by Desiree Holt
He had to turn his head from the sight of Shay spread out naked before him or risk embarrassing himself. He’d wanted to take everything slow, seduce her with the champagne and the music and the games in the hot tub. But the joke was on him. Apparently his control easily eroded where she was concerned. He wondered if he’d ever get enough of her. If anyone told him six months ago—hell, six days ago—he was in love with Shay Beckham he’d have laughed them out of the room. Yet there it was, the truth, staring him in the face. And it was strong enough he’d been willing to lay it all out there for her.
Now he just had to make her feel secure enough to say it back.
God, she was tempting. Did she even know what a completely sexual creature she was? His cock certainly took note of it. Straddling her, his knees on either side of her, he began to kiss his way down her body. As he trailed his lips down her neck and onto her breasts, she arched up to him. He forced himself to move slowly as he licked and sucked her very delicious flesh. The valley between her breasts. Her navel and the curve of her tummy. The crease where hip and thigh were joined.
Sliding his hands beneath the cheeks of her ass, he lifted her and put his mouth directly on her pussy. She tasted delectable as he dragged the tip of his tongue along the closed seam, her juices already flowing and coating his mouth. Soft little moans whispered up from her throat, sounds so arousing he scraped hard for his self-control.
He kissed his way down her legs, past her knees to her ankles, then flipped her over, turning her face down on the cushions and began the same careful treatment on her back. He couldn’t resist taking little nips at her buttocks or running his fingers through the cleft between her cheeks. At the slow and easy caress, she tightened her muscles around his touch. Jesus! He couldn’t stop himself from pushing in a little more until one fingertip touched the tight pucker of her anus.
“Ahhhhh.” The sound rolled from her, vibrating in the air.
“Feel good?” His voice was so raw with emotion he almost didn’t recognize it. “One of these nights I’m going to take you right here. Sink my cock into your tight, hot flesh.”
He couldn’t seem to stop talking, every erotic phrase and word he’d ever learned spilling out of his mouth even as he sprinkled her ass with soft kisses. Her body quivered beneath his touch as he skated his hand up and down between her closed legs and she made those sexy little sounds. Realizing he was tormenting himself as much as her, he reached beneath the edge of the pillows for one of the condoms he’d stashed there and rolled it on.
He took a deep breath to control himself, then let it out slowly and tugged Shay up to her knees. The sight of her positioned this way, the curve of her buttocks, the glimpse of her luscious cunt between her thighs, nearly caused him to detonate. He dragged his fingertips along her cleft, now rich with her cream and brought his fingers to his mouth to lick them clean. Jesus, he loved her taste. Needing to see every bit of her, he shifted position, spread her legs wide, and knelt between them.
“Joe?” Her voice quivered.
“Right here, honey. Coming right up.” He placed his hands on her hips to steady her body and drove into her with one swift thrust.
“Oh, God!” Shay threw her head back and pushed against him.
“Christ, baby. This is just fucking good. So hot, so tight, so damn sweet.”
Exhaling slowly again he drove into her over and over, setting up a hard rhythm, whispering his dirty talk to her. Her breasts swayed with the force of each thrust as each movement rocked her. Joe’s cock filled every inch of her, dragging against her tight walls as he pushed in and out. His balls slapped with a rhythmic sound against her thighs, underscoring her cries of pleasure.
Sweat dripped from his body as he fought to control himself, to hold off as long as possible. Teasing her only ramped up his own arousal, as hungry for her as he was. His balls felt like steel weights and he was sure his cock swelled to twice its normal size. The moment he was sure he’d reached his limit her walls squeezed around him and her body tightened. Now, he wanted to shout. Right now.
They ignited together in an orgasm nothing less than epic. Cataclysmic, even. The spasms shook them both as if they were in the grip of a giant fist. Joe braced himself as much as he could, trying his best not to fall forward and crush her body, but the feel of his cock pulsing inside her nearly destroyed him. He held on until the tremors in the walls of her pussy slowed, easing their tight grip on his shaft. When his arms finally gave out on him he rolled to the side, taking Shay with him, still joined with her. He stroked her arm, her leg, her shoulder, calming her as shivers continued to skate over her body.
