Rules of Engagement

by Bruce, Ann

  “Care to explain?” he asked when his heart no longer threatened to beat right through his ribcage.

  “What’s there to explain?” she asked, still a little breathless. “I was a virgin.”

  “You should’ve told me. It might’ve been a little easier for you.”

  She attempted a laugh, but she didn’t have enough air in her lungs. “I’m fine,” she reassured him. “In fact, I’m feeling pretty damned good right now.”

  Contentment and something else, something more intense, moved through him. He felt pretty damned good himself. Jake couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt like this, if ever.

  “How are you still a virgin?”

  She blew out a breath. “I have three older brothers. All big. All very intimidating. Their missions in life are to make mine miserable.”

  She sat up and tugged on her hand, which he reluctantly released. He looked at her, both brows lifted in question. She flushed. “I, uh, I have to clean up,” she explained awkwardly, sliding her legs over the side of the bed.

  He sat up abruptly, struck by the realization that he hadn’t used protection. “Shit!”

  She glanced at him over her shoulder, one brow cocked inquiringly.

  He raked his fingers through his sweat-dampened hair. “I have a clean bill of health. My last physical was six months ago. I swear I’ve never had sex without a condom until you.”

  Her throat muscles moved as she swallowed and, despite his panicked realization, Jake wanted to press his mouth to her neck so he could feel the play of muscles. She must’ve read his sudden urge because she went even redder. “And I’m on the Pill. I take it to regulate my cycle,” she explained hastily.

  She stood up and clutched the bedpost with both hands when her legs wobbled. Jake was instantly on his feet and scooped her up against his chest. Her arms went around his neck. “Thank you,” she whispered into his throat.

  He made his way to the bathroom, nudged open the door with his foot, set her on her feet in the soaker bathtub, letting her lean against the cool, white tiles, and joined her.

  Her eyes widened. “What are you doing?”

  “Making sure you don’t fall down and hit your head,” he said, whipping the white, almost sheer shower curtain across the shower rod, enclosing them in a private world that seemed more intimate than the bedroom. He twisted the taps, tested the temperature and pulled the lever to divert the water to the showerhead. “Besides, you can’t wash your own back.”

  And, with a soapy body puff, he proceeded to wash her back and every other part of her body, ending up on his knees before her as the hot water beat down on them and filled the small room with curling steam. He let the body puff fall from his hands and ran his palms up the inside of sleek, toned thighs. They quivered at his caress. Fingers clutched at his head.

  With his thumbs, he parted her trimmed nether curls and her plump labial lips. She was soft and slick, and he couldn’t resist a lick. A moan sounded above him and the fingers in his hair flexed. He licked her again, a broad stroke from her vagina to the tiny bundle of nerves he now teased with tongue and teeth. She gave a tiny thrust of her pelvis at him and he smiled against her flesh.

  He returned to her vagina. She was more open now, and her own clear juices helped her easily accept three of his fingers. He lapped at her, all the while twisting and pumping his fingers inside her heated channel until she gasped out incoherent pleas. She tugged on his hair. He stood up and flattened her body against the hard, wet tiles, her breasts crushed against his chest, her taut middle cushioning his cock. And, for the first time, his mouth was on hers, kissing her voraciously, as if he wanted to devour her, absorb her into him. It was their first kiss and his greedy tongue left no part of her mouth unexplored.

  Katarzyna’s fingers clutched at his shoulders, raked down his back and found his tight buttocks. Her fingers dug into his muscles and pulled him closer.

  He tore his mouth from hers. “You can’t, babe. Not yet. I’ll only hurt you.”

  She was shaking her head. “I don’t care,” she whispered. She rose on her tiptoes, rubbing herself against him and making him groan. “Please.”

  “Oh fuck.” He squeezed his own hands between the wall and her ass and kneaded. She wrapped one leg around his hip. He wanted to lift her up and impale her on his throbbing, aching shaft, but he couldn’t. He’d already hurt her once tonight and he didn’t want to do it again, no matter how much she begged.

  His kissed her again, hard, and, against her lips, muttered, “I’ll take care of you.”

  Jake dropped to his knees once more, bracketed her hips and sealed his lips over her sex. He kissed her pussy like he was kissing her mouth, his tongue wild and his lips hard. He licked and nibbled, then, finally, thrust his tongue inside her vagina. Repeatedly.

  He was lost in the taste of her, nearly mindless as he ate her. Dimly, he was aware of her sobbing as she pumped against his face, her hands again fisted in his hair. Then her entire body went rigid with her climax and her juices gushed against his mouth, and still he kept going, relentlessly bringing her to another hard peak. This time she slid down the tiles and fell into his arms, crying and shaking.

  The water raining down on their kneeling figures was no longer hot. However, Jake didn’t care and neither did Katarzyna. Her face was buried in his neck as he supported her warm, languid body. In contrast, his entire body felt as hard as a marble statue, especially his cock.

  Katarzyna lifted her head and whispered in his ear, “Tell me if I do this right.” Then a small, soft hand wrapped around that hardest part of him and the top of his head damn near came off.

