Before the Storm (The Cochran/Deveraux Series Book 9)

by Melanie Schuster

  Smiling sympathetically, she said, “Yes, it has. You must be exhausted.”

  He looked at her, his face completely serious as he took in every aspect of her appearance. Her hair was in its usual chic style, with the long curl at the nape beckoning him like a coquettish finger. Her trim figure was delightful to behold in her purple sweater and sleekly tailored black slacks. She was wearing a different pair of flats, a ballerina style that managed to look sinfully comfortable and stylish at the same time. The faint scent of her fragrance enchanted him and he was tickled to see that she was wearing the earrings he’d given her for Valentine’s Day. He shook his wrist so she could see that he was wearing the thick gold link bracelet she’d given him. He liked the way it looked on his strong wrist and hadn’t taken it off once since she gave it to him. He could have looked at her forever, but he had other plans in mind.

  “You love me,” he said quietly. There was no teasing in his tone, he was utterly serious. Ruth looked him straight in the eyes, and there was no laughter in her gaze, just a clear, passionate acknowledgment of the truth.

  “You know I love you, Julian. And you love me, too.” The words lingered in the air poignantly, like the fading notes of a distant melody.

  Mac held out his hand and she took it, walking to him without haste or trepidation, her steps deliberate and sure. She stopped when she was in his arms, sighing as he rose to hold her as closely as possible.

  “I do love you, honey, more than you know. And I want to show you how that love makes me feel,” he whispered as he licked her ear.

  “What are you waiting for?” she murmured.

  Without another word they left the kitchen to go upstairs.

  If someone had told Ruth what the evening would bring, she would’ve broken out in hives from sheer nerves. Instead, she was as comfortable as though she and Mac had been a couple for years. When they reached the top of the stairs, she allowed him to lead her into the guest bedroom, where they calmly began getting ready for bed. Paris lived in a brick carriage house in the Ansley Park area of Atlanta. It had been Vera Deveraux’s home before she married Marcus, and Paris rented it from her. It was a cozy, nicely decorated place with which Ruth was very familiar, and so was Mac. He’d already put both their bags in the room he used when he was visiting, and the sight of their suitcases sitting side by side at the foot of the king-sized bed seemed perfectly right to Ruth.

  “How about if I unpack for us while you take a shower? I think you need to relax a little after the day you’ve had.”

  Mac put both his hands around her waist and pulled her against him. “How about if we unpack really fast and take a shower together? That sounds like a much better use of our time,” he said in his low, sexy voice. “You didn’t happen to bring that little red nightgown with you, did you?” He gently palmed her behind and flexed his fingers over its firm curves.

  Ruth blinked because Mac’s touch was arousing her to a point where she couldn’t think straight, and also because she suddenly realized she had no clue what Sylvia had put in the bag. “Julian, I haven’t the faintest idea what’s in there. Let’s find out what Sylvia decided was appropriate nightwear for the weekend,” she said with amused curiosity.

  In a short time they were in the shower, locked in each other’s soapy arms, laughing like mad. It turned out that Sylvia hadn’t packed a single item of sleep-wear; instead there was a note that read, “If you play your cards right you won’t need a nightie. Good luck and good loving.” They were still cracking up over her bold move, but the amusement was beginning to give way to something else entirely as the heady scent of the imported Magno bath gel they had used wrapped itself around them. Ruth loved the way Mac was caressing her body almost as much as she loved looking at him.

  “Julian, you’re in such good shape,” she began, but before she could elaborate she gasped as her knees went weak from the way he was caressing her body with his lather-slicked hands. He used his hands to cup her small, taut breasts, rubbing them in circles while his thumbs teased her nipples into firm peaks that begged for his tongue. Sliding his hands down around her waist, he anchored her against his massive erection and groaned as she moved against him. She purred out loud, the soft sound becoming keener and louder as he picked her up. Wrapping her legs around his waist she rubbed her already sensitive breasts against the mat of soapy hair on his broad chest.

  “This feels better than I imagined,” Mac admitted.

