by Lori Foster
Nick wondered if it reminded her of her own home, the one she’d lost after her parent’s death. He watched her face and saw the sadness there. He didn’t like it.
Granddad nodded. “It is a sturdy place. But it’s getting to be too much for me. And it was made for a family, not one old man.”
“You know,” Josie said, setting her glass down with a thunk. “I don’t think you need a caregiver, I think you just need to get out more. And I have the perfect idea. Why don’t you come to this party my neighbor is having next week? She’s a wonderful friend and I have the feeling, being that you’re Nick’s grandfather, you might like her.”
Oh, hell, his grandfather would kill him. Josie was trying to play matchmaker and that was the one thing Granddad wouldn’t tolerate. Since the death of his wife, Granddad was as protective of his freedom as Nick. But to Nick’s surprise, he nodded agreement. “I’d love to. Haven’t been to a party in a long time.”
Covering his surprise with a cough, Nick watched Josie, wondering if she would invite him to the party, too. But she didn’t say a word about it and his temper started a slow boil. Damn her, did she have some reason not to want him there? Had her sister gotten to her already?
“It’s nice to have a young lady in the house again. First time, you know. For Nick to bring a woman here, I mean. ’Course, I wouldn’t care to meet most of his dates.” He leaned toward Josie, his bushy gray eyebrows bobbing. “Not at all nice, if you get my meaning.”
“Granddad.” Nick’s tone held a wealth of warning.
In a stage whisper, Granddad said, “He don’t like me telling tales on him, which makes it more fun to do so.”
If his grandfather hadn’t recently had a broken hip, Nick would have kicked him under the table.
When the evening finally wore down, his grandfather was starting to look tired. Concerned, Nick took care of putting their empty tea glasses away and preparing his grandfather’s bed in the room downstairs. He used to sleep upstairs, Jeb explained to Josie, before the hip accident. Now he did almost everything on the lower floors while the upstairs merely got cleaned once a week by the housekeeper.
“It’s a waste of a good house, is what it is. I really ought to sell.”
When Josie started to object once again, Nick shook his head. “He’s always threatening that. But he won’t ever leave this place.”
By the time they walked outside, the sky had turned completely black and the air was turbulent. The storm still hovered, not quite letting go. Leaves from the large oaks lining the driveway blew up on the porch around Jeb’s feet.
Nick watched Josie hug his grandfather and he experienced that damn pain again that didn’t really hurt, but wanted to make itself known. Josie stepped a discreet distance away and Nick indulged in his own hug. He couldn’t help but chuckle when his grandfather whispered, “Prove to me what a smart lad you are, Nick, and hang on to this one.”
“She can’t hear you, Granddad. You can quit with the ‘lad’ talk.”
“I was pretty good at sounding like a grandpa, wasn’t I? I hadn’t realized I had so much talent.”
“I hadn’t realized you could be so long-winded.”
“Stop worrying, Nick. I know what I’m doing.”
Josie looked toward them, and Nick muttered, “Yeah? Well, I wish I did.”
He took Josie’s hand as he led her to the truck. The wind picked up her long hair and whipped it against his chest. “Are you tired?”
She smiled up at him. “Mmm. But not too tired.”
Her response kick started a low thrumming of excitement in his heart. With his hands on her waist, he hoisted Josie up into the truck, then leaned on the seat toward her, resting one hand beside her, the other on her thigh. “What does that mean, Josie?”
“It means we made a deal earlier, and now I expect you to pay up.”
He almost crumbled, the lust hit him so hard. It had been too long, much too long, since he’d made love to her. “It’ll be my pleasure.”
She shook her head and her fingertips trailed over his jaw. “No, it’ll be mine. I want my fair turn, Nick. Tonight I want you to promise you won’t move. Not a single muscle, not unless I give you permission.”
He tried to laugh, but it came out sounding more like a groan. “Why, Ms. Jackson. What do you have planned?”
“I plan to make you every bit as crazy as you make me. This time I want you to be the one begging. Promise me, Nick.”
