9 1/2 Days
Page 5
Now he just had to figure out how to contact her before David made good on his threat to matchmake for them.
As he pushed through the front door and bounded down the steps, he heard a rustling from the shrubs behind him. Then it sounded as if someone stumbled, followed by the click of heels on the concrete walkway. He started to turn around when he felt something poke him in the back.
Then a woman’s quiet voice spoke near his ear. “Hold it, mister. I’ve got a banana. And I’m not afraid to use it.”
Danny immediately recognized Jordan’s cool, clear voice. It made him think of spring water bubbling over polished rocks. His body responded and began to resemble the alleged banana. Playing along, he lowered his voice to match hers. “Okay, lady. You’ve got my attention. What now?”
Her breath hitched once, then she blurted out her next command. “Stay quiet and walk toward the burgundy Honda parked at the curb.”
Was Jordan looking for another illicit thrill? For the chance to be with her completely, he wasn’t going to protest, so he started toward her car. Then reality hit him in the gut. He’d come out of David’s condo wearing a T-shirt and sweatpants, so of course she assumed…
“No! Don’t turn around.”
Danny suppressed a sigh of disappointment. “I think you’re making a mistake. My brother—”
“I know all about your brother. This isn’t—”
“You do?” He jerked his head in her direction, but her hand shot out to nudge it forward again.
“Let’s not talk about him right now.” Jordan cleared her throat then continued haltingly. “Since this past weekend, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about us, how we left things unfinished.”
The extraordinary experience in the elevator flashed across his mind. His pulse quickened with desire and growing hope. Maybe that was Jordan on the phone earlier. Maybe David had told her he was here tonight. “I’m glad you want to pick up where—”
“Don’t say anything else, okay? Otherwise I won’t be able to go through with this.”
Danny angled his body to one side, trying to see her face. “What exactly is this?”
“Um, I’m kidnapping you.” She sounded a little unsure of herself, but she poked him in the back with the banana once more for emphasis.
“Okay…” He started walked again. “Are we acting out one of your fantasies or something?”
Jordan laughed softly. “Fantasy number fifteen, to be exact.”
He smiled, wondering if that was the end of the list or just the beginning. He’d find out soon enough. When he reached the side of the car, she clicked the keyless entry to unlock it. Before he could open the door, though, she thrust something over his shoulder.
“Would you mind putting on this blindfold?”
Danny looked down at the scarf she held in front of his face. “It’s pink. It’s pink with little white dots on it. What kind of kidnapper are you?”
“You’re not supposed to talk. This is hard enough.”
Not yet, but he was getting there. Danny obliged and tied the scarf around his eyes, then slid into the passenger seat. Reaching for the lever beneath him, he pushed back to give himself more legroom.
He felt Jordan lean over him to secure his seat belt. The scent of her hair drifted around him and his groin throbbed in reaction to the brush of her shoulder against his chest. Despite his temporary blindness, he was relaxed and curious to find out what she had planned.
“So what happens next?”
For a moment she didn’t answer. Then, after a deep breath, she said, “Now I take you to my place and bring the rest of the fantasy to life.”
Less than fifteen minutes later, Jordan remained in the driver’s seat, drumming her fingers lightly on the steering wheel. The trip back to her house had been relatively easy since David had stayed quiet the whole time. But now that they’d arrived, anxiety stabbed at her resolve, plagued her with doubts. She didn’t want a repeat of the last time they were together…
David cleared his throat. “Do you do this kind of thing a lot?”
“Actually, I never do anything like this.” Her voice was small and tight as she looked over at him. “But lately I’ve wanted to…experiment a little.”
One dark brow lifted above the blindfold. “I’m always up for some experimentation. So, are we going to sit here the rest of the night?”
“No.” She laughed nervously, got out of the Honda and went around to open the passenger door.
Jordan took his arm to guide him out of the car. He misjudged the height of the curb and tripped, bumping into her. He didn’t move away. They remained side by side, silent, lost in their mutual awareness. The contact sent sparks and heat rushing along her nerves until an invisible web of desire tightened in her belly. That was a good thing. If she was turned on, there was nothing to fear. Tonight would be a success.
“Can I take this thing off now?” He sounded hoarse as he pointed to the pink-and-white blindfold.
“Not yet.” She led him up the walkway. “You can take it off once we start the fantasy.”
He frowned briefly, obviously confused. “The kidnapping isn’t the fantasy?”
Jordan swallowed the sudden lump in her throat. “No, it was just… I wasn’t sure…”
David stopped and turned in her direction. Though he couldn’t see the hot color lighting up her face, his voice was quiet. “You didn’t think I’d go along unless you forced me?”
She dropped her chin as her confidence evaporated. This was so stupid! Why did she think she could go through with this? Some seductress she was turning out to be. David must have sensed her anguish because he slowly exhaled.
“You didn’t have to do this.”
Omigod. She was standing in front of her house being rejected by a man in a pink polka-dotted blindfold. He would be polite and considerate because that was his way. But he was still going to dump her again. She twisted her fingers together, fighting harder not to cry.