  Ruth was finding it more and more difficult to speak. “You thought about this before?” she gasped out.

  He was rubbing her behind over and over, the heat from his hands bringing her dangerously close to a much-needed release.

  “Of course I did. I fantasize about you, honey. I dream about you and I think about you day and night. But nothing compares to this. You’re incredible,” he moaned as their bodies began to writhe against each other in a dance of desire that was almost painful. By mutual consent they rinsed each other off with the handheld showerhead and Mac gallantly offered a warm towel out to Ruth to wrap around her. He put one around his waist and picked her up to carry her into the bedroom, where they dried each other off and kissed madly before Ruth forced him onto the bed.

  “I’m going to give you a massage,” she said with a smile. “Unless you have some objection to having my hands all over you,” she teased.

  Mac surprised her by turning her over on her back. “I do have a problem with that. I want you, honey. I want to kiss you all over starting with that hot, sweet mouth of yours and ending with those sexy toes and everything in between. The massage can wait, but this can’t,” he growled. He knelt over her trembling body and kissed her, taking her lips in a deep, penetrating mating that explored every bit of her mouth while she returned the favor. While they were kissing, his hands were gently kneading her breasts, his clever thumbs circling her nipples until she thought they might erupt from the sensation. When he finally took her right one in his mouth, he began sucking feverishly, his tongue making the nerve endings in the sensitive tip dance. His hands moved down her taut rib cage, as he licked his way down the middle of her chest, stopping to pay tribute to her navel.

  “Honey, this is as cute as the rest of you,” he said with delight. It was a perfect round little outtie that nestled like a sweet little treat for his tongue and when he licked it and pulled it into the warm recess of his mouth, Ruth clenched her hands on the linens and moaned aloud. She was trying to tell him how good it felt, but all she could manage was a primal, throaty sound. By now her entire body was moist and glistening from his touch and the best was yet to come. Her thighs were tensed, twisting and rubbing against each other, until Mac gently urged them apart.

  “Open wider, honey, so I can taste how sweet you really are,” he crooned. Ruth’s head rolled restlessly on the pillow and she brought the back of her hand to her mouth as she felt Julian take full advantage of her new position.

  He slipped another pillow under her hips, parted her weak but willing thighs even wider and allowed his warm breath to heat her waiting apex of love. He buried his face in her femininity and kissed it the way he had kissed her mouth, but with more intensity. He explored every bit of her soft sweetness, over and over as she bit the back of her hand to still the cries that were rising in her throat. He ended the sweet torture by finding her jewel, licking it like candy, then sucking it gently. When the sucking turned into a tender nibbling, Ruth became his willing supplicant, screaming and calling his name, crying out with a passion she had no idea she possessed He relented gradually while still sucking and Hcking her until he was sure she’d climaxed at least three times. He finally began to kiss his way back up her torso, licking off the slick sheen of perspiration he’d made appear on her body. When he finally got to her face, she placed trembling hands on his cheeks and tried her best to kiss him, but she was too spent from his loving.

  He kissed her gently and put his arms around her as she draped herself over his chest and lay there trying to breathe. “
Still love me?” he teased.

  Ruth’s hand was stroking his chest and she was still trembling as she tried to speak. It took her almost a minute before she could murmur a response. “You know I do. I said you were dangerous, didn’t 1?”

  “You might have mentioned it a few times.”

  “I think I forgot to mention that I’m a dangerous woman, too,” she cooed as her hand found his long, thick manhood that was waiting for her touch. “And,” she promised, “I’m about to show you just how dangerous I can be.”

  He left the bedroom and was back in a few minutes with a small tray holding a carafe of iced water, a goblet full of crushed ice, a bowl of strawberries and grapes and a box of condoms.

  “They were in my briefcase,” he said sheepishly. “But I also thought you might be thirsty.” He poured some water into the goblet and handed it to her, watching as she took a few deep swallows. He was touched to see that she had straightened the bed and finger-combed her curly, still-damp hair while he was gone.

  “You’re beautiful, honey. You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life, and I’ve done some traveling,” he said with a smile.

