Relieved at the change of topic, she replied, “He’s showing me the stables.”
“I could do that.”
She kissed his naked shoulder. “We both need time to think. To get our priorities in order.”
“I know my priorities.” He traced a line from her shoulder to her hip. “And I’m going to see that I get them.”
The wide green lawn Jaye skirted gave way to a rose garden surrounded by a six foot hedge. Benches sat in tiny alcoves and niches in the greenery. She thought of Alex stretched out on a bench naked while she ran her mouth and tongue across his hips and thighs. He’d shudder with the teasing. She’d dress herself in a gown from long ago, with long skirts and a high stiff collar. Her hair would be up in pins. She’d wear a wide-brimmed hat so a passerby wouldn’t see her face.
So prim. So proper.
She’d delight in the feel of his hard flesh, springy hair and hot cock. Considering she’d just had that hot cock inside her, she was surprised at the vividness of her fantasy.
Her pussy twitched at the pictures playing out in her mind, so she passed the heel of her hand against herself a couple of times to ease the ache. She’d have to tell Alex about the fantasy and see if they could find a dress like that.
He was sure to like the idea. Alex.
Alex may have his priorities in order, but Jaye questioned hers. She’d thought this trip would be fun and sexy and exciting. It was all that, of course, but somehow the fun, sex and excitement had become a mere sidebar to the real event.
And the real event was the turning of Jaye’s head. She thought of her mother’s admonition and had to laugh at herself. All these years of protecting her heart, of keeping her head on straight, of working hard at taking care of herself and Hayden meant nothing in the face of her growing feelings for Alex Carmichael.
Damn. Alex had her heart messed up and her mind confused. All her life she’d avoided men who didn’t work, didn’t have goals, didn’t take pride in accomplishing what they set out to do. The only thing Alex had set out to do was seduce her. She’d been so easy it was laughable. But seducing her body was one thing. After all, she hadn’t had a man in years.
For Alex to seduce her heart and mind was quite another thing. She wouldn’t, couldn’t allow it.
On the far side of the garden, the hedge ended on a wide gravel parking lot. Standing on the other side was Jeffries, waiting in front of a huge square building with triple wide doors open and waiting.
He hadn’t forgotten her request to show her the stables.
She followed him inside and was surprised to see a line of stalls on either side. The center consisted of a riding ring. “There must be ten stalls on each wall,” she said.
“There are. We could fill them in under a week if Mr. Carmichael were to say the word, but he’s not a breeder nor much of a rider.”
She couldn’t respond without making the poor man see his double entendre so she kept silent. Alex was a helluva breeder and an exquisite rider. Just not of horses. She warmed in spite of the damp air.
Curious, she headed down the center aisle, keeping a sharp eye out for a haystack. “Guess you don’t need hay in here if there are no horses.” She bit back her disappointment and let go of her fantasy of wearing nothing but English riding boots and one of those funny round hats she’d seen on television. Alex would have liked her in them, she was sure.
“We’ve got people near here who would like another boarding stable. Even know a man who’s looking for a place of his own.”
“You mean to run the stables as a small business? Separate from the estate?”
“Aye. He used to be in charge here before the horses got sold off. With some help, he could make a real go of this place.”
“Have you mentioned this to Mr. Carmichael?”
“No chance, Miss. The gentleman’s rarely around and it isn’t my place to accost him while he’s here, now is it?”
She grinned. “I’ll see if I can ‘accost’ him about it then.” She didn’t think Alex would find having a boarding stable on his land too much responsibility. And if the place provided local jobs, all the better.
“I never meant to put my nose where it doesn’t belong, Miss. Let him know that, too, will you?”
“Don’t worry Jeffries. He’ll get the picture.”
The conversation with Jeffries saved her bacon, she thought later. She’d been too close to forgetting where she came from and about the people who needed her.
She pulled her heart back into its place and locked it down. No way was she going to fall for the man. This was supposed to be all about frivolous fun. And from their conversation, Alex’s whole life seemed frivolous. She shouldn’t judge him for his lifestyle because she hardly knew him. Maybe he’d made some disastrous decisions and no longer trusted his own abilities. That would make for a very cautious man.
She wandered the grounds for a short time, soaking up the atmosphere and gathering her thoughts. She had to keep this vacation fun, had to lighten up and ride it out to the end. Her life would go back to normal soon enough, the demands of her clients would set her mind straight in no time. And if that didn’t do it, saving for Hayden’s college tuition would get her back on track.
Not to mention that she and Alex had agreed on two weeks. After that, she’d be nothing more than a pleasant memory to Alex. A smart woman would keep that detail uppermost in her mind. A man who refused to do more than manage his investments would never take on the demands of a real relationship. He didn’t have to. He probably picked up women like her all the time.
And didn’t that idea flatten out her bubbly happy fantasy.
She rounded a corner of the hedge and found a garage tucked behind the east wing of the house. Following a noise, she found Carl seeing to some business under the hood of the Bentley. “Jack of all trades, Carl?” she asked, giving him a startle.
His salt and pepper head popped up out from under the hood. “No, not at all, but I couldn’t resist a peek under this hood, or bonnet as they call it here. Fine piece of machinery, this.”