He had no intention of promising her a damn thing. He wasn’t fool enough to let a woman make demands on him. It would start with one request, and then she’d think she could run his life. He wouldn’t let that happen.
Josie smiled a slow sinful smile, smoothed her hand down over his chest. “Promise me, Nick.”
“All right, I promise.”
8
“STAND RIGHT THERE.”
Josie surveyed her handiwork and felt immense satisfaction at the picture Nick made. She’d stripped his shirt from his shoulders, unsnapped his jeans. He was almost too appealing to resist. Kneeling in front of him, she’d taken turns tugging his shoes and socks off. He even had beautiful feet. Strong, narrow. Right now those feet were braced apart while his hands clutched, as per her order, the shelving high above the berth where she sat. Her face was on a level with his tight abdomen and she could see the way he labored for breath.
She liked this game—she liked it very much.
Nick hadn’t said much once he’d agreed to her terms. The storm had broken shortly after they gained the main road, lightning splitting the sky with great bursts of light, the heavy darkness pressing in on them. They’d ridden to the boat in virtual silence, other than the rumble of thunder and her humming, which she hadn’t been able to stop. She put it down to a nervous reaction in the face of her plan. Nick’s hands had repeatedly clenched the steering wheel, but he hadn’t backed out, hadn’t asked her about her plans. At one point he’d lowered his window a bit and let the rain breeze in on him. She appreciated his restraint, though now she hoped to help him lose it.
He stared down at her, his expression dark, his hair still damp from their mad dash to the boat through the rain. For a moment, Josie wondered once again why he’d taken her to see his grandfather. He’d even suggested Jeb hire her, but she couldn’t go along with that idea. If she got entangled with the one person Nick was closest to, it would make it so difficult to bear when their affair was over. She needed to keep an emotional arm’s length, but with every minute that passed, that became harder to do.
Determined on her course, she blew lightly on his belly and watched his muscles tighten and strain.
“I feel I have to get this right, you know.” She stroked the hard muscles of his abdomen. “I don’t want to disappoint you, or myself.”
He made a rough sound, but otherwise he simply watched her as if daring her to continue. She smiled inside, more than ready to take up the challenge. She wanted to get everything she could from her time with him.
Using just the edge of one fingernail, she traced the length of his erection and heard him suck in a breath. Speaking in a mere whisper, she said, “You look uncomfortable, Nick. I suppose I should unzip you. But first, I want to make myself more comfortable, too.”
Leaning back on the berth to make certain he could see her, she watched his face while she hooked her fingers in the top of her dress and tugged it below her breasts, slowly, so that the material rasped over her nipples and tightened them. She inhaled sharply, feeling her own blush but ignoring it. “That’s better.”
Nick’s biceps bulged, his chest rose and fell. She cupped her breasts, offering them up, being more daring now that she could see how difficult control had become for him. She stroked her palms over her nipples and heard his soft hiss of approval.
“And back at the apartment, didn’t you mention something about wanting me to lift my dress?” She flipped back the edges of the flowered skirt until her panties could be seen. “Is this what you had in mind?”
Nick’s cheekbones were slashed with aroused color, and his eyes were so dark they looked almost black. The boat rocked and jerked with the storm, but he held his balance above her and smiled. “You’re so hot.”
“Hmm. Let’s see if we can get you in a similar state.” She eased the zipper down on his jeans and reveled in his low grunt of relief. “Better? You looked so…constrained.”
His penis was fully erect and the very tip was visible from the waistband of his underwear. Enthralled, Josie ran a delicate fingertip over it and saw Nick jerk back in response, muttering a low curse.
She peered up at him, loving the sight of him, his reaction. “You didn’t like that?”
He dropped his head forward, a half laugh escaping him. His dark, damp hair hung low over his brow. “That might not be the very best place to start.” He looked at her, his face tilted to one side, and he grinned. “You’re really pushing it now, aren’t you?”
“Your control, you mean? I hope so.”
“I meant your own daring. But have at it, honey.” Though his voice sounded low and rough, his dark eyes glittered with command. “This is your show. I can hold out as long as you can.”
