by Lucy Ryder
She gulped and fought the blush heating her face. “But…but we’re in the sitting room.”
He sent an indifferent glance across his shoulder at the huge bay window before turning back to renew his button attack. “I can’t wait,” he growled, lifting her up so he could strip off her jacket.
Her breath hitched at the impatience in his voice, his every jerky movement, and felt her core quiver in anticipation of the big event. “But…the curtains.”
“No one can see you.” He shoved the jeans down his legs and kicked them aside, settling back to study the lacy shell molded to her curves. “Besides, it’s dark.”
Not that dark, Holly thought. You’ll see me. And, oh, boy, she could see him too.
“That’s the point,” he murmured in a voice as rough and deep as sin, telling her she’d spoken her thoughts out loud. “I can’t wait to get you all the way naked so I can see you.”
That’s exactly what she didn’t want.
“All of you, Holly.” He dropped his hands to the hem of her shell, his fingers brushing the bare flesh of her belly. It quivered. “And then,” he promised in a wicked whisper, “I’m going to take you upstairs and I’m going to start all…over…again.”
Her splutter of surprise ended on a gasp when he whipped her shell over her head and dropped it on the floor beside the sofa. She tried to shield herself from his gaze but he grabbed her wrists to prevent her from hiding.
Finally his eyes lifted and locked on hers. Holly sucked in a sharp breath as heat rose up her neck into her face along with the heat heading for her core. “Gabriel,” she whispered beseechingly, but he leaned forward to trace a shaking finger across the tops of her breasts, interrupting her with a growl of appreciation when her nipples peaked.
“Don’t hide, Holly.”
She turned her face away. “You’re…um…staring.”
His chuckle was a deep velvet slide across her senses that made her quiver. “God, yes,” he drawled. “You’re so damn beautiful.” And then quietly, as though he was talking to himself, he murmured, “More beautiful than I remember.”
Her mouth dropped open and for a moment she wondered if he was hallucinating or drunk. Her words rushed out on a rising squeak of outrage. “You saw me naked? Wh-when?”
His hands soothed a fiery path up her arms to her shoulders where he slid his fingers beneath the lacy straps of her bra. “That black swimsuit doesn’t hide a damn thing.” He grinned, tugging them down over her shoulders.
Her mouth open and closed a couple times and he shook his head, although Holly wasn’t sure what it meant.
“My plan…” she began breathlessly, but he leaned down and gave her a hard kiss.
“Will still be there tomorrow.”
“Well, okay, then…” she murmured against his mouth. “I guess just this once…won’t…um…hurt. Will it?”
“No.” His voice shook with laughter. “I promise it won’t hurt.” Then his hands slid back over her shoulders. His knuckles brushed her collarbone as he moved to the tops of her breasts. It was difficult to read his expression.
Heck. It was difficult to think.
Then she stopped caring because his sensual mouth slid to her throat and his hand slid beneath the layer of stretchy lace to cup her bare breast. Her shocked breath was loud in the heavy silence and shudders of pleasure leapt and grew at the feel of his warm calloused hand cupping and squeezing her gently, his thumb scraping a line of fire across her flesh.
Her nipples tightened into hard points and she couldn’t prevent a moan from escaping at the exquisite pain. Her back arched, the move pushing her breast into his warm, rough palm. Her hands moved across his shoulders, up his neck to fist his warm silky hair, pulling him closer…closer to where his mouth could close over her nipple and soothe the terrible ache he’d created.
If she’d been thinking she might have been horrified by her wanton behavior, but she wasn’t…couldn’t…because within seconds Gabriel had stripped her naked and the sound he uttered, a mix of pain and strangled laughter that came from deep in his chest, made her ache. And thrill. God, what a thrill!
Before she could get self-conscious or beg him to press his naked body to hers, he leaned down and placed a soft kiss on each breast. She trembled at the tenderness of the gesture and when he drew one peak into his mouth, his tongue sliding across her nipple, hot and wet and relentless, a ragged moan tore loose from deep in her throat.
