Thorn's Challenge

by Brenda Jackson

  Tara raised a brow. Tomorrow? Did he think he would be keeping her so busy this afternoon and tonight that she would have neither the time nor the strength to get a word out? She couldn’t help it when the thought of that sent a tremor throughout her body.

  She was suddenly swamped with memories of all the dreams she’d ever had of him, her need for him as well as her love for him. But still, none of that mattered if there was not complete honestly between them. He was entitled to know the truth about her.

  “What I have to tell you can’t wait until tomorrow.” After what I have to say there might not be a tomorrow for us, she thought.

  “Okay, you talk,” he said huskily. And if he needed to touch her as much as he needed to breathe, he reached out and placed his hand at her waist, then slowly began caressing her side, flooding her sensitive flesh with sensations through the material of her dress. She didn’t bother to resist him since she wanted his touch as much as it seemed that he wanted hers.

  She cleared her throat and covered his hand with hers to stop the movement so she could think straight. “There’s something I think you ought to know about me, Thorn. Something that will determine whether you want to take this any further.”

  While she held fast to his one hand, before she realized what he was about to do, his free hand reached out and pushed the straps of her dress completely off her shoulders, exposing her black lace bra.

  He stood quietly for a moment, not saying anything but just looking at her. “I don’t think there’s anything you can say that would make me think of not taking this any further, Tara,” he said huskily, not taking his eyes off her.

  Tara wasn’t so sure of that. Thorn was an experienced man and more than likely he wouldn’t want a novice in his bed.

  Moving with the speed he’d displayed on the speedway, he flicked the front closure of her bra and bared her breasts. Just as quickly he moved his hand to her naked flesh, cupped her breast in his hand and muttered the word, “Nice.”

  Tara’s breathing escalated and she felt her body go limp at his touch. Her entire being was becoming a feverish heat. She leaned back and tipped her head, suddenly realizing that at some point Thorn had backed her against a wall. Literally. It was a solid wall that prevented her from going any further, neatly trapping her. She was caught, it seemed, between a rock and a hard place.

  And when he leaned down and clamped his damp open

  mouth to a nipple and began caressing it gently with the tip of his tongue, she lost her train of thought.

  Almost, but not quite. She had to have her say.

  “Thorn?”

  “Umm?”

  She swallowed hard and drew in a deep breath. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see his expression when she said the words. “I’m a virgin.”

  She braced, waited for his fury and when minutes passed and he didn’t say anything, she opened her eyes. He seemed not to have heard her since he had left one nipple and was now concentrating on the other. She inhaled a long, fortifying breath at the way his mouth was nibbling her as though she was a treat he had gone without for too long.

  “Thorn? Did you hear what I said?” She finally decided to ask, fighting against the astounding sensations that were running through her body.

  He lifted his head and met her gaze. “Yes, I heard you.”

  Tara lifted a brow, thinking that if he had heard her, he was taking her news rather well. Too well. She frowned as things became obvious to her. “You knew, didn’t you?” The question was a scant whisper in the room.

  He gazed at her for a long moment before saying. “Yes, I knew.”

  Tara’s eyebrows bunched. How had he known? She hadn’t told another soul other than Delaney, and she knew his sister would not have shared that information with him. “But—but how…?” she asked, barely able to speak.

  He shrugged. “I touched you there, several times, and on that first night I found you extremely tight and when my fingers couldn’t go any farther, I suspected as much. But the next time when I touched you, I knew for sure.”

  She blinked. You asked Thorn a question and he would definitely give you a straight answer. She then felt a spark of anger that he’d known all this time and she had worried for nothing. But her anger was replaced by curiosity when she wondered why he wasn’t upset. “But aren’t you mad?”

  He quirked a brow. “No, I’m not mad, Tara…I’m horny,” he said with a sly chuckle.

  “Yes, but I thought most men preferred experienced women in their beds.”

  He let out a frustrated sigh. “I want you in my bed, Tara, experienced or not. And as far as you being a virgin, I guess there’s a good reason you waited this long, and I guess there’s a good reason why it was meant for me to do the honor.”

  She looked up at him. “And you’re sure about this? Are you sure this is what you want?”

  He breathed in deeply. “Baby, this is what I want,” he said, before exhibiting another quick move by placing his hand beneath her dress and gently clutching her feminine mound through the silky material of her panties. “This is what I need.”

  He leaned down and their lips touched and Tara knew at that very moment that she loved him more than she thought was humanly possible.

  “I promise to be gentle the first time,” he whispered against her moist lips. “And I promise to be gentle the second time. But all the times after that, I plan to ride you hard.”

  “Oh,” she said in a soft and tremulous voice, moments before being swept effortlessly up into his arms.

  * * *

  Thorn placed Tara on the bed and his gaze swept down the full length of her half-clad body. She was still wearing her sundress, but barely. The straps were off her arms and the dress was bunched up to her waist showing her panties and her hips and thighs.

  He began removing his shirt. When that was done, he met her gaze again and simply said, “I want you.”

  She swallowed and decided to be honest with him. “And I want you, too.”

