“No, I’m from Miami. My mother’s from Key West. My grandfather is the sheriff,” he said.
She nodded. “So you went into the family business, huh?”
“You could say that,” he said guardedly. Then he changed the conversation quickly, averting the topic of his family business. He wasn’t ready for Mia to know about his family. He needed time. “This was good,” he remarked on the meal they’d shared.
She smiled. “Not exactly nine courses at the Savoy.”
“Maybe not, but tonight it tasted just as good.” A moment of stillness paused between them as they listened to the wind howling outside and the heavy rains pounding on the roof.
“Guess I’d better take care of these,” she said, standing to clear the dishes.
“Let me help,” he said, preparing to stand.
“No, sit. It’s not a lot to do. I’ll be right back.”
Stephen nodded, deciding to let her go. He needed the time to clear his mind. He sat back looking around the familiar house. It was exactly the same, but for some reason Leo’s home felt different with Mia there. It was like she’d been missing all along.
Looking at her was killing him, but then again, not looking at her was eating him alive. She had showered and changed into a summer dress with only two straps holding it in place. He closed his eyes and pictured it. The fit curved perfectly to her tight body as if it were made for her. Her back was exposed, and all he kept thinking about was touching her.
Then of course, the low dip in front was driving him to madness. Her breasts tipped and teased just enough to excite his imagination. The taste earlier just wasn’t enough. He wanted more. She was killing him, but the heavenly demise was oh-so-worth it.
With no electricity for a blow-dryer, her hair was still damp and pulled back, trailing over her shoulders and down her back. And every time she got close he felt his body harden. Even now his body ached to be with her. He opened his eyes and looked around. She was still in the kitchen and he needed to refocus his thoughts. He saw a suitcase still sitting at the base of the stairs.
“I’ll take your other suitcase upstairs,” he said as he grabbed it up and took it to what Leo had once told him was her room. The door was open, so he walked in. The other suitcase was open on the chair with clothes pouring out. She’d obviously been in a hurry to dress. He set the suitcase carried beside the chair then looked around. The room belonged to a little girl with its dolls and pillows fluffed on the bed.
As he passed the dresser to leave he saw an interesting book. He picked it up and read the title. Smiling, he browsed through it and lost himself in the text.
When Mia walked in and saw him, she stopped short.
“Interesting reading?” he asked her, holding the book up to her. He read the title with a huge smile on his face. “How to Lose Control in the Bedroom and Get What You Want.”
She reached for it. “It was a gift,” she said, fighting the flush that swarmed her cheeks. She was completely mortified.
“From a lover?” he asked.
“No, from my sister, my stepsister. It was a joke, a gag gift for my birthday.”
“Ah,” he said, “a gag gift, I see.”
“Well, actually, I have this issue with letting go, losing control.” She sighed. “And I can’t believe I just told you that.”
“So you think this book will perhaps help you lose control?”
She shrugged. “Something like that.”
“You don’t need a book for that, Mia.” She looked at him. His implication was clear. “So, have you learned anything interesting so far?” he asked, reaching for the book again. She gave it to him and watched as he flipped to the list of chapters.
“I guess I could ask you the same thing,” she said.
“The Art of Seductive Foreplay chapter was pretty interesting, but I have to say I was more intrigued by—” he glanced down at the open book “—Fulfilling Fantasies.”
“I hadn’t gotten that far yet,” she said. “What does the book suggest?”
“A number of interesting possibilities, but the number one suggestion is to fulfill a fantasy of your own.”
“Hmm, I see, and how does that work exactly?”
“Mia, we’ve been dancing around this all night. Maybe it’s the storm or maybe it’s something more. I don’t know,” he said, hoping not to make her too nervous. “But I do know that there’s obviously something going on between us, an attraction. The question is, what do we do about it?”
“What are our options?” she asked.
“We can explore it or keep our distance and let it pass.”