He lifted his head. “Your heart is pounding.” She blinked up into his face but his expression was hidden in shadow and she couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
“What?”
His eyes were dark and fathomless. “Tell me you want me.”
Oh, God. “Wha-a-at?”
“Say it and I’ll give you what you need.”
Holly sucked in a breath. “I… I…” For some reason she couldn’t get the words past the hot lump of need in her throat. He lowered his head and gave her nipple a tiny punishing nip and the words finally escaped on a rush of air. “Ohmigodiwantyou.”
And then, tired of waiting, Holly reached up and with hands fisted in his soft hair brought his mouth down to hers so she could kiss him, reveling in the ragged groan wrenched from deep within his chest. She loved the way he kissed; like he was starving for the taste of her. She was starving for the taste of him too and the kiss became an avaricious frenzy of mouths and tongues and grasping hands. And when Gabe shifted and thrust into her, Holly arched her back and begged for more.
Holly begged for more and Gabriel gave her more. More kisses, more climaxes and more…everything. He’d given her more than he’d given any woman in a long time. Maybe ever. And when it was over and she lay in a boneless heap across his chest, Gabe wondered what the hell had happened.
What had started out as simply satisfying a physical need had taken on a life of its own until he’d felt a desperation to take her someplace she’d never been. The only thing was—he’d been taken there too. And he wasn’t entirely comfortable with the discovery.
They were both damp with exertion and his thundering pulse almost drowned out the sound of her ragged breathing.
Or was that his ragged breathing?
He felt completely wrung out and too lethargic to move them somewhere more comfortable. Like his bed.
He had plans for Holly and his bed.
After a few minutes, he groaned and lifted a large hand to soothe a line from her shoulder, down her back to her bottom. She was soft and silky and so touchable he couldn’t resist repeating the move until she murmured in the back of her throat and shifted against him, so slowly and sinuously that he went instantly hard.
“Someone stole my bones while we were busy,” he murmured sleepily, smiling when she grunted softly against his skin.
“Are you sure? I think I feel at least one they left behind,” she murmured, her breath tickling his chest and sending arrows of heat into his groin, hardening his erection and fueling his hunger. “If they hadn’t also stolen mine I’d help you find it.”
She sighed sleepily and nuzzled closer. He slid his arms around her and nudged her closer, burying his face in her wild hair and breathing in her unique scent. It was warm and fresh with a hint of something elusive. Kind of like the woman herself.
Realizing he was breathing in a woman like she was his air, Gabe stilled. He’d never been a nuzzler. Or a cuddler, for that matter. He was usually looking for his clothes by now, ready to make his escape. But he didn’t want to escape. In fact, he wanted to find the source of that scent and was prepared to spend the rest of the night searching for it.
He’d thought once would be enough. He’d rock her world, walk her home and go back to getting his life on track. Hell. Hadn’t she been the one to put a limit on this?
And he’d been okay with that. Surprisingly, only a few minutes had passed since he’d climaxed but he was already gearing up for round two.
Clearly he wasn’t done with her yet.
“Damn New Y
ork thieves.”
Her mouth curved against his skin. “What makes you certain they were from New York? Maybe they followed you from California.”
“Yeah, and maybe you need to move your knee before you cut off my blood supply.”
She snickered and gently shifted her knee until he swore he saw stars. He grunted and grabbed her thigh to halt her movement. She said, “Oops, sorry,” in a voice that didn’t sound very sincere. “Guess I found that bone.” Then she yawned and stretched all those silky curves against him and the stars became firebursts of renewed lust.
“I guess it’s also time to go,” she murmured sleepily. “Make me go, Gabriel.”
He didn’t like the idea of her leaving. “Not yet,” he said, wrapping his arms around her and heaving up off the couch where he stood swaying for a few beats while he waited for blood to reach his brain. “Later.”
Much later.