  Ruth took another swallow of water before handing the goblet back to him. She picked up a strawberry and bit into it, smiling at him like Eve in the garden. “I’ve been all over the world, Julian, and I can’t remember ever seeing a man as fine as you. Now before you get conceited, come on over here. You’re going to work for this, sweetheart.”

  Before she could say another word, he had dropped his towel and they were kissing wildly, sharing the sweet, juicy berry with gusto. Now it was Ruth who was in control, forcing him onto his back as she knelt beside him, exploring his body with her hands and her mouth. She gave his nipples the same treatment she’d received, but she kept one hand on his manhood the whole time, squeezing it gently as she learned every inch of its turgid strength. The parts of his chest that weren’t adorned with silky hair were smooth and muscular, and his flat, hard stomach boasted a navel that was a definite innie, a place her tongue adored while Mac moaned with pleasure. She had kissed and licked her way down to his most vulnerable spot and when he would have denied her that pleasure, she pushed him down again. She stopped her exploration of his hot flesh long enough to take another sip of the iced water before placing the glass on the nightstand. Without warning, she took him in her mouth and the twin sensations of her cold lips and her hot tongue were almost his undoing.

  It was Mac’s turn to call her name in a voice made rough with pure sexual excitement. His fingers tangled in her hair, tightening as she made a meticulous exploration of his penis with her questing tongue. Somehow she’d slipped a tiny chip of ice in her mouth and the mixture of fire and ice had him writhing and roaring with sensual joy. He had to sit up to pull her off his body, but only long enough for her to straddle him. She looked at him with half-closed eyes and smiled.

  “What’s the matter, darling? Wasn’t I doing it right?”

  She was stroking his hips with her soft hands and her back was arched slightly so that her breasts with their still engorged nipples were on full display. Mac put his hands on her buttocks and flexed his long fingers, looking at her with a bemused expression while he recovered his breath. “Okay, so it’s like that, is it?”

  Ruth didn’t answer; she just moved her hips sensuously so he could feel the moist treasure that was waiting for him. He reached for the box of condoms and tried to take one out, but Ruth took it from him.

  “Let me do that, Julian. I love touching you,” she said in a sexy voice. She proved it, too, applying the condom in the most sensual manner possible. As soon as she was finished, Mac showed her that he was now in control, flipping her over on her back and opening her thighs so he could join their bodies. When Ruth felt the force of him entering her she put her hands on his shoulders and a long shuddering cry emerged from her throat. He thrust into her repeatedly as she clenched her vaginal walls around the magnificent strength of his erection.

  Her hands tightened on his broad back and she abandoned herself totally to Mac. She could only whisper his name and the whisper suddenly became a scream as he brought her to a convulsive climax that made her world go black for a moment. They lay entwined, both of them damp and fragrant with the exquisite scent of their love. Ruth tried to choke back a tiny sob, until Mac kissed her eyelids and made her look into his eyes.

  “I love you, honey. You’re mine now, and I belong to you.”

  The tears she had been trying to hold back started pouring out of her eyes but they didn’t last long because Mac’s body started moving in hers again.

  “Don’t cry, honey, I’ve got you. You’re mine now, I’ve got you. I love you, Ruth,” he whispered, and the moan became a chant as they continued to make love until the night sky turned into dawn.

  Chapter 11

  Mac had to laugh at the expression on Ruth’s face the next morning. She was in the guest bathroom curling her hair when Mac appeared in the doorway with his shirt undone so she could see the magnificent chest that had brought her so much pleasure the night before. She stopped what she was doing and looked at him suspiciously.

  “Julian, don’t come any closer. We have to get dressed so we can go get Paris and if you do that again we won’t leave the house,” she said in a voice that sounded slightly breathless.

  “If I do what, honey?” he asked, full of feigned innocence. “What did I do?”

