The knot in his stomach dissipated along with the fear he'd been experiencing. Maybe now he could sleep without his subconscious drudging up bad memories. He would never forget Mary Clark-Smith, but at least he wouldn't conjure up her image every time he thought of his feelings for Alex.
He kept his gaze fixed on hers while sliding his palms over her stomach and up toward her breasts. “I want to make your every desire come true tonight,” he murmured, his fingers grazing her hardening nipples.
She tilted her head back with a moan and he hardened in response. Why had he changed into these uncomfortable jeans, anyway? His mouth found the supple curve of her neck and he drank in her flowery scent along with the sweet taste of her skin as he placed a series of kisses along her throat. Her fingers gripped his shoulders and he dipped his head, trailing his tongue down the valley between her breasts.
Her head snapped straight when his mouth wrapped around the hard pink nub of her nipple. A gasp escaped her lips and he rolled his tongue around the sensitive flesh before sucking it further into his mouth.
"Oh.” She curled her nails into his skin. “That ... feels ... so nice.” Tiny pants punctuated her words as he moved to the other breast.
With almost painful reluctance, he forced his lips away from her bosom. She reopened her eyes and pouted. He caught her lower lip between his while easing her onto the blanket. He couldn't help the primal growl that seemed to come from nowhere when her tongue flickered over his lips.
"Tell me what you want.” He leaned forward and lightly grazed the tip of his tongue down her chest, over her abdomen before pausing at the button of her shorts. His eyes slid to her face and grinned at the eager expression in her eyes.
"I want you to love me in every way possible,” she purred while shifting her legs in anticipation.
"I'll do more than that,” he promised and started to unfasten the latch of her shorts.
She sat up and placed her hand on his thigh. He glanced up to see a playful gleam in her eyes. “You can't be comfortable in those jeans,” she said while tilting her head to the side to study his reaction. “Besides, how am I supposed to return the favor if you still have your clothes on?"
Her palm slid further up the inside of his leg until her fingers brushed against his hard-on. Brett moaned and tried to cover her hand with his trembling fingers, but she used her free hand to grasp his fingers and place his palm to her cheek.
"Whatever you're thinking about, that was then."
Oh God. Was it that obvious? What bothered him was that he wanted her to touch him. He wanted to feel her hands on his skin and allow her to explore every inch of his body in detail, but try as he might, he couldn't rid his mind of his sordid past.
"I'm sorry,” he muttered. “I was hoping that admitting my feelings to you would make the memories stop."
Now he would have no choice but to explain his past to her. Was it really such a bad thing? After all, she'd said that she wanted her men to be honest. There's only one way to find out.
"Memories?” Her hand fell away. “What kind of memories?"
She settled between his open legs and he slipped his arms around her midsection. “I've done things in my past that I am not proud of.” He tightened his hold around her. “Things I will undoubtedly regret for the rest of my life."
He could see her trying to decipher his comments and she drew in a sharp breath.
"It's why you've been so distant these last few days, isn't it?"
"Yes."
"Does it also involve the reaction you had to Hudson's story during Round Robin?"
She'd seen that? He could have sworn the only person who had noticed his unease was Charlie.
"Yes."
Alex was silent for a moment. “I know what your memories are,” she whispered. “When I touch you, all your mind registers are the other women who touched you in the same manner. Am I right?"
He wished she wasn't, but it seemed the more time he spent with Alex, the easier it was for her to read him. This frightened him. He'd never allowed anyone to get this close to him and now it seemed as though she knew him better than he knew himself.
"Unfortunately,” he admitted. “It's not a pleasant image, I can assure you. I would much rather be seeing you."
She twisted in his embrace and pushed back a strand of his hair. “Tell you what. Until you're ready, I'll keep my hands to myself. How does that sound?"
Brett's lips curled in a wolfish smile. “The problem lies in that I want you to put your hands on me. I just need to put my past where it belongs and concentrate on how I'm going to make you happy."
"You do make me happy,” she protested. “However, I'm not about to let you torment yourself for the sake of my being frisky."
He drew his head back to examine her and wiggled his eyebrows. “I like it when you're frisky. Now, if I'm not mistaken, I believe I promised to fill your every desire this evening."
"I believe you said something to that effect, yes.” She placed several, teasing kisses up his throat, across his jaw line and finally ending at his ear, where she gently caught the lobe between her teeth.
"Does this mean I can fill your desires as well? I may be a spoiled princess, but I want to make sure my cowboy is well taken care of,” she continued in a whisper.
Moments before a comment like this would have drudged up painful memories, but when he squeezed his eyes shut, all he could think of was pleasing Alex as many times as he could before Charlie came to fetch them. Gone were his thoughts of Mary Clark-Smith and in their place were the vivid images of Alex running her hands over the length of his body. The very notion made him throb with need.
"Take your shorts off,” he ordered. “I want you to undress for me."
Alex rose to her feet, her fingers releasing the button to the denim garment. Wordlessly, she slowly slid the material down her thighs. Her gaze remained riveted to his and a coy smile surfaced. She pushed the shorts down all the way, revealing a pair of silk panties clinging to her hips by a thin piece of elastic.