Holly didn’t know how she’d ended up in Gabe’s bed. He’d hauled her into the shower, soaped every inch of her and then ensured she’d been completely soap-free with his hands and mouth. And when she’d been a boneless lump he’d wrapped her up in a huge towel and lifted her in his arms.
“And now,” he growled in a voice as deep and rough as if he’d just awakened from a night of sin, “I’m taking you to bed.”
The thought of getting to explore his big body sent tingles of anticipation racing over Holly’s flesh. They’d been too desperate earlier to do more than race for the finish and Holly wanted to explore his big, brawny body with more than her hands. She wanted to use her mouth and tongue and eyes to explore every last inch of him. Her mouth watered.
Oh, and she wanted to discover the rest of him too.
He tossed her roughly on the bed, following her down to nip her shoulder lightly, chuckling when goose-bumps raced over her damp skin. Instead of ravishing her, like she’d thought—okay, hoped—he stretched across her body to pull out an unopened box of condoms from the bedside table.
“I thought you said you didn’t have any,” she said a little breathlessly, and reached out to untie the towel hiding his goodies from her.
Gabriel snorted out a laugh. “I lied.”
“Some Boy Scout you are.”
“I lied about that too,” he admitted, straddling her body and unwrapping her like she was an unexpected gift he’d found on his pillow. “I was too busy impressing the girls with my awesome skills.” He chuckled at her expression and leaned forward to plant a lightning fast kiss on her mouth. “I meant in surfing.” He fumbled with the box. “Damn it,” he snarled, “I can’t open this thing.”
By this time he was panting and swearing and when Holly tried to help, the box popped open and silver squares flew everywhere. Gabe simply snatched one, planted a big hand in the middle of her chest and shoved her backwards. Holly gave a breathless laugh and before she could tell him to hurry, he’d covered himself and was sliding between her legs.
“Now, Dr. Buchanan,” he growled, “I’m going to rock your world. Again.”
Holly’s skeptical snort ended on a long, low moan as he thrust into her, her body stretching deliciously as it accommodated his size.
Oh, God, he totally had, was her last conscious thought. He’d totally rocked her world.
Holly jerked awake with no idea of the time or where she was. One thing she did know was that something heavy pinned her to the bed. Something heavy, slightly hairy and toasty warm.
She frowned sleepily and stretched, wondering at the slight ache in her muscles. Like she’d spent the night in…rigorous…exercise…Oh…my…God, she thought, sucking in a sharp breath as recollection returned in a rush of heat and embarrassment and…and…What the heck have I done?
For several long seconds she lay there, not breathing, until a firm voice in the back of her head told her to get her butt into gear.
Exhaling shakily, she took stock of the situation and tried not to panic. But despite the overwhelming urge to jump up and run screaming from Gabriel’s house, she couldn’t help noticing the large body surrounding her like a living blanket.
Fine. So one would think that she’d noticed enough of that big, muscular body in the hours they’d spent…Yes, well, she wasn’t going to think about that now. If she did she might lose it or…or jump his bones…again.
Kind of like she’d done in the deep, dark hours of the night.
Her face flamed. And when something else flamed deep in her belly, it galvanized her into action.
Holding her breath, she carefully slid out from beneath his sprawling body and felt cool air brush her exposed skin. She shivered. It was touch and go there for a while when every strand of DNA urged her to slide back against the heated furnace while instinct told her to get the heck out of Dodge.
Besides, they’d agreed. One time only. So maybe it had stretched to two and then three…gulp…but it was still one night.
Right? Her breath escaped in long whoosh. Right.
She made the mistake of looking over her shoulder at him and got stuck on the stark beauty of his long swimmer’s body, sprawled face-down across the huge bed and illuminated by the light spilling from the bathroom. His back was a marvel of masculine perfection, the wide, powerful shoulders tapering to narrow hips, a tight butt—with those sexy little scoops at the sides—and long muscular legs ending in large brawny feet.