  Ruth put one last curl in the top of her head before using the small ceramic iron to make her sassy tail behave again. As she pulled the long lock through the heated iron she made a noise of disgust. “You know what you did,” she said grumpily. “It was bad enough that you kept me up until dawn, but when you woke me up this morning...” Her voice trailed off and she smiled at her reflection in the mirror. After quickly styling her newly curled hair she licked her lips and tried to glare at him.

  “Didn’t you like it, darlin’? If it didn’t please you I won’t do it again, but you seemed to enjoy it as much as I did,” Mac said innocently.

  By now Ruth had joined him in the bathroom doorway and had her arms around his waist while she rubbed her cheek against his chest. “You know I liked it. Almost as much as I like you,” she said as she teased his nipple with her tongue. “But we don’t have time to play right now, we have to see about our girl.”

  It always made Mac’s heart turn to mush when Ruth referred to Paris like that. For one thing, he knew she wasn’t aware that she was doing it, and for another, he knew she meant it. Ruth loved his daughter dearly and it only made him love her all the more. If they weren’t trying to leave the house he’d have thrown her across the bed and treated her to a repeat of the morning’s frolic. He’d awakened Ruth in the most intimate way possible, by putting her long legs over his shoulders and pleasuring her until she screamed his name. He loved hearing his name torn from her silken throat in total abandon. When he met her he thought she was a sexy woman, but the wild passion she turned loose on him was more than any man could hope for. He wanted to tell her so right then and there, but he knew better. They’d be back in the bed in about two seconds if he had his way and while Ruth would love it, they really did need to get to the hospital.

  “I’ll try to behave, honey, but you bring the beast out in me. You’re too damned sexy, that’s your problem.” He put his hands around her waist and was tickled to hear her stomach growl. “How about I make you breakfast, something healthy and low-carb?”

  She made a little face but agreed. “I love breakfast, but I’ll be honest, I’m too hungry for healthy. I want a fried egg sandwich and a cup of really strong coffee,” she sighed. “I wonder if there’s a diner around here.”

  Mac raised an eyebrow and winked at her. “You change the sheets and meet me in the kitchen in ten minutes, how about that?”

  True to his word, when Ruth entered the kitchen carrying the sheets she’d removed from the bed, Mac was putting the finishing touches on her breakfast and it look
ed fabulous. There was rich-smelling coffee in a big mug, just the way she liked it. A V8 juice in a pretty green juice glass sat next to a pink glass bowl of sliced strawberries, kiwifruit and big green grapes. And holding down center stage was the most perfect looking fried egg sandwich Ruth had ever seen. It was on golden brown toast and she could see a lacy dark brown edge on the egg, the way she preferred her eggs.

  “Oh, my, Julian, that looks heavenly. Let me put these in the washer and I’ll be right back.”

  She reappeared in a couple of minutes and they sat on the tall stools of the work island, facing each other with smiles of utter contentment on their faces. They held hands and said grace. They’d no sooner finished saying Amen when Mac started teasing her. “I said change the sheets, not bury them. Are you trying to hide evidence of our night of passion, honey?”

  Ruth took a tiny sip of coffee and made a little noise of approval. “I certainly am. You know how nosy Paris is and she’ll be home in a few hours. It’s not like we can keep this a secret from her for long.”

  Mac laughed as he watched Ruth take her first bite of the sandwich, which she had cut neatly in half on the diagonal. “This is perfect, Julian, just what I wanted. You can cook, too. I may have to take you home with me,” she said blithely.

  “I get around in the kitchen,” Mac admitted. “I can do basic stuff like meat loaf, spaghetti, casseroles, things that kids will eat. I have a few specialties like what you’re eating,” he said with a grin. “And I make a mean fried bologna sandwich, too.”

  “It just so happens that’s one of my weaknesses. There were times in ‘Nam when I’d have sold a body part for a good fried bologna sandwich or some barbeque. I eat healthy now with only occasional trips to the dark side where the Häagen-Daz’s and the Ben and Jerry’s live. I don’t overdo, but,” she said with a sigh, “I truly can’t resist good barbecue. Especially a grilled sausage on a bun with grilled onions.. .ooh, I go crazy. How good are you with a grill, Julian?”