  He smiled, seemingly pleased with what she had said and slowly unbuckled his belt. She blinked. She hadn’t expected him to be this bold, to take off his clothes in front of her, but should not have been surprised. He was Thorn Westmoreland, a man who took risks, a man who lived on the edge, the man she loved.

  Tara continued watching as he removed his boots then eased his jeans down his hips. She was enjoying this striptease show he had started. When he kicked his jeans aside and stood before her in a pair of black low-rise briefs that were contoured for a snug fit and supported his overaroused erection, she almost lost her breath.

  He was perfect in every way.

  His body exemplified everything she had come to expect of him: power, endurance and strength. Lifting slowly, she eased toward the end of the bed where he was standing, wanting to touch his firm stomach. She knew his scent was masculine and robust, but she needed to know the texture of his skin under her fingers and her mouth.

  Making a move before she lost her nerve, she felt her own cheeks become heated as she reached out and touched his belly, marveling at how his skin felt, solid and hard. She heard his sharp intake of breath and glanced up and met his gaze.

  Potent desire pooled in his eyes and she felt her body become completely hot. Wanting to taste the texture of his skin she leaned forward and with the tip of her tongue traced a path around his navel.

  “Oh, man,” he uttered, tangling his hand in her hair as she continued laving her tongue across his stomach.

  She knew what she was doing was torture, but he hadn’t seen anything yet. She might be new at this, but those romance novels Delaney had given her to read had educated as well as entertained her. And tonight she felt bold enough to go for it, to show Thorn just what he meant to her.

  * * *

  Thorn was losing control and he knew had to slow down. When he felt Tara’s tongue inch lower and she scooted her hand inside his briefs and touched him, he knew he had to take control.

  Aroused beyond be
lief, he pulled her up to him and claimed her mouth, kissing her with the urgency of a starving man as their mouths mated intensely, on the edge of total madness. It was the taste of forbidden fruit, the sweetest temptation and the ultimate fulfillment.

  He pulled back from the kiss, his gaze full of desire. He was driven with the need to remove her clothes and gently tumbled her back on the bed while pulling the dress from her body, and carelessly tossing it aside. Next he reached for the waistband of her panties, nearly ripping them from her in the process.

  Before she could react to what he’d done, he quickly maneuvered his body on the bed with her and, like a starving man, grabbed her hips and pulled her to his mouth as if the need to taste her was paramount to the preservation of his sanity.

  “Thorn!”

  He wanted to make this time different from the times before and went about tasting her with an intensity that made her buck under the demand of his mouth, crying out and thrashing about as he absorbed himself in her womanly flavor. And when he felt her body come apart in a climax that sent shudders even through him, he intensified the intimate kiss and sampled each and every shiver that rocked her body.

  Moments later, still dazed as fragments of ecstasy raced through her, Tara watched as Thorn stood and removed his briefs. Her breath caught upon seeing his naked body. She blinked, wondering how they would fit together and said a silent prayer that they would.

  He reached down and picked up his jeans, then fumbled in the back pocket to retrieve his wallet. He withdrew a condom packet. He was about to tear it open when she stopped him.

  “That’s not necessary, Thorn.”

  He glanced up and met her gaze. “It isn’t?”

  She shook her head. “No.”

  He stared at her for a long moment before asking. “Why not?”

  A long silence stretched between them before she finally gave him an answer. “I’m on birth control. The pill.”

  He lifted a brow. “But I thought you said that you couldn’t take the pill for medical reasons.”

  Tara shook her head. “No, I asked you what would you do if I couldn’t take the pill for medical reasons. I had to know that you cared enough to do the responsible thing.”

  He nodded. “Is the pill in your system real good?”

  She certainly hoped so, otherwise there was a good chance that with all their heat, combustion and raging hormones they would be making a baby tonight. But the thought of him getting her pregnant didn’t bother her one bit. “Yes, I’ve been on it long enough.”

  Thorn stared at her, thinking just how much he loved her. Because he had expressed a desire not to use a condom, she had unselfishly taken the necessary precautions.

  He would show his love and appreciation in the only way he knew—by loving her totally and completely with his heart, body and soul. He eased onto the bed with her, over her, knowing he had to take things slow and be gentle, no matter how driven he was to do otherwise. His need for her was strong, desperate.

  He touched the dampness at the juncture of her legs. She was sufficiently wet for him, primed, ripe and ready. But even so, their first joining would be painful for her. There was no way for it not to be.

  When he had placed his body over hers, he gazed down at her, saw desire and trust shining in the depths of her eyes and knew he would keep his word, even if it killed him. A part of him wanted her to know just how affected he was with what they were about to do.

  “I think I’ve wanted you, I’ve wanted this, from the first time I saw you that night, Tara,” he admitted honestly. “I’ve dreamed about this moment, fantasized about it and desired it with a vengeance, and I want you to know I won’t take what you’re about to give me and what we’re about to do lightly.”

  And since he knew that being on the pill wasn’t a hundred-percent full proof, he said, “And although you’re on the pill, if you get pregnant anyway, I take full responsibility for any child we make together.”

  Before Tara could say anything, Thorn began placing kisses all over her mouth, and her heart pounded, full of love. Ever since they had started seeing each other, he had made her feel feminine and desired and she was ready for any sensual journey he wanted to take her on.