He rose as well and removed the remainder of his clothing, pausing to allow her curious hands to explore as much of his body as she dared. Her touch, though light as a feather, made his pulse race and blood pool in his thighs where her fingers were hovering. Unable to withstand the anticipation any longer, he seized her wrist and guided her hand to his cock. Instantly, her fingers wrapped around him, stroking, and caressing him with gentle precision. He didn't think it was possible to get any harder than he already was, but her delicate fingers turned him to steel.
"Are you okay with this?"
Okay? He was better than okay. She incited sensations he hadn't known existed and as her soft body melded with his, he could feel her arousal surging with liquid heat. He swallowed what was undoubtedly his heart and nodded. If he didn't slow his racing pulse and demanding urges, he would explode long before he wanted to.
"Jesus, Alex. You're going to make me come, baby,” he bit out and reopened his eyes.
She stood on her tiptoes and brushed her lips against his. “I wouldn't mind.” She circled her thumb over the engorged head of his penis. “It would mean that I pleased you."
She did more than please him. She reawakened a hunger he was powerless to fight. He could spend hours kissing her, touching her, tasting her and just out-and-out fucking her, all the while leaving her begging for more. It seemed like forever since anyone had made him feel this way and it took all of his willpower to keep from ravishing her.
Not that he thought she would object. If her tight nipples and labored breathing were any indication, she was ready for anything he was about to do to her—even if it meant taking her up against one of the boulders lining the water's edge.
"Lie down and I'll return the favor."
She eased herself onto the blankets and glanced up at him in eager anticipation. Lust burned in her eyes, searing him as she crooked a finger in a come-hither gesture. God have mercy, she was making it difficult to be a gentleman .
.. whatever that was.
Being careful of his knee, he knelt before her and slid his palms up her calves until his fingers reached her knees. He studied her trembling legs with satisfaction, relishing in the knowledge he was enticing her a fraction of the amount she was him. He continued to slide his hands over the ivory flesh of her thighs and hooked his fingers into the elastic strips around her hips. He tugged her panties down, pausing to reach beneath her and trail his hands over her firm bottom.
After discarding the undergarments, he returned his hands to her knees and wedged himself between her thighs, using his shoulders to keep her legs parted.
She tilted her head back, groaning as he licked a path down the length of her body. He took his time, tracing lavish circles around her nipples and sucking each peak between his lips. A shudder rippled through her when his tongue dipped into her navel and in response, she buried her fingers into the back of his hair.
He slid down further, pressing teasing kisses to each side of her pelvis. She hitched a breath and stiffened, her knees squeezing his shoulders in attempt to close her legs. He smiled against her skin and pressed his palms against her thighs, forcing her legs to remain open until he was finished with her.
She squirmed when he resumed his feast upon her, his head descending lower until her thighs gave a violent jerk beneath him.
"Brett!"
He peered at her innocently. “You don't want me to?"
No matter what audible response she gave him, the moist heat radiating from her sex told him she craved his lips.
Alex bit the corner of her lower lip and sputtered, “It's not that. It's just ... I never ... no one has ever done that before."
Her declaration only heightened his desire to kiss her there and his hand glided across her leg until his fingers brushed over the petal soft skin.
"Do you want me to stop?"
"No!"
"Then relax and let me please my princess.” He waited until she was lying on her back once more before letting his fingers explore her warm, wet flesh.
He watched her reaction closely, enjoying the expression of pleasure on her face. The last time they made love, the experience had ended too quickly. This time would be different. He would draw it out for as long as he could.
"Are you my princess?” He lowered his mouth to her inflamed body. Alex went rigid. Every muscle clenched so tight her entire body quivered.
"Yes,” she breathed. “I'm all yours."
She relaxed after only a moment, but her breathing turned ragged as he laved at her. Moaning his name, she fisted the blankets on either side of her and lifted her hips to greet his tongue's gentle caress.
It didn't take Brett long to find rhythm in her rocking hips and he slid a finger within her, using tiny amounts of pressure to push her toward the precipice. She moaned louder and arched her back, straining for him to take more of her into his mouth.
"Feels ... so ... good,” she panted and nearly sat bolt upright when his tongue touched the tiny bundle of nerves at the top of her opening. “Oh!"
Unsure whether or not he had hurt her, he licked her again, softer this time. She trembled. Deciding to take her reaction as encouragement, he continued to center his attention on this ultra sensitive area, alternating between soft licks and gentle sucks until she was writhing beneath him.
"Please,” she begged, twisting her head side to side. “I can't take anymore. It's too much."
Her labored pants and muffled cries were music to his ears, while the feel of her hot slick body clamped around his fingers put his senses in overdrive. He could do this for hours, tasting her sweetness and kissing every inch of her without giving a damn about the burning ache in his balls. He toyed with the notion of doing just that, of staying nestled between her legs and devouring her until she was too weak and sated to move.
This idea fled the moment she grasped his shoulders and dug her nails into him. Her body went ramrod stiff an instant before succumbing to the deep shudder of orgasm. Her vaginal muscles contracted and released around his fingers and when she cried out his name, he nearly came apart.
