by Karen Foley
She nodded and fixed her gaze on the center of his chest. “You’re right. But I don’t think you would have actually hated me, just like you wouldn’t have left me.”
She sounded so sure of herself that Jason felt one corner of his mouth twitch in amusement. “Oh yeah? And why do you think that?”
“Because you always do the right thing, no matter the cost to yourself.”
He stared at her. He’d done the right thing when he’d turned her away, and she would never know how much it had cost him.
“Unlike me,” she continued. “I was the one who left. I’m the only family he has, and I left him. What’s worse is that I did it for my own selfish reasons.”
Two days ago, Jason would have agreed with her. But seeing her misery, and the genuine regret in her eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to criticize her. Instead, he tipped her chin up so that she was forced to look at him.
“None of this is your fault,” he assured her. “Chances are that even if you’d stayed in the area, you’d have had your own place, and your father still would have been alone that night. Or worse, you could have been living with your dad, and it might have been you who answered the door.” He stroked his thumb along the curve of her cheek. “The only blame is on the bastard who pulled the trigger. There was nothing you could have done to prevent this, Caroline, and your father wouldn’t want you blaming yourself.”
They gazed at each other, and Jason was aware of his own heartbeat, throbbing hard and heavy through his veins. She was looking at him as if he was her own personal hero, and he knew that if he didn’t release her, he was going to end up doing something he’d later regret.
“Jason,” she murmured and curled her fingers around his wrist. He still had her chin between his thumb and forefinger, and now she closed her eyes and pushed her cheek into his palm. “Even after all these years, I wonder...”
“What?” His voice sounded a little hoarse. “What do you wonder?”
She opened her eyes and looked up at him through her lashes, and the expression in those luminous blue depths sent a tidal wave of desire crashing over him.
“What it would be like to be with you...to hold you inside me,” she whispered.
He was way out of his depth, with no lifeline in sight, but he suddenly didn’t care. If this was what drowning was like, he’d die a happy man.
6
CAROLINE WANTED TO weep with relief when Jason gave a small groan of defeat and bent his head to cover her mouth with his own. Like the day before, the kiss was deep and carnal, and it sent a dark thrill of longing through her. He tasted like bourbon, and Caroline found herself leaning into him, inviting him to explore her more fully. He angled her face for better access, sliding his tongue past her teeth to lick the damp recesses of her mouth and feast on her lips.
Caroline moaned, and then he was scooping her onto his lap, so that her legs dangled over his thighs and his arms cradled her against his chest.
Pulling slightly away, Jason gazed down at her. “This is crazy.”
Winding her arms around his neck, Caroline pushed her fingers through his hair and drew his head back down until their lips were only fractionally apart. “Completely,” she agreed.
“You should probably go to bed,” Jason breathed.
“Yes, most definitely.”
She kissed him, a fusing of lips and tongues, and Jason groaned again, feeling his body tighten in response. She shifted on his lap, her supple bottom pressing into his arousal. Turning, Jason lay her down on the cushions of the sofa and eased himself down beside her without ever breaking the kiss. She murmured her approval and urged him closer.
She felt so good in his arms, and although there was a part of him that knew what he was doing was a bad idea, he couldn’t bring himself to stop. She arched against him, and he felt her tug the hem of his shirt up. When she smoothed her palms over his back and explored his skin, he pulled back enough to search her eyes.
“Are you sure about this?” His voice was a husky rasp.
She wet her lips, and her fingertips pressed into his spine, as if she was afraid he might try to leave. She kept her voice light, but Jason could hear an underlying tremor, as if she couldn’t quite conquer her own nerves.
“I’ve been trying to get you into bed for twelve years,” she said. “So, yes, I’m sure.”
Jason couldn’t suppress his amused smile, because the truth was she’d avoided him like the plague for the past twelve years. Even when she’d graduated from college and he’d driven up from San Diego to attend her graduation party, she hadn’t approached him. At that point, he hadn’t seen her in a couple of years and he’d been blown away by her blond good looks and her air of confidence. She’d finally grown up, and he’d wanted nothing more than to ask her out, but she’d been surrounded by a group of young men, all vying for her attention. Her parting words from that long-ago night had come back to him.
By the time your conscience decides I’m old enough, I’ll have had a dozen other guys.
He had no idea if she’d made good on her threat, but he’d backed off and had left the party without speaking to her.
“That’s not quite how I remember it,” he replied with a tender smile. “But as long as you’re sure...”
Without giving her a chance to protest, he pushed to his feet, pulling her with him.
“Where are we going?” she asked, letting him lead her through the darkened house toward the staircase.
“I am not going to make love to you on a couch,” he said, leading her up to the second floor. He flashed her a quick smile. “At least not the first time.”
In the upstairs corridor, he glanced at her closed bedroom door and then moved past it to the room where he always stayed when he visited the beach house. The room where Caroline had asked him to be her first. He knew he was years too late, but there was a bittersweet satisfaction in being back here with her.