  Her touch was tentative at first, only brushing over him. She traveled the length of him, from tip to base and back. The swollen head was treated to the soft center of her palm, and Jake’s arms crushed her to him as he sought her mouth with his. His knees beginning to hurt, he rose to his feet and took her with him, his mouth not letting hers go.

  She kept hold of his penis in her slim hand the entire time. On her feet, she leaned back against the tiles, using both hands to encircle him now as she caressed him in long, tight strokes. But it wasn’t tight enough. Jake braced one forearm beside her head, widened his stance and covered one slender hand wrapped around his penis. He squeezed, showing her how tight he wanted her grasp.

  He lifted his mouth away from hers just far enough to speak. “Cup my balls,” he instructed hoarsely. She did as he ordered, cradling the testicles drawn tight against his body in one hand. His cock twitched in her hand and he gasped against her lips. “Squeeze. That’s it, baby. Harder.” He made a strangled sound and whispered thickly, “Fuck, I want to be in your mouth.”

  She started to go down and he bit the rim of her ear, skirting the edge of pain, stopping her. “No, not now.”

  He guided her hand in a faster rhythm up and down his nearly searing column of flesh, feeling full to bursting, breathing words of encouragement and guidance in her ear while he still could. Then, his chest heaving with the force of his breaths, he mated his mouth with hers until the tension centered in his groin exploded and he came, body shuddering, hot semen spurting over their joined hands.

  Chapter Three

  Katarzyna shivered as she pulled on Jake’s T-shirt and athletic shorts. The water was cold by the time they’d dragged their waterlogged bodies from the bathtub. She pulled out the excess length of drawstring in the waistband and knotted it so the nylon shorts clung to the span of her hips. The loaned clothes were massive on her, but they were only temporary until she and Jake retrieved her vehicle and the suitcase in the cargo area. Forgoing socks, she pulled on her sneakers and finger-combed her damp hair.

  As prettied up as she was going to be without her makeup case, she turned to the bed—and went hot all over at the evidence of her loss of virginity smeared on the starkly white sheets. She stripped the bed and heaped the sheets in a pile in a corner, hoping the cabin had a washing machine tucked away somewhere.

&nbs
p; “Ready?”

  Katarzyna spun around. Jake was standing framed in the doorway, dressed in fresh clothes, hooded eyes gleaming, midnight hair mussed. The glove-soft denims hung low on his hips and the black T-shirt lovingly hugged his leanly muscled upper body and arms. Sexy, a voice in her head whispered suggestively, making her very aware of her nakedness under the borrowed shorts. Katarzyna inhaled a lungful of air through her nose and held it for a long moment. She desperately wanted to feel him deep inside her again but, like he said, she couldn’t yet. Her body, sore in places she’d never been sore before, needed time to heal.

  Its reprieve would be over at sundown.

  With effort, she reined in her wayward thoughts. “Yes, I’m ready to go, Mr. Duquesne.”

  “Jake,” he corrected, his voice muffled since he was in the process of pulling on a gray sweatshirt.

  “Hmm?” Katarzyna hoped she didn’t betray her disappointment as the sweatshirt settled over his torso.

  “After everything, I think we can drop the formality. I sure as hell won’t be calling you ‘Miss Delaney’.”

  “Katarzyna it is.” She wrinkled her nose. “Or Kathy, if you find it easier.”

  “I prefer Katarzyna,” Jake said, coming toward her, moving with the almost hypnotic fluidity of a jungle cat. He twined a lock of hair around his finger and tugged. “Kathy sounds too insignificant.”

  “You and Ella. Outside of my family, very few people can say my name properly.”

  “Ella and I both have an ear for languages.” He tucked that lock of hair behind her ear then grabbed her upper arm and led her from the room. From the doorway, he started the Toyota 4Runner—which sat in front of the cabin, covered in a respectable layer of dust—with a remote on his keychain before hustling her inside. The interior of the SUV proclaimed that the vehicle was used for a hell of a lot more than city driving. Water bottles, a day pack, climbing gear and worn hiking boots littered the floor and backseat.

  With dawn still a couple hours away, the mountain air was nippy and Katarzyna couldn’t suppress a shiver as she studied the inside of the 4Runner.

  “Are you on vacation?” she asked when he was settled in the driver’s seat.

  “You could say that,” he said. He twisted around and reached for something from the back. He tossed a windbreaker onto her lap. “Put that on before you turn blue.”

  She pulled the garment around her, hugging it tight to her body, trying not to be too noticeable as she inhaled his lingering scent. Her legs were still covered in goose bumps, but at least she’d stopped shivering. He steered the 4Runner onto the narrow road that wound through the mountain, the high beams illuminating the road a good distance in front of them and, within mere minutes, her sporty Honda CR-V. Jake drew alongside the blue vehicle and killed the engine.

  “Those cutesy vehicles aren’t made for off-roading,” he remarked.

  “I know,” Katarzyna easily admitted. “But I don’t go anywhere where the road isn’t paved.”

