by Vanessa Hart
"Sounds like you two were close." Her heart ached at the bleakness in his eyes.
"We were. She taught me to cook." He smiled, shaking his head. "She said she didn't want me to starve to death before I finally got around to marrying."
Leslie didn't know how to respond. She sensed both his mother and marriage were tender topics at the moment. When a new song started, she asked, "Was your mother a Gershwin fan?"
"Hardly. Mom liked Buddy Holly, Ricky Nelson, and the Everly Brothers. I'm the Gershwin fan in the family. I like big band and swing music, too."
She drank the last of her wine. "Changing the subject, this wine is delicious. I'm usually a Chardonnay drinker."
"Have some more." He tipped the bottle into her plastic wine glass. "This is my favorite."
She didn't tell him she usually drank only one glass the rare times she had wine. This was number three. The pleasing warmth spread through her body as she downed a large swallow. "No more after this glass, no matter how cruelly I beg."
"No more. I don't push alcoholic beverages."
She grinned. "You aren't trying to ply me with drink?"
A frown clouded Gray's face. "No."
"I'm teasing. I didn't mean..."
"I promised you I'd wait till you're ready, Leslie. I won't take advantage of you."
"Why not?" She sounded sloppy to her own ears. Was she sloshed on only three glasses of wine? "Hey. I'm joking."
Relief flickered in his eyes, followed by wariness. "So who taught you to cook, Leslie?"
Chortling, she shook her head. "I'm a back-of-the-box cook. I'll use any kind of 'helper' or frozen entree on the market."
Gray drained his wine glass without breaking eye contact. His sapphire eyes kindled a flame deep inside her. When his gaze dropped to her lips, she nearly moaned aloud. I'd love to taste you all night, he'd said. She couldn't shake the image from her mind.
"I like your cooking." His rich baritone did little to break the spell.
Too much wine, Les. "Um, thank you."
"So how's the new book coming along?"
Book? What book? She blinked. "Oh, Peter, Peter, Bullet Eater? I have it plotted out now. There's a bit of research I'll do when I get home."
"Let me clear this stuff out of our way." Gathering the paper plates, Gray stood. "I don't have dessert."
I'll be your dessert. Yikes! What was she thinking? Gray froze, then shook his head. Had she said the words aloud?
"That's the wine talking, Leslie."
"You said you'd love to taste me all night." Why was her mouth leaking her private musings? From the anguish on Gray's face, she guessed she'd tested his noble intentions to the limit. Maybe it was the wine, but she no longer cared. She wanted Gray, dreamed of making love with him, of loving him.
He turned away, stowing the trash in a plastic bag at the sink. "I also said I want you in my bed free of doubts and guilt."
"You're calling off the wedding. That takes care of the guilt."
He gripped the counter. His back tensed as he exhaled a pent-up breath. "And the doubts?"
Doubts. Ah, that was a tough one, she had to admit. "Oh, Gray, there'll always be doubts. There are no guarantees in life."
Folding his arms across his chest, he pivoted toward her. "I need your trust."
"Trust?" She licked her lip, an unconscious act until she caught the darkening of Gray's eyes as he followed the movement of her tongue. "I'm offering you my body. You're putting me through an interview. Do you want me or don't you?"
His voice lowered to a soft whisper. "You know I do, but I don't want you to have regrets. I want you to trust me not to hurt you."
God help her, she wanted to. After Josh, trust didn't come easily for Leslie. "I haven't known you long enough to know if you'll hurt me."
"How long had you known Josh?"
"Point taken." She sighed. Years hadn't prepared her for Josh's defection. "Can we just go with our feelings without worrying about the future?"
"No." His fierce gaze exposed his emotions. He offered her his vulnerability. His trust. He reached for her, pulling her from the bench seat and into his arms. "I want you in my bed and in my life."
"You drive a hard bargain." She sighed. "But what if this turns out to be just a strong case of lust that you need to get out of your system?"
"No. I'm not some horny teenager who thinks with his pecker. I want you to trust my feelings, too."
Her arms snaked around his neck. "I can't..."