He stepped inside and drew her in behind him, kicking the door closed with his foot and locking it. Colton was asleep downstairs, and Deputy Mitchell was on duty in the car outside. Either of them could come looking for him. What he was doing was wrong on so many levels, but he suddenly didn’t care. He was the selfish one, because all he could think about was how badly he wanted Caroline.
Pale moonlight slanted in through the windows, illuminating the room. He could see her clearly, but he was unprepared when she turned and pushed him up against the closed door. Her hands slid beneath his shirt, and then she was shoving the fabric up. Cool air wafted over his heated skin.
“Take this off,” she demanded. “I want to feel all of you.”
Jason hesitated.
“I’ve already seen your tattoos,” she reminded him, correctly interpreting his reluctance. “And I think they’re hot.”
Jason complied, yanking the shirt over his head and dropping it onto the floor. Then her hands were there, stroking over his chest and shoulders, tracing her fingertips over the intricate tattoos even as she pressed her mouth against him. Jesus. He thought he’d be the one doing the seducing, but he’d been wrong.
He buried his hands in her hair, relishing the texture of the silken mass between his fingers as she gripped his rib cage and traced a path over his skin with her tongue.
“Caroline.” Her name escaped his mouth on a groan.
“Let me.”
He let his head fall back against the door, aware that his heartbeat was coming faster. She was working her way down his torso, planting moist kisses along the center of his chest and stomach, until she reached the waistba
nd of his jeans. She glanced up at him once, and then her fingers deftly worked the buckle and the button before slowly drawing his zipper down. Jason sucked in a breath when her fingers brushed against his stomach, and she hooked her fingers into his waistband. She tugged the stretchy material down just enough so that she could stroke one finger over the engorged head of his penis.
That light, feathery touch nearly undid him. He couldn’t ever recall feeling this way before, as if it were his first time. He was incredibly aroused, and although he’d never admit it, a little anxious. He wanted this to be perfect for her.
“Oh, Jason,” she murmured. “You’re so...so beautiful.”
“Enough,” he muttered and reached down to stop her hand from exploring him further. He pulled her upward. In two strides, he reached the bed, drawing her with him. Her arms slipped around his waist, and she pressed herself against his bare chest.
“You smell so good, just like I remembered.” Her voice was low and sexy. “Why did you stop me? I want to touch you everywhere.”
“I want that, too.” He slid his hands up the length of her arms. “In fact, if you don’t touch me, I think I might die.”
She laughed, a huff of breath that washed over him and caused goose bumps to rise on his sensitized flesh. She gave him a gentle shove, forcing him back onto the mattress. Then she was straddling him, her hands braced on either side of his head. Her robe gaped open, and Jason realized she was almost nude and her gorgeous breasts were right there, practically in his face.
Jason drew her down, covering her mouth in a heated kiss. She trembled and leaned against him, until he could feel the swell of her breasts pressed against his chest. Heat lanced through him, and he deepened the kiss, sweeping his tongue inside her mouth. She met him with a beguiling fierceness that took his breath away, first spearing her tongue against his and then sucking on it, drawing it deeper. Her mouth was hot and succulent.
As he angled her face for better access, she lowered her body and then, sweet Mary, he could feel her, rubbing back and forth over his throbbing erection. The sensation was so exquisite, so pleasurable, he wasn’t sure he could stand it. While he wasn’t exactly a monk, it had been a long time since he’d been with anyone. His self-control was tenuous, at best.
Without giving her time to protest, he turned her beneath him in one swift, smooth movement. She let out a small sound of surprise but then settled back against the pillows with a sigh of delight and wound her arms around his neck, feasting on his mouth.
Oh, yeah, this was perfect, except that now she was arching against him, rotating her hips against his in an invitation that was unmistakable.
Jason dragged his mouth free and bent his forehead to hers, sucking in deep breaths. “Easy, sweetheart,” he gasped. “I don’t want to go too fast, and if you keep that up, I’m not going to last.”
She gave him a bemused smile. “Really? But you’re a marshal. I thought you guys were all about control.”
He raised his head and looked down into her flushed face. Her blue eyes glinted in the moonlight, shimmering with arousal. Her mouth was swollen from his kisses, reminding him of a ripe strawberry. He wanted to bite her.
“Where you’re concerned,” he said, his voice husky, “I have no control.”
It was the truth. He was breaking every rule in the book by coming upstairs with her and not maintaining a professional distance. He’d sworn to protect her, and here he was taking complete advantage of her. He could tell himself that his prior friendship with her father—and, to a lesser extent, with Caroline herself—made it okay, but he knew he was lying to himself. He wanted her more than he could ever recall wanting another woman. He’d wanted her that night when she’d been sixteen years old and had done her best to entice him, but that had been nothing compared with what he felt right now.