“I’m so glad you think so.” And with that, she leaned forward and this time it was her tongue she dragged over the tip of him, earning a dozen curses and a shuddering response from his body.
Holding himself stiff as a pike, Nick squeezed his eyes shut and breathed deeply through his nose. He seemed to have planted his legs in an effort to control the need to pull away—or push forward. Josie thought he was the most magnificent man she’d ever seen.
“Relax, Nick.” She stroked his belly, his ribs, and his trembling increased. “It’s not that I haven’t enjoyed everything you’ve done to me. We both know I have. But I want to be free to do my own explorations.”
He didn’t answer and she grinned. “I think we need to get you out of these jeans. I want to see all of you.”
He offered her no assistance as she tugged the snug jeans down his long legs. They were damp and clung to his hips and thighs. Crawling off the berth, she knelt behind him and instructed him to lift each foot as she worked the stiff material off him. That accomplished, she pressed her face to the small of his back and reached her arms around him. Using both hands, she cuddled him through the soft cotton of his shorts and discovered how nice that felt. He was soft and heavy in places, rock hard and trembling in others. She bit his back lightly, then one buttock, then the back of his thickly muscled thigh.
“You’re so rigid, Nick. Try to relax.” She couldn’t quite keep the awe from her tone, or the sound of her own growing excitement. Her hands still stroked him, up and down, manipulating his length, until he groaned, his head falling back.
She let her nipples graze his spine as she slowly stood behind him. “I love your body.”
“Josie…”
“Shh. I’m just getting started.” She moved in front of him again, but this time she didn’t sit. She insinuated herself in the narrow space between where he stood and the edge of the berth and she simply felt him. All of him. From his thick forearms to his biceps and wide shoulders, the soft tufts of hair under his arms to the banded muscles over his ribs and his erect nipples. She explored his hipbones and the smooth flesh of his taut buttocks. She pushed his underwear down and he kicked them off. “Do you remember what you did to me in my kitchen, Nick?”
“Damn it, Josie—”
“Shh. You said it was my show, remember?” She kissed one flat brown nipple, flicked it with her tongue and heard him draw in an uneven breath. “Tell me, Nick. Do you like that as much as I do?”
He narrowed his gaze on her face. “I doubt it. You nearly come just from me sucking your nipples. Not that I’m complaining. It really turns me on.” His voice was low, seductive. “I’ve never known a woman with breasts as sensitive as yours.”
Damn him, he made her want things just by saying them. Her breasts throbbed and her nipples tightened into painful points. She decided she wouldn’t ask him any more questions. She could do better if he kept quiet.
“Maybe you’re just more sensitive in other places.” And that was all she said to warn of her intent.
She kissed his throat, breathing in his sexy male scent. “I love how you smell, Nick. It makes me almost light-headed. And it makes me want you, makes me feel swollen inside.” Her mouth trailed down, over his ribs to his navel. She heard him swallow as she toyed with that part of him, dipping in her tongue while her hands caressed his hard backside, keeping him from moving away.
“Brace your legs farther apart.”
He laughed, the sound strained. “You’ve got a bit of the tormentor in you, don’t you, honey? It’s kinky. I had no idea.”
“Be quiet.” But she blushed, just as he knew she would. She sat on the berth again, opening her legs around his, assuming a position she knew that would drive him wild. “I only want to try some of the things you’ve done to me. Why should you always be the one in control?”
“Because I’m the man,” he said on a groan as she fondled him again, exploring, fascinated by the smooth feel of him, the velvety skin over hard-as-steel flesh.
“You certainly are. Do you like this, Nick?”
“Yes,” he hissed.
She brushed her bare breasts against him. “And this?”
“Josie, honey…”
“And this?” Josie slid her mouth over him, taking him as deep as she could and his hips jackknifed against her as a deep growl tore from his throat. She loved his reaction, the way he continued to groan, to shudder and tremble and curse while she did her best to drive him insane. She’d had no idea it could be so exciting to pleasure another person in such a way. Before Nick, the thought of doing such a thing not only seemed incredible, but unpleasant.