“All you had to do was ask.”
“Huh?” She jerked her head up.
David’s voice held more than a touch of gentle humor. “So what’s the real fantasy, Jordan?”
He still wanted to play. The sudden warmth of relief and gratitude swept over her and she smiled, too, though he couldn’t see it. She considered telling him the real reason behind her seduction plan, then realized she wanted this night of fantasy as much as she wanted his help.
“No names.”
“Excuse me?”
Her pulse accelerated and her words came out in a rush. “No names, okay? No inhibitions and no regrets tonight. We’re just two strangers who met and felt an immediate attraction.”
His response was complete silence and for an instant her insecurities returned. Then David grinned, his wide smile sexy despite the pink scarf on his face. “When I saw you across the smoke-filled room, I thought you were the most beautiful woman in the place.”
For a second, her heart turned over. He thought—
No. Jordan shook herself back into the reality of the moment. He was just getting into the fantasy. She took a deep breath and let her imagination take over. “When I walked into that hot, crowded bar tonight, I was looking for someone, but I didn’t expect to find you. I saw you sitting by yourself and wondered why a guy like you was alone.”
She was afraid her speech sounded forced, but David got right into character. “Yeah, I had the same thought about you. I couldn’t believe such a hot, sexy woman was coming on to me.”
That web of desire tightened and Jordan suddenly wanted him so badly her legs started to tremble. The way David was responding, maybe they should have tried this fantasy stuff before. “There was something about you, something that intrigued me. That’s why I approached you. Then you looked at me and smiled and I couldn’t resist giving in to a wicked impulse.”
“I’d planned to buy you a drink, but your very seductive offer distracted me. Wicked impulses are the hardest to refuse.”
He stood beside her on the front step. She could feel the heat of his body and even in the dimness of twilight his arousal was obvious. There was a lot to be said for the thin fabric of sweatpants. He leaned into her, pressing the length of his body to hers as he spoke softly.
“I think we’ll be good together.”
Jordan drew a quivering breath as she pushed open the front door. “Why don’t we go inside and find out?”
5
DANNY STEPPED into the gloom of Jordan’s foyer and had to fight off a brief sense of panic. Outside, he’d been able to detect the last rays of twilight through the filmy material of the scarf. Now, though, his inability to see was further hampered by unfamiliar surroundings.
“Um, this will just—umph. This will just take a second.”
Danny shifted from one foot to the other, while Jordan muttered under her breath. The distinctive odor of butane wasn’t doing anything to alleviate his discomfort.
“Press. Hold. Click. It’s simple. So why—can’t I—get this—to work?”
He smelled the accelerant and heard the strike wheel grinding and felt the scar on his back tighten. What the hell was she setting on fire? Danny yanked off the blindfold.
“You’re making me nervous.”
Jordan sighed and set down the fireplace lighter she was holding. “I’m a little nervous myself.”
He glanced behind her to see flames dancing in the first three of a series of small hurricane candles. The rest, though unlit, made a path up the winding staircase.
“Seems we could both use some reassurance. Come on over here.” Danny opened his arms and waited.
She hesitated for just a second, then Jordan moved across the floor and into his embrace, her face tilted expectantly. In the faint light from the transom window above the front door, he saw that her lips trembled slightly and he heard the little catch of her breath. If he didn’t know better, he would have thought she was nervous.
Danny lowered his head and closed his mouth over hers. He’d been dying to kiss her again, so consumed by the memory of the elevator that there was no time to sample or savor. He slanted his lips across hers in a hot, urgent need to taste and take. Jordan pulled away with a gasp. Her brows drew together for an instant as she looked up at him with a bemused expression.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, nothing. I just—you reminded—” She shook her head once and then smiled. “Where were we?”
A low growl of pleasure escaped him as she moved in, molding her lush body to his straining erection. He slid his hands down to cup her butt and pull her even closer. He traced her mouth with the tip of his tongue, memorizing the sinuous curve of her lower lip, the sweet fullness of the upper one. Then he delved inside to the warm recesses of her mouth.
She tightened her hold on his back, the slick fabric of her raincoat rustling as she rubbed her pelvis across the front of his sweatpants. She took the kiss to the next level, making him feel that she was going to devour him. Her tongue mated with his in what he hoped was a preview of things to come.
Breathing hard, he leaned back just enough to ask a question. Even in the dim light, he could see the excitement in her eyes. “So, stranger, are you just going to hold me for ransom, or was there something else you wanted to do with me?”
Jordan slid out of his arms and held out her hand. He grasped it in his and followed her toward the stairs. She looked over her shoulder, a little smile on her beautiful lips. “This is my fantasy, but it’s our night.”
DANNY DIDN’T MIND the darkness this time. Jordan’s fingers were warm in his as they walked into her bedroom and faint light from the street filtered through the thin material of the curtains. His eyes quickly adjusted and he relaxed, allowing his desire to overtake the moment.
