"Yeah, I know. We could both use a bath," said Dallas. "I'll tell you what. You can have the tub in there and I'll use the shower in the mud room." He gripped her shoulders reassuringly and pressed a gentle kiss on her lips. She trembled beneath his fingers. "Unless you want to bathe together?"
Gillian pulled back again. "To tell the truth, I haven't done this kind of thing in a long time. Right now, I'd rather bathe alone. I'll take a rain check for a later date, if that's okay with you?"
"Make that a promise and it's okay with me. I'll show you where everything is." He led her to the bathroom, handing her a towel and a robe he found in the closet. "Put this on when you're finished. Meet me in the living room. We'll have a glass of wine and try to take this nice and slow. And remember Gillian, we won't do anything you don't want to do." He kissed her quickly before closing the door.
Gillian ran hot water in the tub. Pouring a capful of shampoo for bubble bath, she eased into the blessed heat. She leaned back and let the warm water wash away her jitters.
She was nervous and a bit scared, but excited as well. This felt right. A tremendous weight seemed to have lifted from her shoulders. She had thought she could never be close to a man again. But Dallas had changed all that. Her body tingled with anticipation, and she hurried through the bath, drying herself and slipping the robe over her nakedness. The soft terry cloth rubbed her sensitized flesh. The thought of Dallas's hands and mouth on her body made her toes curl. After combing her hair, she hurried to the living room.
Dallas waited on the sofa. The room was dim, with several candles flickering in the darkness. He stood when she entered the room. He wore nothing but boxer shorts, his hair damp from his shower, his skin gleaming in the candlelight.
Gillian swallowed the lump in her throat. The man was beautiful. Ropes of muscle rippled across his wide chest. He wasn't as hairy as she had imagined, but a fascinating line of dark fuzz began at his navel, disappearing into his waistband.
Her knees weakened when she saw the evidence of his desire straining against his shorts. Tightening the belt of her robe, she took the glass of wine he offered.
Dallas resumed his place on the couch. "Sit down," he said, patting the cushion beside him.
Gillian took a sip of wine, gathered her courage and curled up beside him. He hooked his arm around her shoulders and hauled her body next to his. With his bare feet propped on the coffee table, he drank his wine, holding her close, caressing her arm.
She gradually relaxed and enjoyed the moment. She could feel Dallas's heartbeat, the steady rhythm keeping time with her own. When she finished her wine, she slowly twirled the fluted glass by the stem, watching the candlelight reflect on the shiny surface.
"Let me take that." Dallas placed both glasses on the table. Leaning back, he pulled Gillian on top of him, positioning them both until they were reclining on the sofa. Gillian's heart was beating double-time now. So was his. Dallas's face was only a couple of inches away. His crystal blue eyes searched her face as his hands kneaded her bottom. His breath whispered against her lips, the tangy scent of wine teased her nostrils.
With her elbows propping her up, Gillian's robe gaped open. She felt herself exposed and tried to close it back.
"Don't hide yourself from me." Dallas pushed her hand away. He boldly cupped one breast as he covered her mouth with a kiss.
Gillian felt herself free-falling as his tongue tangled with hers. He rasped his thumb across a nipple sending a shower of electric currents cascading down her body. He jerked the robe away, leaving her completely naked, wrapping his arms around her and crushing her to him, until they were bare chest to bare chest.
He threaded his fingers through her hair, pulling her closer, consuming her with his mouth. His every touch, his every move produced intense waves of pleasure. Gillian held on to his powerful shoulders, riding the torrent of desire, pressing her breasts flat against his chest, moving to cradle her body more snugly over his turgid length.
Suddenly, Dallas changed positions and she was lying flat on her back. He bent to suckle her, laving his tongue around and around the rigid nipples, teasing and taunting, coming close to the rosy tips, yet holding back.
Gillian squirmed beneath him, grasping his neck, arching her back, searching. "Please, Dallas--"
Dallas trailed his tongue over the curves of her breasts, stopping at the crest, licking quickly, then blowing on the swollen nipples.
Gillian groaned with pleasure, then almost screamed when he took one nipple in his mouth and sucked. She bucked under him and could feel him hard against her sensitive core. She reached between their bodies, sliding her hand inside his waistband, clasping her fingers around him.
Dallas shuddered at her touch, then clamped his hand over hers and moved it away. "This will all be over in a second, if you keep doing that."
"Take me now," she said, lifting up and kissing his lips. "I'm ready. I want you inside of me."
Dallas breathed deeply. "We're not going to do this on the damned couch." He kissed her quickly, then scooped her in his arms and walked to the bedroom.
Gillian leaned her head on his shoulder, enjoying the feel of his muscled arms around her. He stooped to pull back the comforter and gently set her on the bed. Peeling his shorts off, he lay down beside her.
Taking her in his arms, he kissed her, making sweet maddening love with his tongue. His fingers roamed over her body, cupping her breasts, moving over her flat tummy, settling between her legs. She was everything he'd ever dreamed about, totally responsive to his every touch. He probed the soft flesh of her womanhood with one finger. Gillian moaned with desire.