“I guess. I don’t know much about British cars, just the ones my brother works on.”
“He’s good, your brother David. Best in the business from what I’ve heard.”
She smiled. “He thinks my son’s going to follow in his footsteps, but I’ve got other plans for Hayden. He’s going to college for a degree.”
Carl nodded.
“Is there a way I could call someone in the States?”
“Sure, there’s a phone in the closet by the front door.”
“The closet?”
“It’s an old house. Phones were originally installed in booths in the front hall.”
She followed his directions, found the phone and called one of her clients. The conversation was quick and breathless and punctuated with giggles. She ended the call with a quick thank you and stepped back into the hall.
Alex leaned against the staircase banister, waiting for her.
“I had to call a client. I think I forgot to pay a tax bill on time.” She frowned and clucked. “I just had so much on my mind before I left home.”
“Like?”
“I had a family wedding, all my clients’ payrolls, not to mention my son wanting to go off for the summer with my brother.”
“Surely David is a good influence on a teenager.”
She rolled her eyes. “I suppose. But David and Tina are newlyweds so he’s been distracted.” She grinned. “Just the way we are,” she said on a husky note. “Distracted, I mean.”
He stood straight and opened his palms in invitation. She drifted into his hard embrace and breathed in the scent of him. Alexander Carmichael. Playboy jetsetter. All hers. For now. She burrowed close and set her lips to his neck, letting him feel her desire rise.
“What was that thing you used on me?” she whispered next to his ear. “It felt like a feather, but sometimes it was scritchy too.”
“Listen to yourself and don’t doubt your
words.”
She tilted her head back, read the humor in his eyes and laughed with him. She smacked his shoulder. “It was a feather!”
“The pointy end is great for those tantalizing scritches.”
“You know I’ll get you back for that.”
“Looking forward to it. Now, to bed, wench, we need to sleep for a couple hours before heading back to the airport.”
“I thought we’d sleep on the plane.”
He palmed her ass, spread her cheeks and filled his hands with her flesh. He squeezed. “Come love me, Jaye. I’m lonely for you.”
“Your dick aches for me?”
His grin was mysterious. “Something like that.”
He took her upstairs, loved her like a man possessed and held her to his chest for a long time before they drifted into sleep.
Alex’s trip to the airport didn’t go at all like the one the day before in Arizona. Jaye was distracted and her lack of interest put him out of sorts. Something was on Jaye’s mind, and she refused to share.
Alex clasped her hand on his thigh. Her hand looked thin, competent, with well tended, unvarnished nails. It was dotted with freckles he’d spent considerable time tracing with his tongue when they’d woken, hot and achy for each other before dawn.
He’d slipped up badly last night in the tub, had wanted to feel her flesh enclose him, wanted Jaye to feel what she asked for: his flexes, his spurts, his come drenching her inner walls, bathing and mingling with her juices.
So instead of being smart, instead of staying in control, he did what he’d never done before. He entered her without a condom. If she’d noticed she hadn’t spoken of it.
This morning they’d used hands, tongues and fingers to bring each other to mind blowing climax and still she didn’t mention the screw up in the tub.
He needed to say something, but he also wanted room to maneuver if she came back to him with news he’d be happy to hear.
Happy? Yes. Happy. He raised her hand to his mouth and kissed it. “Last night in the tub, you asked me to do some things I shouldn’t have, but in the heat of the moment you were quivering and bucking and—”
“You went bare back.”
He nodded. Oddly free of guilt now that he was talking about it. “How would you feel, about—”
“I’ve been down this road before,” she said with a wry grin, “and the last time I wasn’t as prepared as I am now.” She tilted her face to look up at him. “There won’t be a baby, Alex, but not because I’d do anything to get rid of it, but because the timing’s off. As for safer sex, well, you’re pretty cautious and I’m very particular, so for that one time, I think we’ll be fine.”
“Oh, I see.” His heart rate kicked up a notch and he wanted her not to be fine. He wanted her to be pregnant, he wanted to know that he’d reached so far up inside her that he’d planted himself in a way that could never be forgotten.
He ran his hand down to her crotch and tussled her to her back on the seat. He tugged and pulled at her jeans until they were around her ankles.
She unzipped his slacks, brought forth his aching cock and swirled her tongue around the head.
Before he knew what she was doing, she straddled him and slid her pussy down onto his jutting shaft and rode him until her deep throated grunts and sighs signaled her release. Fast, hard, and demanding, Jaye took him and he marveled at her greedy need.
He arched and bucked up into her melting pussy and rubbed his nose deep into her neck. He wanted his cock up this high, wanted to be so deep inside her he’d never come out again, wanted to soak her right up to her womb.
She shuddered through her orgasm, taking him over the edge at the same time.
When she quieted, she tilted her forehead to his and tipped her lips to his chin. “I think we did it again.” Her eyes lighted with mischief.
“It just feels so damn good skin to skin.”
“Your cock’s so hot inside me, and I can feel each vein as it pulses.”