At last her breathing slowed, became more even. A tremendous sigh whooshed from her and he felt her relax beneath his hand and tuck her head against his shoulder.
“I love you.”
The words were so soft at first he wasn’t sure he’d actually heard her say them. Damn! Had she really said that? Should he ask her to repeat it? Maybe his scrambled brain had just imagined it. Totally drained, undone by a climax that shook him to his very soul, he couldn’t get his thoughts together. Then the moment passed but he was going to cling to those words as if she’d shouted them.
The other night served merely as an appetizer for this, the main erotic course. Shay wiped the memory of every other woman he’d known from his body and his brain. It seemed forever before his strength returned enough to ease himself from her body, even longer until he could push himself to his feet.
“I’ll be right back,” he mumbled as he staggered off to dispose of the condom.
Jesus! She just wiped him out.
The water bubbling in the spa sent out a siren call to his aching body. He was sure Shay felt the same way. Somehow he found the strength to guide her up from the cushions and back into the hot tub and to refill their champagne flutes. Shay was like a limp rag doll, letting him push and pull her body every which way.
Neither of them seemed able to do anything for the moment but lean back and let the soothing pulse of the jets ease their sore muscles. Physically sated as he’d never been before, he took a long look at Shay, drinking her in. She leaned her body into a corner of the tub, balanced on the seat below the water, a rosy hue coloring her cheeks, a knowing look in her eyes, her lips curved in a sexy, secretive grin.
“I think it was the dancing that did us in,” she blurted out.
Joe threw back his head and laughed. “It was dancing all right, but of a different kind.” He rose and reached down a hand to her. “Shall we give that incredible food a taste?”
“I don’t know if I have the energy to eat,” she teased, but she gave him her hand and let him pull her to her feet. He stopped her when she reached for her robe.
“Naked,” he said. “I want you naked when we eat.”
She hesitated for a moment, then threw back her head and laughed. “Why not? It’s that kind of evening, right?”
“Sure is, darlin’.”
He smiled to himself as they sat down at the small table. Now they could begin moving forward again. Because one thing he’d learned this entire weekend. He had no intention of letting Shay get away from him. Ever. What he felt for her was too strong. Too powerful. He could tell she felt it, too.
He just had to make sure he didn’t screw up.
Chapter 9
Shay came awake slowly, blinking against the intrusion of sunlight through the slightly open blinds. Before she was even fully alert every memory of the night before washed over her, warming her. Everything was amazing. Joe was amazing. A sense of euphoria she’d never felt before wrapped around her. If she’d harbored any lingering doubts about the rightness of being with Joe, last night wiped them away. Everything he’d done, for her, to her… She sighed, a smile curving her lips. Life was good. More than good. It was terrific.
She reached out a hand, wanting to touch Joe’s hard male body, only to encounter empty space. Her eyes flew open. He was gone? Had he just left her there and gone about his business?
What time was it, anyway? She looked at the nightstand, hunting her clock radio, only to remember she wasn’t in her own room. Or her own bed. She was in Joe’s bed except Joe wasn’t in it with her. Where had he disappeared to? Had he just gotten up and left the house? After the night they’d spent together? Well, that certainly sucked. So much for his fine words and their fantastic night.
Then she rolled over and spotted a torn piece of paper on the nightstand. Her eyes widened as she read the brief scribbled note.
“Woke early. Coffee will be waiting in the kitchen. I’m on the deck. I love you.”
Okay, then.
She picked up the paper and hugged it to her breasts. Love. She looked at the word at least ten times. It was one thing to say it but if he wrote it, then he must mean it, right? She needed to quit second-guessing everything. This was a whole new day with her and Joe Reilly. Last night she’d said the I love you phrase. Maybe not right out loud but she was sure he’d heard it. No taking it back now. She needed to tuck away the self-doubting little kid who kept popping up at inconvenient times.