"Shh. I'm not rushing you." He pulled her tight against his body, his breath hot against her ear. "I won't push for promises. Just know that you mean more to me than a romp in the sack."
"You, too."
Gray's hands lowered until he cupped her hips. He pulled her against his hard penis. "Feel what you do to me?"
She widened her stance, twisting her body until it made intimate contact with his. Raw need exploded at her pelvis, despite the layers of clothing that separated their flesh. Turning her face to touch his lips, she teased his mouth with a feathery brush of a kiss.
He covered her mouth, at first a gentle press of his lips. A low moan rumbled from somewhere deep in his throat. His tongue invaded, possessed, then mated with hers in an erotic coupling.
She surrendered to his mouth, his hands as they lay claim to her. A searing trail of kisses at her neckline teased her nipples to stand at attention. Gray's talented fingers found their way beneath the hem of her sweatshirt, over her ribs, inching nearer to her hardened peaks.
"Hmm. You aren't wearing a bra."
"I usually don't if I'm not going out."
"I'll remember that." His hands zeroed in on her breasts, his thumbs circled both sensitized points.
"Take me to bed, Gray."
His mouth claimed hers again, tasting faintly of wine and garlic. "You're sure?"
She nodded. Oh, yeah. She'd never been surer. If only her mouth would work to tell him her needs, her wants. She was a writer. Surely she could find the right words. She rubbed her hands over his wide shoulders, down his muscled arms, then pulled him toward the bedroom.
Words failed her, but actions would prevail. She'd show Gray, prove to him he'd touched her as no other man could. Tugging at each other's clothes, they scattered a trail of sweats, T-shirt and jeans leading to the small bedroom. Gray pulled her to the bed.
She gasped in appreciation at his glorious male body and his oh-so-obvious state of arousal. Running her fingers through the thick mat of dark hair covering his chest, she traced a path lower, where the tight ab muscles rippled from her touch.
He stilled her hand. "Easy, baby. I want us to take our time. I want this to be special."
"Next time we can go slow," she murmured. "Now I want to taste you."
"Hey, that's my line." His breathing grew ragged as she licked and tasted the hollow of his throat, the dark nipples, then lower. "Leslie? Uh, if you do any more tasting, I won't la..."
She feasted, circling the tip of his erection with her tongue, mingling her saliva with his own bead of fluid. Never had she exercised such boldness with a man. Never had she wanted to. Until now.
Until Gray.
Her body vibrated and tightened, building in arousal to match his. She took him in her mouth, continuing her pleasurable banquet. He arched his body, groaning, and shoved her away long enough to sheathe himself with protection.
"Now!" she cried, opening for him.
He squeezed his eyes shut, fighting for control, trying not to rush his pleasure before hers. She admired his heroics, but they weren't necessary. Not this time. She was so close to coming that her body screamed for release. Never had her senses been so heightened, so stimulated.
"Oh, baby." His breathing labored. "I want you so much."
He plunged inside her, taking her, branding her as his. Together they found their rhythm, rocking each other into a sensual frenzy. Their mouths moved in tandem with their bodies, mating and plundering until their nerve endings threatened to shor
t circuit.
His penis filled her, then seemed to swell, thickening, deliciously burning the tender membranes deep inside her. She kissed and kissed Gray, unable to drink in enough of him. Her hands caressed every inch of his body within her reach. No doubt about it, the guy stayed in shape. She wanted to memorize every detail, but then her brain shut down.
Gray's hands busied themselves at her nipples, stimulating them until she believed he could make her come from nothing more than his touch at her breasts. She squeezed her eyes shut as her arousal rocketed. Sensations mounted, pressuring both deep inside and at her clitoris, building, building...
Leslie stiffened, then exploded into ripples of vibration. A kaleidoscope of colors burst behind her eyelids. Gray followed, tensing, then crying out her name. His climax rode the last waves of hers.
Fast, frantic, they'd coupled like there was no tomorrow. Now they lay in each other's arms, savoring the afterglow of newfound intimacy, as if they had all the time in the world.