Just what he’d wanted to do. Pleased, he kept her fully seated on him, enjoyed the sensation of being joined without moving, without the raw need. Contentment filled him as he searched her gaze.
She wriggled on his lap and kissed his mouth gently, taking his lips as if in worship, each one slowly, reverently got sucked into her mouth. Her tongue traced the line of his teeth, danced along the walls of his cheeks. Sipped and loved and laved him.
“I want you to stay longer,” he said. “You don’t have to go back.”
“I have a son. You know—one of those dependent little people who need guidance, love and money?”
“But, I want you.” It slipped out and even to him it sounded lame. Of course her son should be uppermost. He was temporary. And that was how he liked it. Until now. Until Jaye.
“I want you too. Like this.” She wriggled again and his cock slid out of her, breaking their connection. She climbed off his lap. “But be serious, Alex. I need to work. All you need to do is go back to managing your money.”
“Is that what’s on your mind? My money?” She’d used a dismissive tone and he wasn’t quite sure how to take it.
She straightened her clothes. “You can’t compare my life to yours. People need me, depend on me. I can’t just pick up and desert them.”
“And I have no one depending on me, is that it?” He shifted her off his lap as the Bentley purred onto the tarmac. It was true. There was no one in the world that he mattered to but his uncle. No one else was left. Was that why he’d grown so attached to her? Was her commitment to her life and the people in it some kind of lure?
They climbed out of the car while Carl pretended not to notice the tail of Alex’s shirt sticking out of his fly.
Jaye sailed up the stairs to the jet like a movie queen, deliberately oblivious to the state of agitation and satiation that swirled around them both.
Alex watched Jaye’s delectable ass sway as she climbed the stairs, then grinned and shook his head as Carl pretended not to notice her.
Chapter Eight
The helicopter set down on the helipad with all the finesse of a butterfly and Jaye’s heart lurched. She’d expected a heavy landing, but Carl’s ability to drive and fly anything known to man impressed the hell out of her.
“What would he do with a dog team?” she muttered. She’d slept on the jet, while Alex spelled Carl off at the controls. In between, she’d been aware of Alex climbing into bed. He’d urged her into the curve of his body as he settled beside her. Once, she stirred and turned to him, but he’d only chuckled and tucked her head under his chin so she could fall back to sleep feeling safe and secure in his arms.
A limo, a private jet, a Bentley and now a helicopter, all within forty-eight hours. She thought of her bicycle and yearned to feel the security of her own pedals on her feet. These small aircraft were hard on a girl’s nerves.
Eventually, over time, she’d put this jet setting lifestyle, the fun, the mind blowing, body twisting sex with Alex behind her. Real life would take over her thoughts as she pedaled from her mother’s beauty shop to her brother’s brand new garage to work on their books.
How long would it take before the loss eased, before her gnawing need for Alex died?
He watched her face all the time now, waiting to see her reaction to every new experience. He never laughed at her, never made her feel unworldly, unsophisticated or awkward.
Like now, while he waited, looking like the most elegant man on earth, hand extended to her while she gathered her wits and struggled to undo her harness with shaking hands.
Alex leaned in and with brisk efficient motions freed her. He looked at her with a gaze that seemed like love, but she blinked the mirage away.
Alex didn’t love her. He couldn’t. He wanted her the way she wanted him. Every waking moment, with an ache between her legs only he could ease. This time together was about sex, steamy, raunchy, horny man hot woman gettin’ it on sex.
She couldn’t let it be about anything more. There h
ad been hard times in her life. Times where she thought she needed a man to make her whole. She’d been frightened of life on her own with a new baby, afraid of Child Protective Services when he broke his leg and she took him to the emergency room. The doctor had sized her up as a single mother on a tight budget, had asked if he’d been injured before. When Hayden had skipped school at twelve, she’d been afraid it was the start of big trouble, but her brother had helped with that. Still, for most of her single motherhood, she’d been afraid. Just afraid.
She’d dreamed early on that a man would come rescue her, save her from her own mistakes. That dream had died gradually, leaving her strong enough to handle anything her son, or life could throw at her.
She chuckled at the frightened girl she used to be, and reached for Alex’s hand. “You’re not my hero,” she said out loud to reinforce the thought. She held his gaze. And I will not love you.
“I don’t want to be your hero if the idea makes you look that fierce,” he said, as a confused frown darkened his features.
She climbed out of the helicopter, and felt the whup-whup of wind from the slowing rotors. Alex placed his hand at the back of her head and kept her crouched low while they made a dash for it.
When they had enough room to stand erect, she turned to look back at the helicopter and laughed. “We could have waited for the whole thing to stop whirring.”
“Where’s your sense of adventure? Besides, I’m anxious to show you the place.” He turned her toward the sprawling hacienda-style home.
“How big do your homes have to be?” The dry Arizona landscape was far different from the quiet English countryside
“This wasn’t my choice. It’s the family home. I’ve never been able to part with it, in spite of the isolation and stupidly huge size.”
“I’m meeting your family?” She wondered how his parents would react to her, to this, this ‘thing’ they’d embarked on. What would they think of a woman who would agree to a two week sex binge?
Stroke of Midnight Page 7