She smiled, unexpectedly energized. Her body ached in a number of places, but it was a pleasant sensation, sparking memories that sent warmth coursing through her. Her embarrassment over the incident at the christening party faded as she remembered the hours that followed at home. Smiling to herself, she climbed out of bed and allowed herself a long, pleasant stretch. Last night was the best. The very best.
She could still feel the way Joe’s very talented hands played her body like a musical instrument. She’d never look at the hot tub the same again. Who knew the jets that pushed air into the water could be turned into erotic toys? God! The orgasm he’d wrung from her at the end had raced up from the soles of her feet and consumed her entire body. Thank God for the hot tub that soothed her very exhausted body afterward. Lying there with Joe, sipping the champagne, eating the dinner he’d had catered for them, listening to the music floating out from the speakers…
Magic. That was the only word to describe it.
He’d promised her a special evening and he’d been as good as his word. He’d given her a night to remember, including the unexpected dancing and the ungodly expensive champagne. Who knew he’d paid attention to the movie they’d watched and remembered the things she’d liked about it?
She’d been boneless when he carried her to bed, sure they were done for the night. But Joe had woken her twice more, making love to her thoroughly and completely until he’d wrung one last final orgasm from her. Finally he let her fall asleep for good, his body curled around hers, his big hand cupping her breast. She smiled at the memories, even as the slightest movement reminded her how sore she was. It was a pleasant soreness, however, one she welcomed. Even embraced.
And he loved her! She had it in writing.
Rather than go to her room for something to put on, she searched in Joe’s drawers for a T-shirt and pulled it over her head. As she brushed her teeth in the bathroom she and Joe shared, images flashed back to her of how incredible last night had been. Of his attentiveness, his passion, his total focus on her all night. A shimmer of remembered pleasure skated over her.
Shay rinsed her mouth and looked at herself in the mirror over the sink. Her lips were still kiss-swollen, her cheeks still flushed even after a night’s sleep. Her eyes shone with erotic satisfaction and secret knowledge. She’d carried her feelings for Joe Reilly in her heart since she was a kid, covering them over with sass and attitude, never dreaming it would ever come to anything.
“I hope I’m not fooling myself,” she told the happy face in the mirror. But if she was, so be it. She’d made up her mind beforehand to enjoy this and that was what she was going to do.
Then she deliberately banished the negative thoughts from her mind. It was past time to move forward, accept what was happening and tell Joe how she felt. She was gloriously in love with him and she needed to make sure he knew it. He might be a prize package but so was she and she didn’t intend to forget it.
She dragged a brush through her hair and pulled it into a ponytail, then headed into the kitchen. With her coffee fixed just the way she liked it, she carried the mug out to the deck. Joe was stretched out on one of the loungers, his own coffee sitting on the small table beside him, eyes closed against the early morning sunlight, clad in a T-shirt and jogging shorts. Even at this distance, she could see the outline of his erection. Lordy! Was the man primed all the time?
She slid open the glass door and he turned his head, opening his eyes.
“I thought for sure you’d sleep late this morning.” He held out a hand to her.
“You, too.”
Driven by the same need she’d felt last time she saw him lying out here like this, and bolstered by the words in his note, she bent down and pressed her lips to his. He opened his mouth and let his tongue probe gently for hers, the slide of it a gentle caress. She opened her mouth wider and let her tongue tangle with his, tasting him. He slid his hand up along her arm to her head, winding her ponytail around his fingers and holding her in place. She was nearly out of breath when he finally tugged her head up and broke the kiss.
“Whew.” She ran her tongue over her bottom lip. “That was just supposed to be a good-morning kiss.”
Joe gave her one of his crooked grins. “Your kiss would make any morning good.” He studied her face. “Last night was very special, Shay. I hope you believe me.”
Heat skated over her body, sending a shiver from head to toe. “Yes, I know that. I mean, you certainly made it extra special for me.”