He rode the waves out, pinning her to the ground and lapping at her relentlessly. Before she could fully recover, he lifted his head and clambered to his knees. He had to have her.
"Take me,” she choked out. “I want to feel you inside me."
He buried himself inside her in a single thrust, making her gasp in ecstasy. She wrapped her legs around his hips, forcing him even deeper. He didn't dare move. He remained perfectly still until the urge to come was no longer a threat.
"God, you feel good.” He leaned his forehead against hers and slowly began to move within her. Her hips rose to greet him and he stopped once more. “Almost too good."
Alex sighed her pleasure. “Then let me do it."
Her hands slid down his chest and across his ribs before resting on his hips. Despite her small frame, she possessed a tremendous amount of strength as she held him firmly in place. She rolled and lifted her hips, alternating between the two with soft groans of delight.
More than once, he begged her to let him rest, to regain his composure, but his pleas went ignored. She was determined to give him a dose of his own medicine. The only respite he received was her slowing her erotic movements long enough for him to catch his breath.
"Tell me you love me,” she murmured in his ear before finally allowing him control of his hips.
She cupped his face and pulled his mouth down to hers, letting her tongue run over his lips. If he could still taste her nectar, he was positive she could as well. This notion sent him careening toward his breaking point.
"I love you.” He lifted her hips off the blanket, gripping the round flesh of her ass with both hands as he drove into her.
Alex ground against him and with each thrust, he could feel her tighten around him until the pleasure was too much to bear. Every muscle in his body tensed, his nerves drawn taut and ready to snap at any moment. Then, as if her tender body hadn't tormented him enough, she started bucking, the swells of another orgasm spilling out of her.
Dear God, he thought a split second before finally finding his own release. He covered her mouth with his, smothering her name on their lips as a shudder ripped through him. In the back of his fog-filled mind, he heard her moan his name as she withdrew her head and buried her face into his neck. Her fingers curled into the tight muscles of his shoulders and he gave another, less intense shudder.
"Are you okay?” she breathed moments later.
Though he had withdrawn from inside her, he didn't trust himself to move. His arms and legs shook and it took all of his strength to roll off her.
She slid closer to him, her head easily finding the niche between his shoulder and chest. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and drew her close. He'd waited for this moment since the first night they made love and now all he could think was that it had been worth the wait. Lying there with her in his arms, a feeling of contentment engulfed him. Everything about this night felt right.
"Hmm.” He glanced at her. “I couldn't be better. What about you? I didn't hurt you, did I?"
She shook her head with a dreamy smile. “No. You did things to me no one else ever has.” She sat up with a giggle. “We should probably cover ourselves. I think the last thing Charlie wants to see at six o'clock in the morning is us in our birthday suits."
Brett propped himself on one elbow and took her hand.
"We should wait to do that until we're ready to go to sleep."
The experience had been undeniably gratifying, but it also left him wanting more. Her body was like no other drug he had ever taken. She brought him to new and exciting heights of ecstasy by doing little more than touching him.
Alex blinked her astonishment, her lips parted to sputter a response that seemed to elude her. Her eyes roved his body before returning to his face.
"Again?” she managed in awe. “You want to again? So soon?"
"Don't you?"
&nb
sp; She lay down beside him and turned onto her back, allowing him to trail his fingers up her stomach toward her breasts.
"W—well, yes, but—” The sentence died on her lips when he ran the tip of his finger around her nipple. The teasing motion made the pink flesh pucker and she whimpered.
"But what?” He captured the hardening peak in his mouth.
Alex moaned and ran her fingers through his hair.
"Nothing, cowboy. Nothing at all."
[Back to Table of Contents]
Chapter Twenty-Four
"Alex."
She heard her name, but the voice sounded as though it were coming from a mile away.
"Alex, you have to wake up."
The frantic tone made her eyes snap open in sudden apprehension. The sky was just beginning to lighten and she blinked several times to force her eyes to focus on the figure standing above her. After a moment, her vision cleared and she found Daniel standing over her.
Clutching the blanket to her chest with one hand, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up. “What's the matter, Danny? Is it six o'clock already?"
It couldn't be. Usually the sun was up long before six and since she could barely see the colors of sunrise painted on the horizon, she guessed it was no later than five o'clock in the morning.
Daniel rubbed the back of his neck and darted a look behind him.
"Almost,” he replied. “I just heard Jason leave the house. I'm not sure if he's aware of the fact you're not in your room, but to err on the side of caution, Charlie thought it best to wake you guys now and have you head back."
Suddenly feeling wide-awake, Alex glanced around the wooded area and then at Brett's sleeping form next to her.
"Do you think he knows that Brett's not in the bunkhouse?” She continued when Daniel shook his head, “Good. Give me five minutes to put my clothes on and then come back to wake him up. I'll slip into my room while you sneak Brett back into the bunkhouse."
Daniel nodded and disappeared into the woods. She gently moved Brett's arm from her lap and started to slide out from beneath the blankets when he grunted.
Alex Page 23