"Unbelievable," Gray murmured before kissing her again.
"Unprecedented."
"I'll say."
As her breathing returned to normal, Leslie relished in the aftershocks of pleasure. Tasting him had mushroomed into a sexual smorgasbord. The best sex of her life, she couldn't imagine any better.
Until Gray took his turn tasting her.
Chapter Ten
Gray gazed into Leslie's smiling face, thanking God he'd spent the extra dough to buy a motorhome with a queen island bed. He'd barely had time to dispose of the condom and clean up before hardening again. He'd once read that, starting in their twenties, men's sex drives slow down. If so, his brain hadn't gotten the message. He hadn't been this horny since eleventh grade.
He'd never get enough of Leslie Turner. Her eyes nearly closed, she returned his gaze through the fringe of her thick lashes. Her lips swollen from their kissing marathon begged to be kissed again. And her dimple..
"You know what I've wanted to do since the moment we met?"
"What?" she asked.
"This." He lowered his mouth to her cheek. "But you have to keep smiling." He slid his tongue into her dimple for a taste.
She giggled. "French kiss my dimple?"
"Among other things." He moved to her ear, then tongued it. "Like your ear."
"Hmm. What else?"
"Let me show you."
He licked his way down her neck to the hollow at her throat, rewarded by her tiny gasps and quickened pulse. Drawing one nipple into his mouth, he suckled and licked until she squirmed and arched her body. He turned his attention to its erect twin. God, she had nice tits. Firm, round, but not big. Perfect little cones, just waiting for his touch. His mouth.
"Gray, pleeeeeeeeze."
"Please, what?"
"I think I'm going to come, just from..."
"This?" he asked, licking tiny sensuous circles around one stiffened peak while imitating the movement on the other nipple with his thumb.
"Oh, yes. Yes!" Her face contorted into a portrait of a woman on the brink, her mouth stretched taut, her eyes squeezed shut. Neck muscles tensed, she arched her rigid body. Bucking into his thigh, she cried out her pleasure.
While she recovered from the first wave of orgasm, he kissed and licked his way to her navel, slipping his tongue inside. She wiggled against the sheets and slid her fingers through his hair.
His tongue's path reached the dark thatch of pubic hair. He longed to taste her, to delve his tongue into her depths. But first, he wanted to make her come again, to taste her wet and hot.
He crawled to the foot of the bed, despite her protests.
"I can't touch you. You're too far away."
"Not for long, sweetheart. Patience."
He spread her legs wide, then scooted between them. His mouth on her clit, he slid two fingers into her vagina. As quickly as she'd come earlier, he knew he needed little time. As he probed her moist heat with his fingers, his tongue found its target, the tiny nub of her clitoris. She flew apart, rocking against his mouth, milking his fingers with the spasms of her climax. He slid his fingers in and out, lubricating them with her juices.
"Gray, please, I need you inside me."
"I need inside you, too." He covered her pussy with his mouth, licking and probing with his tongue as far inside her as he could reach. The musky taste of her climax excited him to the point that he, too, needed more. Now.
No, not yet. He retreated from the juncture of her legs. His mouth continued its journey down her body, licking first one thigh, then the other. He kissed the backs of her knees, the curves of her calves, then licked his way to the insteps of her feet. She squirmed and giggled.
"Ticklish?"
"Um, yes."
He drew her little toe into his mouth and sucked. He'd fantasized doing this since removing that fish hook this morning. Her foot smelled of baby powder, much like the rest of her. No fancy perfume for Leslie. The cloying scent of Myra's cologne overpowered him, almost choking him at times. But Myra quickly faded from his mind as he licked his way around Leslie's body.
He'd never done anything like this before and wondered why. With Leslie, he wanted to explore and taste and sample every inch of her. He'd never tire of her passionate responses as she reveled in his touch.
He'd never tire of watching her.
She lay there, writhing with need, flushed with orgasm, and vulnerable. The trust with which she opened herself to him shook him. He knew her trust wasn't easily won. He intended to guard it with care, to never give her a reason to regret the precious gift she offered.