  He looked at her, then shook his head and exited the 4Runner. It took him a few minutes to siphon gas from his vehicle’s gas tank to hers. He tested her car before letting her get behind the wheel then she followed him back to the cabin. The drive wasn’t long enough for her to mull over anything more significant than the fact that she felt wide awake. More alive, even. Maybe it was the mountain air. Ella had said it would do wonders for her. Katarzyna mentally snorted. At a minimum, she should be honest with herself. It was the mountain air and recent shower and sex and the anticipation of being with Jake Duquesne again.

  She just had to remember to keep things between them physical. Once, after one too many Black Russians, Ella had mentioned her cousin, and the fact that Jake’s lifestyle didn’t allow for lasting attachments. Which was perfect for her. Obviously with three failed engagements, she and lasting attachments didn’t go together either.

  Jake waited at the front door for her. When she popped open the tailgate of the CR-V, he came over and hefted the suitcase inside for her. Her stomach grumbled as she walked by him, so after stashing the suitcase in the bedroom they ended up in the surprisingly well-appointed and well-stocked kitchen. It was close enough to sunrise that he prepared eggs scrambled with bits of green onion and ham, as well as crispy bacon and whole-wheat toast. She set the tiny round table that seated four and poured the orange juice. Neither of them needed caffeine to stay awake.

  “Talk,” he said when she had finished the last bite of toast sparingly smeared with blueberry jam. “Why did Ella send you here?”

  “Same reason as you. Vacation.”

  He looked doubtful. “She mentioned you want to cut yourself off from civilization and that you’ve sworn off relationships with men or some such nonsense.”

  It was Katarzyna’s turn to look doubtful. She’d bet that Jake Duquesne could recite his conversation with his cousin word for word if need be.

  He lifted a brow. Katarzyna lifted a shoulder in a shrug. When his expression didn’t alter, she took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I’m supposed to be on my honeymoon right now. I was jilted.”

  “Is he deaf, dumb and blind?”

  Her spirits lifted a bit, then she replied, “No, Marcus is gay, but he was in denial for a long time.” Her lips pursed. “A long, long time. He came out of the closet—and promptly ran off with the best man on the morning of the wedding. That would’ve been two days ago.”

  “Ouch.”

  “I should’ve known it wasn’t going to work out when I tried to seduce him and he nearly jumped out the window to get away from me. But I just thought my brothers had gotten to him too well.”

  A corner of his lips twitched and she narrowed her gaze warningly. After a moment, she sighed. “I suppose in time I’ll find it amusing too.” Then she added dryly, “Like another decade or so. That’s how long it’ll take the cops I work with to run out of jokes.”

  “One error in judgment and you’ve sworn off men.”

  She could feel the heat crawling up her cheeks. “Make that three errors in judgment.”

  “What?” He didn’t look so amused anymore.

  She shrugged again. “I was nineteen when I first got engaged to my high school sweetheart. A week before the wedding, Ryan decided he was too young to settle down, so he took off on a walkabout with an Australian girl he met while he and his buddies were in Fort Lauderdale during spring break. My brothers never liked him, but I thought that was in his favor.

  “Fast forward three years. An ambitious lawyer with the District Attorney’s office. I thought Brody was perfect for me. We shared the same interests and he didn’t mind my hectic schedule because he was just as busy.” Her lips twisted wryly. “He was apparently so busy that he didn’t get to attend his own stag party. One of my bridesmaids decided to show him what he missed out on just before the ceremony.” Her nose wrinkled. “My brothers didn’t like him either.”

  “Did they like the last one?”

  “Yes.” She hesitated. “Well, they didn’t actively dislike him. They just never…warmed up to him.”

  “Good instincts.”

  “I’ll never admit that to their faces,” she vowed, then frowned. “But they haven’t liked any guy I’ve dated, so it’s probably not good instincts so much as them being difficult.”

  “That doesn’t mean you don’t have lousy taste in men.” His eyes gleamed with arrogance. “Or, you did have lousy taste in men.”

  “That being the case, I decided playing the role of a good Catholic girl’s gotten me nowhere.”

  A beat of silence as those gray eyes that were so much like his cousin’s glinted dangerously. “And I’m just an available stud.”

  Katarzyna wondered if she was as red as a tomato yet. It was the curse of being a natural redhead. “I…uh…hadn’t actually planned on…” It wasn’t natural for a woman to be so tongue-tied with a man who knew her as intimately as Jake Duquesne did. Especially not a woman used to the ribald humor at which cops excelled.
She cleared her throat. “I was planning more of a solo effort.”

  Silver gray irises went molten and Katarzyna’s temperature spiked, her center going creamy. She swallowed a mouthful of orange juice with some difficulty. “But since you are here and we seem to be…sexually compatible, perhaps we can continue…” Her voice trailed off and she was glad a third party wasn’t around to witness her mortifyingly inexperienced attempt to proposition a man.

  When he just continued to gaze at her wordlessly, Katarzyna rushed on, cringing on the inside. “It’s just for two weeks. I’m not expecting a lifetime commitment from you.” She pushed her empty plate away from her. “More like a honeymoon without the ‘’til death do us part’ stuff.”

  “A fling.”

  “Right,” she said, relieved that he’d broken his unnerving silence. “No ties, no promises, no hurt feelings when it ends. In fourteen days—thirteen, now—I leave and you get your solitude back.”