She was ready for him, but he wanted her more than ready. He moved his mouth downward, kissing the base of her neck, the hollow near the collarbone. Gasping with pleasure, Gillian grasped his head and held him close as he continued his descent.
He caressed her soft breasts, suckling gently, teasing them again and again, making her wild under him. Then he moved lower. He kissed her belly button, licking the small indention, trailing hot kisses toward the center of her being.
"Dallas?" Gillian looked at him questioningly.
"Relax, sweetheart. It's okay. I want to kiss you all over."
She lay rigid beneath his touch. He wondered if she'd ever been loved this way before. It gave him intense satisfaction to know that he might be the first. He would do his damndest to make it good for her.
He knelt between her legs, rubbing his hands down the length of them, caressing her thighs and calves. He came back up and took her mouth with his, thrusting his tongue inside, claiming her, branding her with a promise of much more.
She arched her back, lifting her body to meet his.
"Easy, sweetheart. There's no rush."
"But I want you. Now." She kissed him feverishly.
He pulled away and grinned wickedly. "I want you, too. But there's plenty of time. We have all night."
He trailed hot kisses across her tummy down to the triangle of dark curls, lightly touching the warm flesh with his lips. She tasted like sweet femininity.
Gillian held her breath. No one had ever kissed her down there before. She'd been married true, but her love life had been more like slam, bam, thank you ma'am. Dallas was doing things, making her feel things, that were completely new and wonderful. She grasped the sheets with fisted hands, opening her legs to him.
He didn't fail her.
As Dallas bent over her, their eyes locked. He kissed her soft curls, teased the swollen flesh, flicking light touches in and around the delicate folds. Gillian's chocolate brown eyes darkened with desire. Her breath came out in quick puffs.
Slowly sliding a finger inside her, he pressed his tongue against her inner core, caressing, stroking until she was moving beneath him, finding the rhythm that would lead her over the edge. She fell back against the pillows, squeezed her eyes shut, lifting her hips, writhing on the bed. Dallas increased the pressure, doubling the strokes, until she moaned loudly and shattered
beneath him.
Sensations exploded throughout Gillian's body. Shards of desire crashed along every nerve ending. She drifted on the aftermath of rapture, amazed at the exquisite feelings pulsing through her bloodstream.
Yet somehow, it wasn't enough. She wanted more. "Make love to me. I need you," she said, grasping his shoulders, pulling his big body upward. She clasped her arms around his neck, sought the drugging sweetness of his mouth, lifted her hips to meet his hardness. Seeking to fill the empty ache inside.
Dallas reached in the bedside drawer for protection. Tearing the packet with his teeth, he made himself ready. His shaft throbbed as he nudged Gillian's legs apart with his knee and settled between them. Her hands caressed him all over, frantic in her need for him.
Propping himself on his elbows, he tangled his fingers in her hair, traced her cheek and jaw with his thumb, bent to drink from her lips. All the while, he rubbed his shaft against her soft warmth, probing the hot flesh, taunting himself with the pleasure he would soon find.
The sexy little moans deep in Gillian's throat drove him close to the brink. Her fingers bit into his shoulders, her mouth found his flat nipple and he groaned when she lapped and sucked.
It was too much. He gripped her hips and plunged his length inside her hot damp flesh. She accepted all of him, her body sheathing him to the hilt.
Gillian arched her back, meeting him thrust for thrust. Dallas gritted his teeth when she wrapped her legs around him and pulled him in even deeper.
Dallas raised himself above her, bracing his fists on either side of her head. The black tangle of her silky hair spread across the pillow. Gillian's eyes were closed, her dark lashes whispered against her ivory skin.
Suddenly, he needed to see the rich brown color of her eyes. He wanted to lose himself in their depths, just as he was losing himself in her hot flesh. "Look at me," he said, his voice harsh with pent-up passion.
Gillian opened her eyes, a soft smile curving her lips. She lifted her arms to stroke his chest, teasing his nipples with feather-light touches, and slowly trailed her fingers along his jaw, cupping his face.
The precipice of fulfillment gaped before him. Dallas ignored it. He deliberately slowed his movements, pulling his shaft almost free, holding himself above Gillian for a long moment, before plunging deeply back into her gloved warmth. Again and again, he moved in and almost out, teasing and taunting. He felt ready to burst, knew he couldn't last much longer. He wanted to prolong the sweet torture a few minutes more.
Gillian clutched at his shoulders. "Dallas--" Her breath hitched as her body shuddered in another climax.
That was all he was waiting for. Dallas hammered his body into her flesh, burying his shaft, impaling himself until he balanced on the knife's edge. For one heart-wrenching moment, time stopped. Then his arms buckled beneath him, as he felt himself exploding, splintering into a million pieces. He fell off the precipice, spiraled downward through a sensual maelstrom, finally landing safely in Gillian's warm embrace.