She nodded and slowly walked toward the bed. She picked up a doll and held it gently, protectively. “Stephen, I just had a pretty bad breakup a few months ago. It got ugly and it left me in doubt about my…”
“Abilities to please?” he offered. When she nodded, he said, “Thus, the book, the dress, the kiss. Am I a test subject?”
She half shrugged. “I’m sorry. I guess I was curious to see what another man thought.”
“I don’t know about this other guy, or other men, but make no mistake—you are a very desirable woman.”
“Desirable I can do. It’s what happens afterward that seems to be the problem. I guess I want to control so much that I come off as frigid.”
He smiled and chuckled. “I doubt that. If a man thinks of a woman as frigid, then perhaps he isn’t doing his job correctly to ensure mutual enjoyment and pleasure in their lovemaking. A selfish lover will often blame the other person for his own shortcomings.”
She smiled, relieved. That was exactly what she wanted to hear. In five minutes he made her feel more accepted and aroused than Neal had ever been able to do in three years. “You think so, huh?”
“I know so.”
“So you think the book is useless?”
“Oh no, not at all.” He flipped through it again. “It does offer other suggestions that might be interesting to try sometimes.”
“You know you still didn’t answer my question,” she said.
“What question was that?”
“Fulfilling fantasies—how does that work?”
“Do you want me to tell you or do you want me to show you?”
“Show me.”
Clinically she knew all about dopamine levels and pheromones and that the euphoria of emotions was just a chemical reaction stimulated in the brain. That was all Sex 101, but this was different. She was excited and aroused by just looking at Stephen. Their current conversation was getting her even more excited.
“Come here,” he said softly, holding his hand out to her and smiling.
She tossed the doll on the chair. A shiver raced through her as she walked over to him and took his hand. He didn’t move until she stood right in front of him. He let go and trailed his hand up her arm, to her shoulder, her neck then to her chin. It traveled along the sweet curve then straight down the front of her. She closed her eyes, feeling the tingling sensation as his hand dipped to the swell of her breasts. She inhaled quickly feeling his finger trace back up to her chin.
“Open your eyes,” he whispered.
She did. Her heart pounded in her chest. And with just the slightest tilt upward, they looked into each other’s eyes, his dark as sin, hers soft and wanting. The penetrating intensity of his gaze took her breath away. She stood immobile, just staring at him, taking everything in, and feeling her body want him.
“Kiss me,” he said.
Then, with the slightest motion, she leaned forward and kissed him. Slow, soft and deliberate they savored the sweet lusciousness of the kiss. Pressure increased then released over and over again, lips to lips, mouth to mouth. Their tongues mated, dancing that slow groove of pleasure. She held tight to his shirt.
“Tell me your fantasies, Mia,” he prompted as the raging swell of passion built inside of him. She felt his need press into her. He was already hard. The thought made her shudder and caused her stomach to tremble. The excitement
of what she was about to do with a complete stranger made the moment even more tantalizing.
“I don’t have any fantasies,” she said.
“Then tell me what you like.”
She placed her hands on his chest and smiled. Touching him was what she’d wanted to do all evening. “I think I like touching you,” she admitted freely, surprising herself.
“Do you?” he asked. “In that case…” He pulled his T-shirt up over his head then tossed it onto the chair.
Mia sighed, admiring her find. His chest was magnificent. He kissed her then and her mind went blank. The man wobbled her brain to mush with his mouth. She couldn’t think or reason, let alone direct her brain to take control.
“What else do you want from me, Mia?” he asked.
“Kiss me,” she said. She opened her mouth to speak, but his mouth closed hungrily over hers a second time. The kiss swayed her. She rocked against him, feeling her body melt. When the kiss ended, she was breathless.
“What else?”
“I don’t know,” she whispered.
“Yes, you do, tell me.”
She sighed. “I don’t know,” she repeated.
“Tell me, Mia,” he prompted again, “I need to give you this. Tell me your fantasy. Tell me what you want.”
