He shifted her until she was straddling him. As she did so, he slid lower in the seat so that when she lowered her weight, the heated place between her legs came down squarely on something hard and thick and very male.
His hands moved to her hips and he adjusted her slightly. ‘‘Perfect,’’ he murmured, then pressed his mouth to hers.
Her mind raced in a thousand different directions, even as she instinctively responded to his kiss. She clung to his shoulders, more because she felt herself spinning out of control than because she needed to touch him, although she did need to feel his strength. Sensations from different parts of her body collected in her brain until there was too much information with too much happening at once.
Even as she moved her tongue against his and found herself drowning in his kiss, she couldn’t ignore his strong fingers kneading her hips and holding her against him. Against his…his…
Alex shuddered, afraid to even think what it was. He was aroused. Even as inexperienced as she was, she knew that much. He pressed close to her, a hard ridge that seemed so male and aggressive against her damp melting center. Then there was the intimacy of their position and the way he’d shifted her so easily, as if the female body and all the possibilities were familiar to him.
Why wouldn’t they be? she asked herself. After all, he’d been married before. No doubt there had been other women, too. Girlfriends. Women on the rodeo circuit. What had he called them? Buckle bunnies?
She would have thought that she would find his experience intimidating, but instead she found herself grateful that one of them knew what they were doing. Based on the way he kissed her and held her, she had a feeling that Mitch had assumed she wasn’t a virgin. A voice inside of her warned that if she told him the truth, he would stop what he was doing and get her back to the ranch as quickly as he could.
She didn’t want that. She didn’t want him to stop because she was enjoying everything he was doing. She wanted to know what happened between a man and a woman. Well, maybe not all of it—she didn’t think she was ready to let go of her virginity—but she wanted to do at least a few things she’d only read about.
‘‘I can’t believe what you do to me,’’ he murmured against her mouth. ‘‘You feel so good, taste so good.’’
She wanted to respond in kind, but she was two-parts embarrassed and one-part shy. She settled on breathing his name.
His hands moved up from her hips to her waist, then continued higher. She knew what he was going to do even before he touched her. Her breasts swelled in anticipation. She could feel her tight nipples straining against the inside of her silk bra. Her entire body tensed and she pulled back from his kiss so she could really think about what he was doing.
Slowly, more slowly, he drew his hands up her ribs. Closer and closer until she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t do anything but wait. Then strong hands closed over her breasts.
The sensation was more incredible than she’d imagined. He held her gently, almost with reverence. When he captured her lower lip in his teeth, she didn’t even think about pulling back. He gently nibbled her sensitive skin, even as his forefinger and thumb closed over her nipple.
The combination of movements and the indescribable waves of pleasure that rushed through her made her unable to think or react. All she could do was feel—feel and silently beg him never to stop.
He read her mind. As he kissed her, then deepened the kiss, he continued to touch her breasts. He stroked them, encircled them, always coming back to tease her sensitive nipples. She grasped his face in her hands and plunged her tongue into his mouth. The passion inside of her grew until she felt it taking control. She wanted. She needed. And only Mitch had the magic necessary to make her whole.
When he removed his hands from her breasts, she whimpered.
‘‘It’s all right, darlin’,’’ he soothed. ‘‘I’m not going anywhere.’’
She felt him unbuttoning the front of her shirt. Without meaning to, she found herself pulling the hem free of her jeans. Then his hands were on her bare ribs. He stroked her skin as he circled behind her and unfastened her bra.
‘‘I want to see you,’’ he said, his voice low and hoarse.
She looked at his face. In the semidarkness, his eyes were black and bottomless, but she saw the fire flickering there. She might not know much about men, but she knew that Mitch wanted her desperately. The knowledge, unexpected and delightful, gave her courage. She shrugged out of her shirt.
The night air was cool on her skin. As she pulled her arms out of her sleeves, her bra slipped down and she tossed that aside as well.
Mitch swore softly, then flashed her a smile. ‘‘I knew you’d be pretty, but I had no idea you’d be perfect.’’
Alex glanced down and saw how her pale breasts gleamed. Her throat tightened as she watched as well as felt his hands cup her curves, then stroke her skin. Without knowing why she did it, she found herself moving her hips back and forth, brushing her center against his hardness. Mitch groaned.
‘‘Put your shirt back on,’’ he said.
‘‘What?’’
He picked up the garment and held it out to her. ‘‘Just slip it on, but keep it open in front. I want to see you and touch you, but we are in the front seat of my truck. I don’t want you flashing the world.’’
She’d forgotten that they were out in the open, where anyone might see them. ‘‘Thank you,’’ she whispered, then pulled her shirt on over her arms and shoulders, leaving the fabric gaping in front.
He bent forward and kissed between her breasts. She wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her fingers in his thick brown hair. When his mouth closed over one nipple, she arched into him and had to bite back the scream forming low in her throat. Was it really supposed to be like this? Was making love so incredibly wonderful?
‘‘Do you like that?’’ he asked.
‘‘Oh, yes.’’ She barely breathed the words. ‘‘Don’t stop.’’