Jordan led him past a mirrored dresser to the center of the room then moved several steps away. He wanted to reach for her again, but this was, as she’d said, her fantasy. It wouldn’t be easy, but he had to keep his arousal in check and let her set the stage. Danny crossed his hands in front of him and watched to see what she would do.
She dropped her chin, as though embarrassed by his scrutiny, and reached for the belt of her raincoat. After fumbling with the knot, she began to unfasten the buttons. Actually, he thought the short coat was pretty sexy. It made her look more like a secret agent than a kidnapper, but he didn’t care. It left her long, gorgeous legs exposed—
His brain shut down in midthought as Jordan lifted her shoulders and shrugged, letting the coat fall in a puddle at her feet. His mouth went dry as he stared.
She wore only a tight black lingerie top, matching black panties and her sandals. Her body was extraordinary, beautifully proportioned from her graceful neck to her full breasts, long waist and round hips. His gaze returned to and lingered on her breasts, his hands flexing with the need to feel them again.
Wait…
All she wore was lingerie. That’s all she’d had on beneath the coat the entire night. Outside of the condo. In her car. On the front step of her house. He could have reached under the raincoat and her satiny skin would have been bare to his touch. The idea turned him on so much that all of the blood in his body rushed to his groin.
Jordan stepped toward him then, her demeanor uncertain, which surprised him since they’d already shared such intimacy. Maybe it was part of the fantasy. He cupped the side of her face and drew her closer. “The first time with someone new, especially a stranger, can be scary. But I promise I won’t do anything you don’t want.”
She hesitated, then closed the distance between them. The first brush of her lips against his mouth whetted his appetite. The second had him wanting to devour her, but still he held back. Her kisses were warm and sweet and he met each one with restraint until finally she opened to him, letting his tongue explore her in lazy circles. Her fingers stroked the back of his neck while her other hand slid over his shoulders and along his chest. Then he deepened the kiss, unleashing a little of the need he felt, turning the kiss urgent and demanding.
A moan escaped her throat as her fingers slipped beneath the waistband of his pants to drag at his T-shirt, just as she had in the elevator. But this time they would finish what they started. Jordan tugged the fabric up until he was forced to break the kiss and yank the shirt over his head. She smoothed her palms over his bare chest, leaving a trail of heat in the wake of her touch.
He claimed her lips once again, kissing her with all the passion burning inside. He tasted her excitement and responded in kind. The way she arched her back and wiggled against him drove him nuts. He reached up to slide the strap of her camisole off her shoulder. She pushed it back on.
Danny tugged at it again and, while she was distracted, pulled down the other strap. When she started to protest softly, he slipped his hand inside the underwire cup to fondle her breast. The velvety orb, more than filling his palm, warmed beneath his hand.
He brushed his thumb over her nipple until it beaded into a sensitive peak. Her gasp of surprise turned into a moan of pleasure. Danny quickly unhooked the eyelets on the front of the garment, dropping it to the floor and freeing both breasts for his enjoyment. Then he bent down to take one into his mouth. The flick of his tongue on the engorged flesh made her quiver and arch closer as he suckled each breast in turn.
When he straightened up, Jordan kissed him deeply, desperately, wordlessly expressing how much she wanted him. It couldn’t be as much as he wanted her. His erection threatened to poke a hole in the front of his sweatpants. He reached down between their bodies, sliding his palm along her belly until he touched the waistband of her panties. She widened her stance to give him greater access.
Jordan gasped against his mouth as he slipped one, two fingers into her heat. She was so wet, so ready. He felt her clamp down on his hand and she tightened her arm around his shoulders. He’d only begun to touch her and already she was about to explode. He knew exactly how she felt. Then she surprised him by laying her hand on top of his.
Danny held her as she caught her breath, marveling at her responsiveness and dying to be inside her the next time she climaxed like that. He toed off his running shoes and walked barefoot across the thick carpet to the bed before releasing his hold on her. He tipped her chin up until she looked at him.
“This is our night, but it’s your fantasy, Jordan. What do you want to do next?”
WHAT DID SHE WANT to do next? Everything!
But she didn’t know how to ask, and he was waiting for her to make the choice. He was being so sweet and so patient. And he acted as if he really wanted her. Maybe it was the supposed anonymity of the Stranger fantasy. Maybe it was the darkness and the way it somehow reminded her of the elevator. Whatever the reason, it seemed circumstances, even fabricated ones, made all the difference.
The lust and excitement and curiosity she’d felt moments ago were a positive sign. If she concentrated on the type of character she wanted to be, the kind of seductress she wanted to portray, then all she had to do was believe. She was sexy. Fun. Naughty. Alluring. There was a nearly naked man in front of her and she was going to enjoy him.
Jordan launched herself at David and threw her arms around his neck, knocking him backward onto the bed.
“Hey!” His exclamation was as much laughter as protest.
With a hand on either side of her waist, he adjusted her on his body until she lay atop him, straddling his thighs. The position put her in direct contact with his erection. He let out an involuntary moan when she shifted across the evidence of his desire.