“I want you to touch me, pamper me, love me…” she said in a voice that quivered and trailed off.
“I thought you’d never ask,” he whispered through a smile.
He took her hand and moved to the bed, then sat, bringing her to stand between his legs. When she reached to touch him, he leaned away. “No, this is your fantasy. I touch you, I pamper you, I love you. Turn around.”
She turned slowly, sensing his hands circle her waist. She closed her eyes feeling him reach up and release the perfectly tied bow from around her neck. She felt the dress slacken. Instinctively, she grabbed the scant fabric at her breasts, holding it in place.
Then she felt him slowly pull the zipper down. The dress loosened to her waist. Her back was completely exposed. He stroked the full length of her shoulders, arms and back kissing and caressing the curves while massaging her tenderly. Instinctively, she stiffened.
“Relax,” he implored.
She nodded, but she knew she wouldn’t, couldn’t. Relaxing meant losing control, and losing control meant giving all of herself to someone else. That, she couldn’t do.
“You know, this is probably a very bad idea,” she said nervously, still holding the scant fabric to her breasts. He licked the small of her back. She gasped but he held her closer. “And we’re probably gonna regret this one of these days. But right now…” She moaned as he licked her again. “But right now, I just want to…” She gasped as he bit then kissed her right hip. Her mind went blank and her hands fell to her sides.
He licked the center of her back as his hands moved to the front and cupped her breasts. Her stomach quivered as she looked down and saw his hands on her, covering her. She watched as he tweaked each nipple, hardening them instantly. Then, with the palms of his hands, he circled and tantalized each pebble. This lasted for hours, or days, or years, she had no idea. With his mouth on her back and his hands on her front, she was in erotic ecstasy.
“Turn around,” he said. She didn’t hear him. She didn’t hear anything. The storm winds, the driving rain, the flying debris were all muted. All she heard was the urgent pounding of her heart in her chest and the throbbing pull of need in her stomach. “Turn around,” he repeated. She didn’t, so he turned her slowly while tugging the dress from her hips.
Her hazy thoughts cleared as she stood before him, naked except for her lace panties. Suddenly self-conscious, she closed her eyes.
“Look at me, Mia,” he said. “Open your eyes.”
When she didn’t, he placed his hands on her hips and drew her closer, till he leaned in to capture her nipple in his mouth. Suckling gently, he savored each fleshly pull. Grasping the other breast, he encircled them both, kissing, licking and suckling each.
Her eyes opened wide. The sight of his mouth and tongue devouring her weakened her knees. She reeled, but Stephen held her securely continuing his onslaught. Her body felt saturated. She pressed her thighs together.
“No, don’t,” he said, knowing what she was doing. “I want you wet for me.” He ran his hand down the front of her body to the elastic band of her panties, then lower. He caressed her core through the lace. She rose up on her toes and her legs parted of their own volition. “Yes, feel me,” he muttered. She nodded, breathing harder, gasping, until she staggered and leaned into him.
He captured her mouth, kissing her fully. His tongue entered, darting in and out playfully. Then his mouth found the sweet spot on her neck. She arched back, giving him what he wanted. Seconds later he captured a pert nipple in his mouth again, and his tongue licked her then he sucked. He was merciless. Her body quivered, her stomach shuddered and every nerve ending tingled. Breathlessly she melted onto him. He held her there an instant before he slowly rolled her onto the bed beside him.
He placed her hands above her head then caressed the length of her body. She moved her hands to her sides and closed her eyes, surrendering to the pleasure he gave her. But he took her hands back up over her head, holding them there with one of his own, while the other rained over the flat of her stomach then stroked upward to encircle one breast at a time. Leisurely, his fingers danced over the tips of her nipples. Moaning, she bit her lower lip, wanting more. Her body was on fire with a sensuous blaze of desire she’d never felt before. The pleasure-pain of his masterful hands was beyond belief.