  And then she felt him, the tip of him, touching her womanly folds, and their gazes locked. He bore down slowly as he began easing into her gently, and although it was tight, she felt her body automatically stretch for him, open to receive him.

  Sweat beaded Thorn’s forehead. Tara was tight and damp. Entering her body sent a ripple of pleasure through him, from the tip of his toes to the top of his head. He held her hips firmly in his hands as he went deeper, feeling the muscles of her body clamp down on him as he slowly eased inside her and felt her opening her legs wider to smooth the progress of his entry.

  He saw that quick moment of pain that flashed across her features when he broke through the barrier overwhelmed by what was taking place. He was her first lover, the first man to venture into her body like this and a part of him was deeply touched by the magnitude of what that meant.

  He had never been the first with a woman before, and in the past that fact hadn’t mattered. But with Tara it did matter. She didn’t know it yet, but she was the woman he planned to marry. The woman who would have his children. The woman who would always be there for him. The woman he planned to grow old with and love until the last breath was exhaled from his body.

  Moments later he was deeply embedded inside her as far as it was humanly possible for him to go. It was tight, a snug fit, and the thought that he was joined to her this way sent a shudder racing up his spine. For a long moment he didn’t move; he just wanted to savor their joining. Their union. Neither of them spoke, but each recognized this as a very profound and meaningful moment.

  “You okay?” he whispered just seconds before dipping his head and kissing her gently on the lips.

  She nodded. “Yeah, what about you?”

  He smiled. “I’m fine. I wish I could stay locked to you, stay inside you, forever.” He removed his hands from her hips, clasped their hands together and whispered. “Now, I take things slow.”

  And he did.

  With slow, gentle precision, he began withdrawing then reentering her body, over and over again, thrusting gently, firmly, deeply, establishing a rhythm that she immediately followed.

  Tara closed her eyes, savoring their lovemaking, wanting Thorn never to stop what he was doing to her, how he was making her feel. Every time he reentered her, the sensations were heightened and shivers of pleasure raced all through her.

  Overwhelmed, feeling herself losing control, she reached up and brought his mouth to hers when she felt him increase their rhythm in a beat so timeless it intensified the passion between them. Explosive, flashing heat surrounded them, making her dig her fingertips into his shoulders and whisper his name over and over, revelling in the feel of flesh against flesh.

  And then Tara felt herself go. Her body shook beneath the force of his firm hips locking her body to his as sensations poured through her.

  “Look at me, baby.”

  She opened her eyes and did as Thorn requested. She met his gaze when she felt her body come apart and watched as his own body stiffened while waves of pleasure washed through him. He increased the pace of their rhythm and whispered, “mine,” at the exact moment he threw his head back and spilled inside her, his release flooding her insides.

  “Thorn!”

  Her body responded yet again as another climax tore into her, this one more volatile, eruptive and explosive than all others, triggering him into another orgasm as well. He tightened his hold on her as his body devoured her, mated with hers, and loved her.

  In Tara’s mind and heart this was more than sex. It was the most beautiful and profound joining, and she knew in her heart that for the rest of her life she would love Thorn Westmoreland.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  His woman was asleep.

  After they had made love twice, he had cuddled
her into his arms and watched as her eyes had drifted closed. And he had been watching her since.

  She was lying facing him, her front to his, her face just a breath away from his. She was a silent sleeper, barely making a sound as she inhaled and exhaled.

  Damn, she looked and smelled good.

  His arousal stirred and the need to have her again sent tremors through his body. This would be the third time, but he couldn’t ride her hard the way he had planned. She was sore, and he knew that only a selfish person would put her through a vigorous round of lovemaking after what they’d just shared.

  He would go slow and gentle. Reaching out, he slid his hand up and down her body, his caresses lingering on her breasts, the curves of her waist before moving lower to her belly. He pushed aside the sheet that covered her, and, moving his hand even lower, he gently touched her feminine folds, inhaling the sensuous scent, a combination of sex and Tara.

  His heartbeat raced, knowing that this part of her, whether she realized it or not, was now his, lock, stock and barrel. He had taken ownership of it. Her body was her body and her body was also his. No other man would have the opportunity to sample the treasures that she had entrusted to him.

  Feeling the need to join with her once again, he leaned forward and kissed her awake. She slowly opened her eyes and a sultry, tempting smile touched the corners of her lips.

  “You want more?” she asked sleepily, coming fully awake.

  He smiled. “What gave you that idea?”

  She glanced down and saw his aroused body. “That.”

  A chuckle escaped his lips. “Yeah, that is certainly a giveaway.” He then reached out and placed her on top, straddling him. From the expression on her face, he knew she was surprised by the move. “This way you control everything,” he whispered, explaining.

  The hard length of him was standing at attention, which made it easy for her body to move over it and sink down upon it, taking him within her. It felt hot as it penetrated the depths of her.

  She smiled. Thorn had been right. This position gave her more sexual freedom and definitely provided him with visual pleasure. Her breasts were right there in front of his eyes…as well as his mouth, and he quickly took full advantage.