She took a deep breath and glanced around, for the first time noticing his home—and the fact that she was actually in it. Then she swung her gaze back and stared again. The entire house was almost one huge rectangle—and the cathedral ceiling made it seem even more so. Gleaming hardwood floors stretched out in every direction, broken only by a few scattered area rugs and grouped furniture. A sofa area off to the left, a dining area off to the right, what looked like the kitchen beyond—but in the center, beyond the open French doors—
"You have a pool?" The question was rhetorical, Of course he had a pool, it was right there. And it wasn't going anywhere, because not only was it in-ground, there was a stone patio surrounding it as well. She turned to stare up at him. "How on earth can you afford a pool?"
For a moment she was afraid she'd offended him. Fortunately, he knew what she was asking. Uncle Sam paid his salary just as he paid hers. And Uncle Sam wasn't known for his generosity—at least not on this scale.
He shrugged. "I started saving early and built up a pretty good portfolio. And when this place came up for foreclosure, I grabbed it. It needed a lot of work, but I didn't have much else to do in my off time." He took her hand and led her across the floor to the patio, pointing out various items as they passed. "My mother found the dining set and the buffet at an estate sale, the coffee table at an auction, I think. You'll have to ask her."
"Your mother's here?" She blanched and promptly thanked God she hadn't jumped him in the foyer.
He chuckled. "No. She stayed with me for a while after her divorce and did this—" he pointed to the ivory sheers on the French doors as they walked between them "—to thank me. Or so she says." His smile turned devilish. "Personally, I think she was tired of sitting on boxes."
Despite the sun beating down, Jade shivered as they stepped off the patio to stroll around the pool. No, she wasn't cold—it was Reese. He wouldn't stop touching her. Her arms, her back, her neck, every inch of flesh he could reach.
He was driving her insane.
Here she was, strolling around a miniature Garden of Eden, and all she could think about was a bed.
His bed.
As in, how big was it? And where the hell was it? It was obvious from the way he was touching her he was thinking about it, too. So what were they doing out here?
He stopped near a bush at the edge of the pool and leaned down to pluck a pink bud. He stood, and her breath caught as he mimicked the path of the keys from the night before, sweeping the petals down her cheek and across her lips.
Damn him, he was smiling. He knew exactly what he was doing. And if he didn't stop, she was going to rip that stupid flower from his hands and attack him right here.
She glanced over his shoulder, at the privacy fence beyond. Hell, why not? If she couldn't see out, no one could see in, right? But wait, first they'd need a condom. And hers were in the car.
She took a deep breath and snatched the flower from his hand to preserve her sanity. "Did your mother plant these, too?"
He chuckled, the glint in his eyes telling her he knew she was changing the subject—and why. "No, I'm afraid I've turned into quite the gardener on my own."
He reclaimed the flower and her lids drifted shut as it slid down her neck. She could almost see him, bared to his waist, slick with sweat as he worked the ground with a shovel.
No.
She forced her eyes open. She had to get her mind off that, now. "You mentioned your mom lived close. How close?"
Smiling, he used the flower to tilt her face. "Why are we talking about my mother? Trust me, you'll meet her soon enough." He lowered his head. "Next weekend, if you want. But not now, not this weekend." His breath turned hot as his lips brushed her ear. "This weekend is mine. Just you and me. Someone else is watching the ship this weekend. So unless I get called in, they'll be no more talk of heroin, or the Navy, or ships. Or my mother." The flower fell away, forgotten as he claimed her lips in a slow, languid kiss.
And then it wasn't slow anymore.
Her breath caught as he molded her body to his, splaying his fingers over her thighs. She shivered as he found the edge of her shorts and then her panties. And then he was underneath.
He shuddered as she ground herself into his hand, fitting herself into his palm. She tasted his approval as he claimed her mouth in another ruthless kiss, plunging his tongue deep inside as his fingers bit into her rear. He dug his other hand into her hair and pulled her closer, wrenching a groan from them both as the kiss turned harder, deeper, almost savage as he tried to crawl beneath her skin.
She gloried in it.
In him.
And then, suddenly, he tore his mouth from hers, growling as he buried his face into her neck, nipping and sucking with less and less force, until she was afraid he was going to stop altogether. And then he did.
She moaned aloud in frustration. Condom and privacy be damned. She didn't care if Reese was having second thoughts about taking her in the backyard. She wanted him.
Now.
She wanted his body, his muscles, his skin. She wanted him wrapped around her. She wanted him smothering her. She wanted to smell him, touch him, taste him just as she had that night in her stateroom.
But this time she wanted more. She wanted all of him.
His mind, his heart, his soul.
She wanted his love.
And, God help her, she wanted him forever.
But right now, she'd settle for his body. She'd settle for really seeing it. Because she hadn't.
Yet.
And they weren't stopping until she had.
She ripped his T-shirt from his jeans, shoving her hands beneath so she could touch him. But it wasn't enough. She raked her fingers down his chest, tugging at his shirt, trying desperately to pull it over his head. But it wouldn't budge. And then she realized why.
That damn Glock.