He grabbed for the box of condoms, strewing them across the bed as he ripped open one packet. If he didn't get the damn rubber on soon, he feared he'd spill all over Leslie and the bedding. His hands trembled as he sheathed himself.
"Now, please, Gray!"
"Oh, yes, baby. Now."
He plunged into her in one swift stroke. Her slick, wet canal swallowed his cock right up to the hilt, caressing it with her warmth. He withdrew, then drove himself in, farther this time, then again. And again.
She cried out, clutching his shoulders, digging in her nails.
"That's it, sweetheart. We'll come together."
He exploded, filling the condom. To his chagrin, the primal grunting and groaning noises came from him. He collapsed atop Leslie, feeling as if he'd dissolved into a helpless puddle. He'd lost his voice, his energy, his control.
His heart.
* * * *
Leslie awakened and squinted at the digital clock on Gray's bedside cabinet. She'd fallen asleep in her contacts again, but only for about thirty minutes. Exhaustion weakened her, but euphoria buoyed her. She'd never had a man make love to her so completely, so selflessly, so thoroughly. Certainly never Josh Irvin.
Nor had she given herself with total abandon the way she had tonight. She'd exposed herself--in more ways than one--to Gray. He hadn't disappointed her. His tenderness and ardor were a potent combination.
She turned to face him. He'd fallen asleep, too, his limbs entangled with hers. A cold wet spot between her legs warned her that his penis had escaped its condom. What the hell, it was his bed.
"Hi, sleeping beauty." He opened one eye and grinned.
"Hi, yourself." She wiggled free. "I need to clean up."
He grimaced. "Yeah. Me, too. I think I'm glued to the sheets."
They took turns in the tiny bathroom. While Gray washed up, Leslie shook out her sweats and dressed. Her thigh muscles were tender from too many orgasms. She grinned at that thought. Sex may be the death of her, but what a way to go.
He emerged from the bathroom wearing a beach towel wrapped around his waist. "Sounds like the rain has let up. Want to go to the lake?"
"It's too dark to fish."
"No fishing. Just a walk through mud and pine needles, with the wet branches sprinkling us and the mosquitoes feasting on our blood."
"Sounds oh-so-romantic. Grab the repellent while I'll put on my boots."
* * * *
Gray watched Leslie slip and slide her way down the trail to Lake Helen. She was a good sport, he'd hand her that. She was a good lay, too. What was he thinking? Not just a good lay. She was perfection, the quintessential love goddess. Fate had been kind to bring them together before he'd made the mistake of marrying Myra. Thankfully, he still had time and opportunity to change course.
Although he'd suggested a walk, Gray had palmed one of the foil packets when he'd tidied up the strewn condoms. If he had his way, he'd have Leslie again, this time under the stars. Or the clouds. Whatever. His jeans dug into the tender area of his genitals. God help him, he had another erection. How could that be, and so soon?
He caught up with Leslie at the wooden dock. She doused the Mag-lite. "It's pitch black out here."
"Scared?" He encircled her waist with his arms.
She leaned into him. "Only of snakes."
"I hope I'm not included in that epithet."
"You aren't." She chuckled, leaning back into his chest. "Yet."
He kissed her neck beneath her ear. "You aren't going to believe this."
"What?" She ground her back into his stiff cock. "That you're aroused again?"
"It's kind of hard to hide."
"It's kind of hard." She ground against him again. "I don't suppose you brought protection."
"I don't suppose you'd be willing this soon..." He kissed her neck again. "But I brought a condom, on the off chance you would be."
She spun in his arms to face him. "I don't understand this, Gray. I've never been so ... so easily aroused before. I get turned on with just a touch or even a look. Have you cast a spell over me or something?"
"I'm under your spell, sweetheart." He brushed her lips with a light kiss. "As you said, it's unprecedented. I've never had so many hard-ons in one night, at least not that I remember. I want to take you right here, right now, on the dock, in the water, or the mud."
"Mud? I like it when you talk dirty." She kissed him hard. "I vote for the dock."