He reached for her free hand. “It was my pleasure.” A corner of his mouth kicked into the beginning of a grin. “Well, I hope not all my pleasure.”
Shay lowered her eyes, heat creeping up her cheeks as memories of the night flashed again through her brain. The things Joe said, the promises he’d made of things to come… Between her thighs a pulse beat insistently, reminding her of just how special last night had been. Swallowing a smile, she sat on the edge of the chair beside him, cradling her mug in her hands.
“You signed this ‘love’.” She dangled the note in front of him. “I guess if you put it in writing, you mean it.”
His face sobered. “Darlin’, I told you—”
“Ssh.” She touched her fingertips to his mouth. “It’s okay.” She bent low until her mouth was a breath away from his. “I love you, too. A lot.”
His smile would have battled the sun for brightness. “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing you say that, darlin’.” He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tight to his chest. “I’ll never hurt you. I promise. The old Joe is dead and gone. The only woman I want in my life now and forever is you.” He kissed her forehead. “Tell me again.”
“Tell you what?” she teased.
He pinched her butt.
“Ow! Okay.” She looked hard into his eyes, hoping everything she felt would show. “I love you, Joe Reilly. I think I always have.”
“Me, too, Slick. I think we just had to grow into it.”
She brushed her mouth over his very lightly, pushed herself to a sitting position, and grabbed her coffee cup from the floor where she’d set it. “What are you doing up this early?”
He shrugged. “Force of habit, I guess. I’m always trying to catch up with my schedule. I slept in a little this week. Now it’s time to stop lazing around.”
“You have stuff to do today?”
“Unfortunately.” He took her free hand and laced his fingers through hers. “Don’t you?”
Shay let out a sigh. “Yeah.” She looked at him and grinned. “Unfortunately.”
He burst out laughing. “We’re quite a pair. What’s up for you today?”
“I have two designs I have to finish for a presentation to one of our clients.” She drank from her mug. “One of them is nearly done but the other is turning out to be a pain in the ass.”
“Complicated?” he asked.
“Not so m
uch. It’s actually the client who’s a pain in the ass. I’ll get it done today. I promised my boss he’d have it before he left the office tonight. What’s on tap for you?”
“Just stuff. This and that.” He released her hand and lifted his mug to drink.
Shay frowned, trying to ignore the little thread of unease beginning to wriggle through her. What was it he couldn’t tell her about?
“Stuff like the other day?”
He hiked a shoulder. “Not exactly. These are business meetings.”
Why did she have the uncomfortable feeling he was avoiding giving her information?
“Oh? Television business?”
“Um, yeah. Sort of.”
She set her mug down carefully. “Is there something you don’t want to tell me?”
He turned his million-watt smile on her and coasted one hand casually down her spine. “Not at all, darlin’. I have some business meetings dealing with some of my endorsements. That’s all. Some corporate glad-handing, shit like that.” He took both of their mugs and lightly bit her lower lip. “I told you these are business meetings, and I told you there’s no one else in my life now. Will we ever get to the point where you can believe everything I tell you?”
Shay certainly hoped so. She didn’t like this edgy feeling that kept popping up.
Joe tugged on her ponytail. “Well?”
She blew out a breath. “Yes. Of course.” As if to seal what she said, she gave him a kiss that scorched both of them.
Joe took her hand and placed it over his very erect cock. “Feel what you do to me? You think I’d get hard like this if there was any other woman in my life?” He stroked a hand down her arm. “Believe me, Shay. Believe in me, will you?”
“I already said yes. And I meant it.”
She hoped.
* * * *
Joe hated being evasive with Shay. They’d come a long way in their relationship but he knew things were not as solid as he would like them. Although he’d planned to tell her when they went to breakfast, he was glad they’d gotten sidetracked with Rafe and Mike and the others. He felt he had a ways to go to prove to Shay who he was now and what he felt for her. He just wanted to wait until the right moment to tell her about the fundraiser and everything else he was doing. He was just back to the same old twitch, still worried she’d think he only did this kind of thing to make himself look good to the public.