She bore his weight, loving the feel of his body pushing her down on the mattress. A feeling of oneness melded them together. Dallas's hot breath fanned her ear as he lay on top of her, his head resting above her shoulder. His arms came around her, hugging her tight, clasping her closer, branding her as his.
Gillian had never experienced such complete fulfillment. She had lived her entire life not knowing. She would never be the same again. She smoothed her hands over the muscled back, rubbing her fingers up and down the entire length of his spine. A hot kiss on her shoulder sent tingles down to her toes.
"I want you again," Dallas whispered in her ear.
He lifted his head, locking his gaze with hers. Nibbling her lips, he pressed gentle kisses at the corners of her mouth, rocking his body, seeking deeper penetration.
A delicious heat ignited low in Gillian's tummy. Like a dormant volcano awakening, molten fire smoldered at her core. She caught Dallas's teasing mouth in a mind-searing kiss, boldly plunging her tongue inside, tasting, tempting, seducing.
He thrust hard and deep, his hands cradling the sides of her head, his eyes searching the depths of her soul.
Increasing the tempo, he urged her toward the dizzying heights once again. Together, they executed the steps of the primordial dance--advancing, retreating. Lunging, plunging. Gillian moved fluidly under him. Their movements flowed in, out, and around one another. It was difficult to distinguish where one body stopped and the other began. They were truly one, joined in the most primitive way.
His eyes bored into hers, devouring her with his need, consuming her very essence. She clasped her arms around his powerful neck, thrilling to the touch of his muscles cording beneath her fingers.
"Let yourself go," he growled in her ear. "Come with me."
He rose above her, his strong arms balancing his weight, and made the strokes deeper, more forceful. Gillian lifted her body and offered herself to his demanding urgency. With each hammering thrust, he pushed her back against the mattress, only to rise again to propel himself even deeper into her moist heat.
Sweat beaded on Dallas's upper brow. He strained against the tautness of his body. With one last plunge, he fell on Gillian and emptied himself inside her.
Gillian felt herself floating, skimming along a sensual haze of pleasure. Dallas's heavy breathing burned her ear as she held him in her arms.
"Wow," she whispered, kissing his rough cheek, tightening her hold on him.
Dallas turned his head and grinned sinfully. "Wow, yourself."
He eased himself away, then gathered her to him. She snuggled against his hard body and felt him drift to sleep, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm, his heart beating strongly in her ear.
As she lay in the afterglow of their lovemaking, his arms holding her close, Gillian knew without a doubt that she had lost not only her heart, but her soul to the belligerent cowboy.
CHAPTER TEN
Dallas waited with Tyler at the Lubbock airport. Any minute, Cameron's flight was due. Flipping through a magazine, he tried to ignore Tyler's teasing remarks. He had managed to ignore the taunts all day. His patience was shot and Tyler stood in imminent danger of being pounded to a pulp.
"Look, damn it," Dallas said. "I'm not telling you anything about last night. Now back off."
"Must have been something," Tyler said, whistling under his breath. "Okay, okay--I'll shut up. But before I do, just one more thing. Don't hurt her. There's something special about Gillian. I don't know exactly what it is, but I know it when I see it, and I see it in Gillian."
Dallas didn't say anything. Of course, he didn't want to hurt Gillian. Hell, he didn't want to get hurt himself.
He thought sleeping with her would get her out of his system. But now that he'd kissed her and possessed her--damn, he didn't know what to think. Yes, he did. He wanted more. Needed more. Couldn't get enough. He had never experienced anything remotely close to what had happened last night. It scared the hell out of him.
He lost count of the times they made love during the night. Then this morning, she had invited him to join her in the shower. Said she was calling in that rain check. He didn't know how they had kept from slipping and falling in the tub when the passion flared between them. Thinking about it made him want Gillian all over again.
"Hey, that's Cameron's flight being announced. Let's go." Tyler stood and stretched, then took off toward the gates.
Dallas tossed the magazine and followed. Glancing at his watch, he knew it would be close to midnight before they returned to the ranch. Too late to call Gillian. He gritted his teeth. Tomorrow would be busy and so would the next day. He didn't know when he would get the chance to see her again.
"Cameron, over here," Tyler called, spotting his brother in the crowd of passengers exiting the plane.
Cameron shouldered his way across the terminal. "Damn, that was a hell of a flight." He shook Tyler's hand, then Dallas's. "Is Jessie okay? How's the baby?"
"They're fine,
" Tyler said. "How does it feel to be a father?"
"It hasn't quite sunk in yet," he said with a grin. He slapped Dallas's shoulder. "Thanks for being there and helping Jessie. I really appreciate it."
"Yeah, well--don't ever pull a stunt like that again," Dallas said. "I can't believe you went to Hawaii of all places with Jessie so big and pregnant. You owe me big time."
"I know it." Cameron smiled. "Can you believe that I'm a daddy. I don't know the first thing about babies. What am I going to do?"
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