For one yearning moment she fought against the desire to reach out and touch but then he grunted and shifted as though he missed her already—boy, she could identify—and the instinct to flee returned.
Stifling a little squeak of panic, Holly slid off the bed and headed for the door. Her clothes were still downstairs—scattered all over his sitting room. Yikes.
She paused at the bedroom door, wondering if she should wake him, but the thought of facing him after everything they’d done was just too disturbing. And considering where he’d had his mouth not too long ago—okay, and where she’d had hers—the last thing she needed was looking into his blue-green gaze and seeing knowledge and…awareness.
She’d rather run through the streets naked. Something she might have to do if she couldn’t find her damn clothes.
Turning, she hobbled down the stairs in the dark, wondering where the heck all these aching muscles had come from. She stubbed her toe on her way into the sitting room and hopped on one foot as she hunted around for her clothes, pulling on items as she found them.
After a fruitless search for her underwear, she huffed out an impatient breath and swiftly buttoned her jacket over her unbound breasts. Damn it. She felt like everyone would know it too but the longer she lingered, the more chance there was of Gabriel waking and—And that was the absolute last thing she wanted.
So she’d have to ditch her underwear. Darn. And it was new too.
She knew she’d have to face Gabriel sometime but as for right this minute? No way in hell was she sticking around to find her panties and bra. Besides, glossing over someone’s scars while in the grip of a desperate hunger was one thing, looking into his eyes in the cold aftermath of a hot night was something else entirely.
No. Not gonna happen. She’d rather lose her underwear and hope they’d disappeared altogether. Poof. Into thin air.
Grabbing her strappy heels, she headed into the foyer, where he’d dropped her briefcase and shoulder bag what seemed like days ago rather than a few short hours. Then with a quick guilty glance over her shoulder she quietly let herself out of the house.
Her one night of screaming exercise was over.
Time to get back on track.
It took her less than a minute to hightail it to her own front door, all the while looking around guiltily and wishing she didn’t feel like an errant adolescent sneaking in after curfew.
She let herself in and quietly thunked her forehead against the door a couple times, her breath escaping in a whoosh of relief and for some reason fighting the urge to cry. Damn it, what the heck was wrong with—?
“Long night?”
<
br /> Holly gave a startled squeak and whirled so fast she nearly fell over. She backed against the door to give her shaky knees much-needed support and stared wide-eyed at Sam, slouched casually in the sitting-room doorway, watching her over the top of his mug.
He was dressed in a pair of unbuttoned jeans…and nothing else. Just a few months ago the sight of his sculpted chest would have sent her heart racing and her tongue swelling in her throat. But now all she wanted to do was run and hide and maybe freak out, because she’d seen Gabriel Alexander’s awesome body and no one else could compare.
Sam’s dark eyes took in her rumpled appearance and his expression turned wry. “Ah,” he drawled, and lifted his mug in a silent toast.
Holly didn’t need any interpretation of the brief flash of amusement but she opened her mouth and “What?” popped out before she could stop it.
“Really?” he murmured, his eyes going unerringly to her mouth then dropping to her neck before lifting to lock gazes with her. Beneath the humor was understanding. “You want to go there?”
Holly assumed an innocent expression. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You bailed, Buchanan.”
Guilt flashed like a neon light behind her eyes.
“I…uh…pfft…No.”
“It’s okay, Holly,” he interrupted quietly, his eyes going oddly flat. “We’ve all done it.” And then without another word he turned and disappeared, leaving Holly battling curiosity, embarrassment and a desire to go pull the covers over her head and hope that when she woke she’d find it had all been a horrible dream.
An image flashed into her head of Gabriel’s expression as he rose over her and she got a full-body flush and shiver all at once.
Okay. Maybe not so horrible.
CHAPTER NINE
LIGHT STREAMED IN through the cracks in the curtain and fell across Gabe’s face. He groaned and tried to lift his head but he felt like someone had run over him with a compacting roller—the ones they used on golfing greens—leaving him flattened.