She tore at his shirt for a few more frustrating seconds, until, mercifully, he helped her. His hands brushed hers away. A second later, the offending holster and his shirt were gone.
Shock and awe swirled together to drive the breath from her lungs. Good God, if he got this body from gardening, she was buying him a lifetime membership in the horticultural society. She took a jerky step back to admire the golden muscle beneath her palms—and yelped as she lost her balance.
Reese lunged forward, reaching for her as she teetered for a few horrific seconds at the edge of the pool. She sighed as he caught her just before she tipped out of his reach.
But it was too late.
Their combined momentum propelled them both back over with all the grace of a teenager doing a cannonball dive, and they went down together.
* * *
Chapter 14
« ^ »
Reese groaned as he and Jade sunk to the bottom of the pool like a pair of bowling balls.
Damn, he'd wanted this first time to be perfect.
For both of them.
He wanted to howl and gnash his teeth at the injustice. He would have, too. If he didn't think he'd end up swallowing half the pool. As it was, he came up sputtering just behind Jade as he used his strength to help her surface. For a moment, he thought she was going to scream as well.
But then she smiled.
And then she was laughing.
Really laughing.
So hard, her mirth was probably spilling over into tears—he might have even been able to tell if there weren't so many water droplets streaming down her face.
And then he was laughing with her. And it no longer mattered where they were. It didn't matter that they weren't in the bed he'd carefully turned down. That the candles he'd dug up from his mother's emergency stash weren't lit. That the wine was growing warm. That her favorite jazz CD—and his, too—wasn't playing in the background.
He smoothed the hair from her face and cupped her smiling cheek. No, none of that mattered anymore. All that mattered was that they were here.
Together.
And that it was
finally time.
He could tell she agreed by the way her gaze darkened, by the way she turned her face into his palm and brushed her lips across his skin. An unexpected bolt of lust rocketed straight through him as her tongue lapped the water from his palm.
And then she pulled away.
He nearly gasped with the agony of her withdrawal. Until he realized her intention. And then he did gasp. This time in anticipation.
She smiled at him softly as she tugged the ends of her sopping T-shirt from her shorts and peeled it up her waist. His breath caught as the bottom of her bra winked at him. And then white lace filled his view as the shirt plopped into the chest-high water around them.
He barely remembered to breathe as his gaze traced the scalloped edge where it hugged her breasts, the water turning her bra translucent. And then his gaze sank farther, until it was riveted to the dusky nipples clearly visible. He nearly groaned as her hands came forward, obscuring his view as they opened the clasp. But then they were gone. And so was her bra.
His breath came out on a shudder.
Magnificent.
He'd suspected her breasts would be when he'd seen the curves peeking from her robe. By the time he'd explored them with his hands and mouth, he'd known it. But nothing could have prepared him for this. They were the perfect combination of firm and plump, white and proud amid the twin triangles of her tan.
And her nipples.
He did groan then. Because he couldn't breathe. He couldn't even tear his gaze away as her hands slipped beneath the surface to unzip her shorts and peel them down her hips. Not only did the water reach her nipples, it bisected them. Drawing a precise watery line from one to the other, right across the puckering tips, lapping at them with the most erotic, mesmerizing rhythm.
He grew hotter and hotter as he stared, certain the pool water would boil off any second. Somehow, he found the strength to rip his gaze from those perfect breasts and raise his eyes.
She smiled at him. And then she sank into the pool, tossing her shorts over her shoulder as she resurfaced.
Reese swallowed, letting his gaze rove over her body with greedy abandon—and then swallowed again. Because she was totally, incredibly, wonderfully nude. And he had to hand it to her, she was still smiling—right through the fiery blush that covered every square inch of her.
And that aroused him even more.
He reached out to touch the crimson tide darkening her breasts, wondering—not for the first time—if it was as warm as it looked.
It was.
She sucked in her breath as he grazed her nipples, puckering them even tighter. And then she stayed his questing fingers. "One of us seems to be overdressed—" she smiled softly "—and I don't think it's me."
He nodded solemnly. "What do you suggest we do?"
Her smile grew. "I think you should stay absolutely still, Mr. Garrick, and let a professional take over." A wicked gleam entered her eyes as she glanced below the water to his jeans. "After all, I am a sailor and this is an underwater operation. I'd hate for you to drown."
He nodded again, trying desperately to keep a straight face as she dipped below the surface.
And then it didn't matter.
Because as her fingers found the studs of his fly and popped them one by one, all he had to worry about was trying to breathe. She came up for air briefly as she finished the last stud, and his eyes followed the inky cloud swirling around her as she went back down to peel his pants—underwear and all—down his legs.
He kicked them away and was about to part her hair to see what was taking so long when suddenly he knew. The water surrounding his erection turned white-hot, merging with the firm erotic suction, ripping his breath from his lungs in one long hiss as he gave himself up to her intimate kiss.
He fought the temptation to close his eyes, regaining his sanity long enough to wrap his hands around her arms and pull her up. As much as he was loath to stop her, he was afraid for her air supply.
He needn't have worried.