With Nick, she felt as if she couldn’t get enough—and she made sure he knew it.
His breathing labored, he rasped out rough instructions, unable to remain still. He strained toward her, hard and poised on some secret male edge of control. Josie had never felt so triumphant in all her life, so confident of herself as a woman. She drew him deeper still, using her tongue to stroke, to tease. She made a small humming sound of pleasure when he broke the rules and released the shelf to cup her head in his hands and guide her.
But seconds later he stumbled away from her. Josie tried to protest, to reach for him, but Nick wouldn’t give her a chance. He toppled her backward on the berth, tore her panties off and shoved her dress out of the way. He lifted her legs high to his shoulders, startling her, frightening her just a bit. His mouth clamped onto her breast at the same time he drove into her, hard, slamming them both backward on the berth. He went so deep, Josie felt alarmed by the hot pressure, then excited. She cried out and wrapped her arms around him, already so aroused by his reactions, she took him easily, willingly. Within moments, she felt the sweet internal tightening, the throbbing of hidden places as they seemed to swell and explode with sensations. It went on and on, too powerful, too much. She bit Nick’s shoulder, muffling her shocked scream of pleasure against his skin.
He collapsed on top of her, still heaving, gasping, his body heavy but comforting.
They both labored for breath, their skin sweaty and too hot.
“Josie.”
He forced himself up, swallowing hard, and smoothed her wildly tangled hair from her face with trembling hands. “Josie, honey, are you all right?”
She didn’t want to look at him, didn’t want to move. It was all she could do to stay conscious with the delicious aftershocks of her release still making her body buzz.
“Josie.” He kissed her mouth, her eyelids, the bridge of her nose. Carefully he lowered her thighs, but remained between them, still inside her. “Look at me, honey.”
She managed to get one eye halfway open, but the effort was too much and she closed it again. Seeing him, the color still high on his cheekbones, his silky dark hair hanging over his brow, his temples damp
and his mouth swollen, made her shudder with new feelings, and she couldn’t, simply couldn’t survive that kind of pleasure again so soon.
Nick managed a shaky laugh and kissed her on the mouth, a soft, mushy kiss that blossomed and went on until it dwindled into incredible tenderness, to concern and caring. He rolled, groaning as he did so, putting her on top.
“You’re a naughty woman, Josie Jackson.”
She smiled, kissed his shoulder and sighed.
“I didn’t wear a condom.”
Her eyes opened wide and she stared at the far wall, her cheek still pressed to his damp chest. His heartbeat hadn’t slowed completely yet, and she felt the reverberations of it.
“I’m sorry, honey. No excuse except that I went a little nuts and it was a first for me. Going nuts, that is.”
No condom. Oh God. She hadn’t even thought of that in the scheme of her seduction. Her body felt lethargic, a little numb, and she mumbled, “My fault,” more than willing to put the blame where it rightfully belonged. She had been in control this time, had manipulated the whole situation, and she was the one with no excuses.
Nick’s arms tightened around her and he nuzzled his jaw into her hair. “We’ll argue it out in the morning. Odds are, there won’t be a problem. Not just that once.”
She snuggled closer to him, her mind a whirlwind of worries, the major one being how she could ever let him go. For her, a baby wouldn’t be a problem. It would be a gift of wonder, a treasure, a part of Nick. But she knew how wrong it would be and she couldn’t help but shudder with realization. She’d set out to prove, to herself and to him, that their affair could remain strictly physical and she’d be satisfied. Instead, she’d proven something altogether different.
Damn but she’d done the dumbest thing. She’d fallen in love with Nick Harris, lady-killer, womanizer extraordinaire. Confirmed bachelor. Nick would probably never want a permanent relationship. And he might even see her forgetfulness with the condom as a deliberate ploy to snare him. So far, their time together had been spent on her wants, her needs, her demands. She’d gone on ordering him to show her a good time, on her schedule, without real thought to what he might want. But she knew; he wanted no ties, no commitments, a brief fling. She swallowed hard, feeling almost sick.