He chuckled against her skin. Warm puffs of air that made her rock her hips faster. She noticed a tension building inside of her. Low in her stomach, and in her legs. It was heavy and tight at the same time. Something was happening, but she didn’t understand what.
‘‘I’m not going to go all the way,’’ he said quietly. ‘‘But I do want to touch you.’’
Alex couldn’t figure out what he meant. He was touching her. She didn’t want him to ever stop. She moved her hips slightly, trying to find a different position as she rubbed against him. One that would—
She felt his fingers at the waistband of her jeans and she froze. When he’d said touch her, had he meant there? They couldn’t—she couldn’t. Except she wanted him to. She wanted to feel…something, although she couldn’t say what.
Then, before she could figure out how to tell him she was nervous and afraid and not too sure about all of this, he’d lowered the zipper and started tugging on her jeans.
‘‘You want me to take them off?’’ she asked, hoping she didn’t sound as shocked as she felt.
‘‘That’s the general idea.’’
‘‘But I’ll be naked.’’
He flashed her a grin. ‘‘You’ll still have your shirt on.’’ The smile faded. ‘‘I meant what I said, Alex. I won’t go any further, but I do want to touch you. All of you.’’
She thought about how wonderful it had felt when he’d stroked and kissed her breasts. Was what he planned to do better than that? Was that possible? She found herself very interested in finding out.
So, in the middle of Arizona, in the front seat of a man’s truck, Princess Alexandra of Wynborough pulled off her jeans and panties. Her parents would have died from the shock, she thought as she shivered in the cool night air. She might die from the shock.
Mitch’s breath came out in a long hiss when she tossed her clothing aside and once again straddled him. ‘‘I can’t tell you how much I want you,’’ he breathed. ‘‘You’re so beautiful and so sexy.’’
She�
��d never felt sexy before, not even once. She thought she was attractive, but no man had ever found himself swept away by her charms.
‘‘Really?’’
‘‘Oh, yeah. There’s a better-than-even chance that you’re going to make me embarrass myself.’’
She wanted to ask how, but before she could, he put his hands on her thighs.
He was warm and sure as he touched her. The tension inside of her doubled then tripled as he slid up toward her most central place. Her breathing increased. She wanted to shriek and run away. She wanted to beg him to hurry. She settled on kissing him deeply.
As her tongue slipped into his mouth, she felt his thumbs sweep up her inner thighs. Her body tensed. Then a single finger slipped between the curls and stroked her. She’d thought she might feel invaded or violated, but instead it was exactly right. Mitch moved slowly, discovering her, just as she discovered what it felt like to have a man exploring her secret place. He moved back and forth, then side to side, touching, teasing, making her tense and shudder and squeak.
With his other hand he reached around and rubbed her fanny. The combination of attention made her hips pulse in little thrusting movements. When he slowly inserted a finger inside of her, she found herself sinking lower, wanting him deeper. He moved in and out in a rhythm that matched her own frantic movements. Then he pressed his thumb into the swollen folds of her flesh, searching, probing, touching until he found a single spot that made her gasp.
‘‘Mitch,’’ she breathed.
It was better than what he’d done with her breasts. It was better than anything she’d ever experienced before. She didn’t know she could feel this much pleasure and live.
He brought his free hand up and cupped her right breast. As his tongue danced with hers, he worked magic on her nipple and between her legs. A long finger moved in and out. His thumb circled that one incredible spot she hadn’t even known existed.
She clutched at him, at his head, his shoulders. She strained toward him, pulsing and pushing into his touch, urging him deeper and faster. The tension increased until she thought she was going to explode or die or find paradise. She parted her legs more, sank into him, then found herself shaking uncontrollably. Her body was no longer hers to command. It was Mitch, only Mitch, who shaped her destiny.
He shifted his hands beneath her, then she felt the thick pressure of two fingers thrusting inside of her. It was too intense, too wonderful. She held on to him and waited for the explosion.
It began with a trembling in her thighs and her belly, then rocketed out until even her skin quivered. Bursts of pleasure filled her, spilling out, making her tense and release and push and gasp, until she was spent and could only sag against him.
Alex felt as if she’d almost lost consciousness. Nothing in her previous life had prepared her for this moment. She slowly became aware of her surroundings to find Mitch holding her tenderly as he rained soft kisses all over her face.
‘‘Thank you,’’ he whispered against her mouth.
‘‘I think that’s supposed to be my line,’’ she murmured.
‘‘I loved doing that to you.’’
She pressed her lips together to keep from telling him to feel free to indulge whenever he might like. She hadn’t known that her body was capable of such incredible sensations. Looked as though she had a passionate nature, after all.
She gave a brief thought to her nakedness, but before she could get embarrassed, Mitch was helping her slip on her panties, then her jeans. He kissed her breasts and now-sensitive nipples, before sliding on her bra, then her shirt. In less than five minutes she was dressed and curled up next to him on the bench seat of his truck.
‘‘Thank you for everything,’’ she said softly.
‘‘You’re welcome. I’ve had a really good time tonight. But I should probably get you home before your folks start to worry.’’
It took her a minute to remember the game they’d started earlier, about being two teenagers parked out here for a make-out session.
‘‘I wish I’d known you then,’’ she said. ‘‘Back when we were young.’’
