear, driving her half out of her mind. “John,” she groaned, curling her fingers tightly around his. “I want to touch you. I want to kiss you.”
He pulled out of her and pushed himself up so she could turn over. There was that arrogant, gorgeous slant to his eyebrows. God, she wanted him. Wordlessly, she lifted her hips to meet him. She closed her eyes.
“Open your eyes, beautiful,” John said softly. She did. His face was just inches from hers. His warm breath fanned her lips. He pushed into her and slowly filled her, all the while keeping his gaze locked on hers. “I want to make love to you, Samantha.”
“Yes,” was all she managed to whisper before he dipped his head and covered her mouth with his.
It was a completely different type of kiss than they’d shared before. This one had a tenderness to it that caught her completely off guard and had her self-control slipping even further into oblivion. He thrust slowly, rhythmically into her, over and over, building her desires slowly but surely to that incredible place again. He didn’t break the kiss until she felt her world spiraling deliciously out of control. She arched against him, every muscle in her body tensing as it sensed that ultimate and perfect release. White lights blinded her eyelids, shooting stars lit her body, and somewhere at the edge of her sanity, she felt John reach the same destination.
Afterward, he was heavy on top of her, suffocating almost, but Sam didn’t have the energy to say anything. When rolled off her, she felt empty without him.
He breathed heavily beside her. Her own breaths were quick and raspy. They stared at the ceiling, which was gray in the darkness, the only light coming from the streetlight seeping through the curtains. She knew he waited for her to say something, do something. But she couldn’t move. She needed to catch her breath. She needed to regain her self-control.
The wind hissed at the window, rattling its frame. Raindrops beat against the panes in a quick, steady staccato. Yet with all the noises of Mother Nature, the silence in the bedroom was deafening.
John kept perfectly still, waiting for Sam to make the first move. Finally, she rolled to the edge of the bed and reached for something on the floor. He closed his eyes. They’d tossed the pillows down there. Damn her, he thought. And damn himself for being so stupid—
She rolled back toward him, pulling the quilt with her. Wordlessly, she handed him a corner and they covered themselves with it. Still, their bodies didn’t really touch and still they stared at the ceiling.
He felt the bed shift and he rotated his head to see her peering over at him from her pillow. She looked so serious, her brows furrowed as she studied him. Then, slowly, her lips curved and she gave him a sweet smile. He realized he’d been holding his breath, and he let it out, his tension evaporating. He grinned and slid his arm around her shoulders, drawing her into his side.
After a few moments of enjoying the afterglow, he murmured against her hair, “That was incredible.”
Her fingernails grazed his arm. “It was,” she said after a moment.
“You don’t like not being in complete control at all times, do you?”
Her breathing stilled. Then she sighed. “I obviously liked it. I’m just not used to it.”
He kissed the top of her head and couldn’t help smiling. “Okay. Next time, you can be on top.”
John rolled over and buried his head into the pillow, inhaling. What he smelled wasn’t the faint scent of roses Sam wore, but something almost as mouthwatering. He opened his eyes and sniffed again. Bacon. Before he could follow his nose, Sam breezed through the bedroom door carrying a breakfast tray.
Seeing his rumpled but awake form, she said, “Oh, good. I thought I’d have to wake you.”
He pushed himself onto an elbow and rubbed his eyes. “What time is it?” He glanced around for a clock.
“Just past noon.” She set the tray on the empty side of the bed. “I made you some—”
“Noon?” He grabbed his watch from the bedside table then raked his fingers through his hair. He fell back on the pillows. “Christ. I haven’t slept in this late since college.” He took in her freshly scrubbed face devoid of makeup and her shower-dampened hair. Her body was covered in a long, red nightshirt that hit her at mid-thigh. He’d bet she had nothing on under it. He vowed to find out. Soon.
“I see it as a good thing,” she said, sitting on the edge of the mattress. She trailed her fingers over his blanketed shin. “Last night you said you might regret the decision to stay with me come morning, but…” Her lips curled into a teasing grin. “But it’s not morning anymore. It’s afternoon. So your time for regretting is past.”
He nabbed her wrist and hauled her on top of him. Wet, curling locks of her hair fell onto his face, tickling his over-sensitized skin. He slid his hand up the back of her thigh and cupped her bare bottom under her shirt. His penis immediately sprung to life, pressing against the blanket and Sam’s hip.
Her dark eyes laughed into his. “Why, Mr. Everest, you sure do wake up fast.”
“Why don’t you let me show you just how fast?” he growled against her neck, inhaling the fresh scent of soap on her skin and a floral shampoo in her hair.
“What about the nice breakfast I made you?” She arched her back as he tugged the collar of her shirt down and sucked a nipple into his mouth.
“You mean the bribery?” he asked against her breast.
She pulled back and pressed her fist to her heart. “You hurt me, John, thinking I made you breakfast as a way of bribing you into changing your mind about helping me.” She tsked, tsked under her breath.
He gripped her hips and scooted her into position over his erection that strained against the blanket. “So... that breakfast isn’t meant as a bribe?”
“Well, of course it is, but I’m still hurt you’d think that.” She wriggled on top of him, and he groaned at the sweet torture.
“Lady, I think I’m getting to know how your gorgeous mind works.”
>
Her arched brows lifted. “Well?” she asked, gripping the hem of her shirt and pulling it over her head. “Have you changed your mind?”
He crossed his arms behind his head and refrained from touching her delectably naked body, although his hands and mouth ached to explore it freely in the daylight. She grazed the tips of her fingers across his flat, brown nipples until they were hard as pebbles. His teeth clenched.
“Just because you’re straddling me naked as a jaybird doesn’t mean you’re going to get your way.” His fists bunched into the blanket as she bent forward and ran her hot tongue around his nipple.
“It doesn’t?” Her voice was muffled against his chest.
“You think you’ve got me in the palm of your hand, but you don’t.”
She reached between them and slipped her hand under the blanket. He just about lost it when she took hold of him. “Ah, but I do, John.”
His self-control was fast slipping into oblivion as she stroked him. “I think the deal is pretty one sided.” His voice cracked from passion and restraint. “You’ll get a baby, and I just get sex. It just seems unfair, you know?”
She trailed kisses over his chest and down his stomach, pausing at his belly button and swirling her tongue into the indentation. His buttocks tensed in response. Christ, he’d never known that part of his body to be so sensitive.
“Yeah, life’s a bitch, ain’t it?” she muttered, then moved lower, nudging the blanket out of her way.
When she took him into her mouth, John’s self-control snapped and he tangled his fingers in her hair. When the gentle suction began and his world spun with hot pleasure, he knew he couldn’t deny this woman anything.
John scribbled some notes on the short stack of index cards in front of him. He and Alex would be presenting the youth center proposal to the Seattle City Council in about an hour. He wasn’t as prepared as he’d like to be — he’d planned on having the entire weekend to go over his notes. Instead, he’d spent most of it in bed with Sam.