Her body throbbed, spilling its sweet essence for him. His mouth came to her breast as his hand dipped to her needful hunger. He slipped beneath the lace and she gasped. He parted her sweetness, finding his treasure. Then slowly, gently, he stroked her swollen nub while thrusting his finger deep into her. The fitful rapture intensified and she cried aloud. But that only seemed to increase his persistence. She writhed and squirmed against the mastery of his skill. “I can’t,” she said, fighting for control.
“Yes, you can, Mia. Let go. Let me touch you. Let me love you.”
She opened her mouth to speak just as he intensified his strokes. She gasped, breathless, feeling a wave, a tsunami, a maelstrom coming. “Stephen,” she cried out. She opened her eyes then, suddenly aware of everything around her—the storm still raging outside, the soft pillows on the bed beneath her, the feel of his body so close, his hand, his mouth, his fingers.
He pushed her further into the blinding sultry storm. She panted, whimpering as her heart thundered. She shrieked, completely enthralled in the rapture and abandoning all pretense of control. “Stephen,” she called again an instant before a quake gripped her, shook her to her core. She screamed again and again as he helped himself to her pleasure.
Moments later she lay curled against his body, half-asleep but fully satiated.
“Why didn’t you…”
But he silenced her. “Later. Sleep now.” He held her protectively close as the winds and rain lulled her slowly to sleep.
Chapter 9
Stephen jerked awake when he heard something. With sharpened instincts, he sat up quickly and looked around. The room was still dark except for a dimmed lanternlike flashlight on the side table. He glanced at his watch. It was early morning. He listened again. There was the low rumble of thunder with a steady pounding of rain and the constant whirl of wind, but there was something else, a knocking noise. He listened close. There it was again, a low banging sound. He glanced down at Mia still asleep beside him. He eased up and off the bed, took the flashlight then went downstairs and looked around.
Everything was fine. He checked the windows and doors then tried his walkie-talkie, but didn’t get a signal. The storm was still causing interference. He was just about to go back upstairs when he heard the noise again. It was coming from out front. He grabbed his raincoat and opened the front door. The weather was just as bad as it has been earlier. Wind w
hipped at him and rain peppered his face the second he stepped outside. He looked around. Nothing seemed out of place, considering just about everything was out of place. Then he heard it again, a banging, louder this time. He moved to the side of Mia’s car and saw that a section of picket fence had uprooted and was hitting against the car door. He grabbed the fence and secured it to the side. After one last look around he headed back inside.
He dried off in the mudroom then debated going back upstairs. As he considered it, he went back into the living room and sat down. It seemed strange being in Leo’s house now. He’d slept here before, many times, when Leo came home from the hospital, when treatments didn’t go well, and even when they did. That was before, and never in her room. Until last night.
“Stephen, are you down there?”
At the sound of Mia’s voice, he looked up. “Yeah, in the living room.”
Mia came downstairs and stood at the base of the steps. He noticed that she was wearing his police-issue T-shirt. “Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yeah, just checking out a noise,” he said.
She looked around. “What kind of noise?” she asked, moving across the room toward him.
“A fence panel was knocking against the car door. You might want to check damages in the morning.”
“I guess I’ll be lucky if that’s the worst that happens.” She looked around awkwardly, like she wanted to say something but was stalling. “So, how is it out there?”
“The same,” he said. Then he smiled. “Nice shirt.”
“I kind of like it, too, but you can have it back when you want.”
“What if I want it now?” he challenged.
“Now?” she asked. He nodded slowly and waited patiently.
She looked into his eyes. In the muted darkness she realized he was challenging her. She smiled and took a step back. “If you want it now, you’ll have to come up and get it.” She took another step back.
“Wait. I don’t have any condoms,” he said.
“I do. Dozens.” She turned then went upstairs hoping he’d follow.
Sultry Storm (Kimani Romance) Page 7