‘‘We’re hardly old now.’’
‘‘I know, but it’s different.’’
He started the truck engine and headed back for the main road. They drove in silence for several minutes, then he took her hand, brought it to his mouth and kissed her fingers. ‘‘I wish that, too.’’
*
Mitch stood naked in front of his bedroom window and watched the sun come up over the eastern mountains. The room was cold, nearly cold enough to distract him from the discomfort of his erection. He’d been hard since he’d first kissed Alex the previous night, and he’d stayed that way all through his restless night.
Sleep had been impossible. Some of it was the physical manifestation of his desire for her, but some of it was the different thoughts flashing through his brain. Thoughts that boiled down to one main thrust—he was getting in way over his head.
He’d recited the facts a thousand times. She was royalty. She might even become queen of her country. Someone like her wasn’t going to be interested in someone like him, and even if she was, their lives had nothing in common. There was no way in hell she was going to give it all up to live on a ranch, taking care of horses and cattle while raising three or four kids. He knew enough about himself to know that he would never be happy in her world even if she invited him for a test drive. So what was he thinking?
Last night had been a mistake, he thought to himself. He never should have taken her to Submarine Point. He certainly never should have kissed her or touched her or… His body flexed in reaction to his thoughts. To the memories of the taste of her and the feel of her. He recalled every second of their time together, especially the way she’d responded so exquisitely to his touch. When she’d climaxed, he’d watched the pleasure tighten the muscles of her face, even as he’d felt the rippling contractions around his fingers buried deep inside of her. He couldn’t help wondering how it would have felt if he’d buried himself inside of her instead.
‘‘Don’t go there,’’ he said aloud. It was dangerous territory. Nothing was going to happen between him and Alex. He couldn’t let himself fall for her. If he ever married again, he needed it to be for sensible reasons to a woman who understood his life-style and wanted the same things he did. He’d learned a lot from his first marriage, and one of the most important lessons was that love wasn’t always enough to make something last.
Chapter Eleven
Alex tried to pay attention to what her mother was saying, but she found herself drifting back in time to all that had happened with Mitch the previous night. She hadn’t been able to think about anything else. Not on the drive home, not while she lay in bed, unable to sleep, not that morning while she’d been showering and dressing.
Everything was different, although she couldn’t exactly say how. Maybe it was her heightened awareness of the world around her, as if she’d suddenly realized all the vivid colors and sounds that filled her day. Maybe it was her sense of her own body, of the texture of her skin and hair, of the incredibly intricate marvel of engineering that was the human body.
And when she wasn’t stumbling around like an alien discovering a new planet, she was reliving every moment of their time together, from their conversation in the diner to the way he’d touched her when they’d been in his truck. She still couldn’t believe her body was capable of those amazing sensations. What had she been missing all her life?
Except… Alex drew in a deep breath. Except her instinct told her that what had happened between Mitch and her had been special. Not that another man wouldn’t make her enjoy intimacy, but with Mitch there had been an extra jolt of chemistry. She had a feeling that being with someone else wasn’t going to be as wonderful, nor would she feel as safe and comfortable after the fact. Which was all too confusing.
If she was right, then what did that mean? She searched her heart to find out if she had any regrets about what
they’d done, and she found she didn’t. She trusted Mitch. He wouldn’t go running off to share details with a tabloid. He wouldn’t use their intimacy against her, or try to make her feel obligated or cheap. He was a good man.
‘‘If you’re trying to pretend you’re listening, you’re not doing a very good job.’’
Her mother’s voice jolted her out of her reverie. ‘‘Sorry,’’ Alex said. ‘‘I was—’’
‘‘Woolgathering. Yes, I could tell. Do you want to tell me what’s going on?’’
‘‘Nothing really. I have a lot of things to do today.’’
‘‘You’re not a very good liar, Alexandra. Does this have anything to do with the reason you’re not with your sisters in Aspen?’’
Alex opened her mouth, but no words emerged. Had her parents guessed what was going on? ‘‘Not at all.’’
‘‘I see.’’ Her mother’s voice was clipped. ‘‘You’re not staying at a resort, are you? I was surprised when you first said you were relaxing at a spa. Elizabeth might do that, or even Serena, but never you. You’re not the spa type.’’
‘‘I’m…’’ She straightened in her chair, as if her mother could see through the telephone lines, not to mention across the thousands of miles, and comment on her posture. ‘‘I’m staying at a working ranch. You’re right, I would be bored silly at a spa, but I did want to get away. The owners have let me set up an office here. I work in the morning, then ride in the afternoon. I’m having a wonderful time.’’
She bit her lower lip and wondered if her mother was going to believe this cleaned-up version of the truth. The only thing she was leaving out was the ongoing search for James…and her relationship with Mitch.
‘‘It’s more than that,’’ her mother said, then sighed. ‘‘What is it, my dear? I can hear something in your voice. Something…’’ The older woman gave a short laugh. ‘‘If I didn’t know better, I would say there was a man involved.’’
Alex didn’t want to know how her mother had guessed. Maybe it was some secret learned while raising her four daughters. At least she hadn’t guessed about the investigation.
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