He was gasping harder than she was when she surfaced. But their smiles were surely equal. She laughed softly as he stepped backward, into the deeper end of the pool.
"Reese, you're out of my depth. I can't stand there."
That was the point.
He wanted her so far out of her depth she'd have to hold on to him for the rest of her life.
He grinned as he tugged her into his arms and kissed her. "I guess you'll just have to hang on tight." He reached down and plucked the condom he'd felt her palm from his pocket before she stripped him, and tossed it onto the edge of the pool. There was no way he was losing track of that little gem. Not after the trouble he'd had getting it.
He'd told Jade the truth about stopping at a gas station. What he hadn't told her was he'd had to stop three times to find one in stock. Heck, he would have stopped at a hundred if that's what it took.
He still couldn't believe she wanted him. He'd dreamed of this moment, fantasized about it. Hell, he'd spent most of last week praying for it.
But he also knew now that once would never be enough. Nor would forever. Not even eternity.
Not with Jade.
Because he loved her.
He also knew that for once, he wanted it to work. And it would. And they were going to start right now.
By the time he wrapped his arms around her, hers were already around his neck, her fingers twining in his hair as she treaded water. But she wasn't close enough to suit him.
Not by a mile.
He smoothed his hands down her curves, pulling her in tight. He groaned as she tangled her legs with his and slid them slowly up his thighs, the water giving her the buoyancy to wrap them around his hips. What he wouldn't give to delve his fingers into her dark thatch and explore the hot cavern rubbing sensuously against his stomach.
But he couldn't.
Because if he did, he'd be lost.
He also wanted to give her a taste of the pleasure she'd given him, to hear her breath hiss from her. Unfortunately, that would prove awkward given their present surroundings. It would have to wait for another time. He grabbed her rump instead, lifting her higher until he could reach her nipples. They were begging to be kissed.
And so he did.
Jade shivered as Reese darted his tongue from one nipple to the other with maddening repetition. Over and over until she was flooded with a steamy moisture that had nothing to do with the pool. Still he kept it up, flicking his tongue—and only his tongue—at the tips, keeping his mouth, and even his lips, from her.
He chuckled as she finally growled in frustration and grabbed his head, yanking him in hard and holding him there. And then mercifully, he settled on one, slowly closing his mouth over it. He sucked and licked every inch he could find—gently at first, then with more and more pressure until he finally clamped down on the whole thing, sucking the nub up to the roof of his mouth as he pulled on it relentlessly. She closed her eyes and dropped her face to his head, burying herself in his wet hair as she finally faced reality.
Reese really was driving her insane.
And he was enjoying every minute of it.
Determined to pay him back, she tried to unhook her legs—but before she could get an inch of water between them, one of his arms came lashing around his back, clamping her legs right back where they were. She tried scooting down so she could rub her bottom over his throbbing erection, and that he allowed.
But no more.
Hell, he was virtually holding her prisoner, turning her into a shuddering slave to his hot mouth and his hard hands as he fed the wave of need churning within her. She smiled through the sensual haze. He wanted to tease, did he?
Fine.
Two could play that game.
And she didn't need her lips or her hands. She dipped her mouth to his ear and gave voice to the passion he was weaving, gasping when he bit into her nipple, moaning softly as he soothed it with his tongue. Her every shudder and groan telling him without words she loved what
he was doing to her.
Telling him that she loved him.
Soon his arms began to tremble and his fingers slipped back to her bottom. He caressed his way closer and closer to her opening. She hissed as he finally reached it. This time, as he slipped a finger inside, her moans were not for show. She ground her teeth in frustration as he slid his finger back to the entrance, rimming her again and again, teasing and tormenting her to the very brink of fulfillment.
She wasn't exactly sure when she started pleading with him. Nor was she precisely aware of when he began to move toward the side of the pool. But by the time he reached it and pressed her back into it, she was eternally grateful he had.
Because then he was inside her.
For the life of her, she couldn't have said whether he was wearing the condom or not. Nor did she care.
All she knew was this was how she wanted to die, wrapped in Reese's arms, with his hard, slick body pounding into her, again and again. The water splashing up between them every time he pulled back, cooling her for a breathless moment before he came slamming back.
His harsh breath filled her ears, telling her almost as much as the way he groaned her name, over and over. And then suddenly, she caught the edge of the wave as it reared up again, swelling and growing to tidal proportions. She rode it higher and higher, praying Reese was still with her, calling to him, begging him to follow as she reached for the crest.
And then she was there, suspended for a few glorious moments, her entire world swirling and crashing in around her as he locked his arms tight and drove himself in one last time.
And then she was drained.
Drained down to nothingness.
So drained that if he wasn't still holding her as they panted out their last remaining breaths, she would have slipped down into the water and drowned—happily.
She smiled.
A lazy smile, filled with contentment, filled with Reese. It grew as she realized the most horrendously acrid scent in the world had just become her most powerful aphrodisiac.
Chlorine.
And then she laughed.
He lifted his head, smoothing the hair, sweat and water from her brow. "What is it?"
FOR HIS EYES ONLY Page 18