Raising himself on one elbow, he pushed aside the fabric of her silky robe, until the upper swell of her breast was revealed. She made no protest, but he heard her sharp intake of breath. He traced his fingertips over the creamy flesh, noting how her nipple tightened beneath the satin fabric. Jason paused to devour the sight and then dipped his head to brush his lips over the hardened nub before drawing her nipple into his mouth and suckling it gently. He heard Caroline whimper, and he laved the distended tip with his tongue.
“Please...please.” Her whisper was ragged, and she cupped his face, dragging it upward so she could fasten her mouth against his and draw his very soul from between his lips.
That broken plea, combined with her molten kiss, was enough to push the last of his restraint over the edge. He’d intended to go slowly, to let her set the pace, but he hadn’t counted on the intensity of his need for her. Heat spiraled downward through his midsection as he felt his control stretch thin.
“You drive me crazy, you know,” he muttered against her lips. “That night that you waited for me in this room...I didn’t want to stop, but you were so young. Afterwards, I couldn’t stop thinking about you, imagining how you would taste....”
He slanted his mouth across hers, deepening the kiss, wanting to consume her, to eat her alive. She arched against him, sliding her hands up over his shoulders to pull him closer.
He needed to be closer, too, with nothing separating them. He wanted to feel her skin against his, to absorb her heat. He pushed her robe down the length of her arms, wanting it gone completely. She helped him by pulling her arms free, and then she was completely naked but for the miniscule scrap of white silk at her crotch.
He almost stopped breathing.
Then he filled his hands with her breasts, admiring how full and firm they were and how her nipples ripened beneath his fingers.
“Oh, God,” she panted, shifting restlessly against him. “You have to touch me or, I swear, I’m just going to die.”
“But I am touching you,” he rasped, smiling against her neck.
“No, I mean—you have to touch me...there.”
Her plea was desperate, and lust jackknifed through Jason. With a low groan, he claimed her mouth while at the same time he glided his hand down over the silken skin of her abdomen until he encountered the edge of her panties.
Caroline made an incoherent sound and covered his hand with her own, pushing it downward. Requiring no further invitation, Jason cupped her through the thin layer of silk. She was sweltering, and the fabric was damp with her desire. He could feel the contours of her folds through the insubstantial barrier, but it wasn’t enough.
Pulling away from her, he reared up on his knees and positioned himself between her legs. Caroline watched him through half-closed eyes as he drew her panties down over her hips. She helped him by drawing her legs up and kicking the filmy material free. And then, there she was, completely exposed to his gaze.
Jason thought he’d never seen anything as erotic or beautiful as the sight of Caroline Banks, spread naked across his bed with her knees bent. She stole his breath. Her feminine folds enticed him from beneath a narrow strip of curls.
“Oh, man,” he groaned. “You are so incredibly, amazingly perfect.” He cupped her with one hand. Her skin was like hot silk. When he parted her and slid a finger along her slick cleft, she cried out and arched against his hand.
“I need you,” she said, “inside me.”
He grew even harder at her words. “Soon, baby,” he promised. “There’s just something I have to do first.”
Pushing himself backward, he knelt on the floor by the edge of the b
ed and slid his hands beneath her buttocks. He devoured the sight of her, pink and plump and glistening with arousal, before trailing kisses along her inner thigh. She trembled beneath his touch. When he reached her core, he breathed in her scent and then pressed a kiss directly to her center. She bucked and cried out, and her hands clutched his head.
“You taste even better than I imagined,” he ground out, skating his lips along her inner thigh. “And I love how good you smell.”
Jason was in heaven. Sweet, delicious heaven. He pushed her knees back as he laved her with his tongue. She made quiet noises of intense pleasure and speared her fingers through his hair. Her breath came faster and she pressed one hand against her mouth to muffle the sounds she was making. When he concentrated his efforts on the tiny bud of her clitoris and eased one finger inside her, she bowed off the mattress and her whole body tautened. Her mouth opened on a silent cry as she convulsed beneath him.
* * *
CAROLINE COULDN’T THINK. She could only lay sprawled across the bed, a helpless victim of the delicious aftershocks of what was possibly the most intense orgasm she’d ever experienced. Okay, definitely the most intense. Her entire body thrummed with sexual gratification. She was trembling, as weak as a kitten.
Jason eased himself down beside her and pulled her into his arms. “Good?”
“Ohmigod. Better than good. Amazing.”
“I agree,” he murmured and tilted her face so that he could kiss her again. Caroline returned the kiss, sliding her tongue against his in a slow, sensual mating. When she would have wound her arms around his neck, Jason caught her wrists in his hands and pinned them gently but firmly over her head. She’d known he was a big man, but it wasn’t until he was over her like this, with her breasts flattened against the muscles of his chest, that she realized just how large he really was.
He smiled down at her in a way that caused something in her chest to contract. His eyes were smoldering as they raked her features. “We’ve only just gotten started.”