by Ana Sparks
She laughed softly to cover up how flustered he’d made her feel inside. “I don’t know. Aliens, or another life force, or even an inhabited planet other than ours. The sky just seems so huge that it’s hard to believe that we’re the only living things in the universe, you know?”
“I know exactly what you mean. Sometimes I’ll come here at night and sit for hours pondering over life’s little mysteries. I wonder if somewhere out there, there’s a parallel universe, and two people are looking up at the stars right now, wondering about us and if we really exist.”
He gave a small self-conscious laugh before continuing. “I think my love of stargazing comes from when I was a child. I used to sneak out of the house at night and come here to lie like this, just looking up at the sky and wishing I was old enough to be an astronaut so that I could see the stars up close and personal. ET was my favorite movie, and I always wondered if it was based on truth, and if there really were little green men up there looking down at us.”
“Why have I never really thought about it before? To be honest, I’ve never really been able to think about anything other than what’s right in front of me. My childhood was spent engrossed in whatever book I could get my hands on, unless I was thinking about what kind of career I would have when I was growing up, and how much money it was going to make me. Does that make me shallow?” She turned her head to look at Dan as she talked, blushing when she realized that he was looking at her and not at the sky.
It was Dan’s turn to laugh. “I don’t think you’re shallow in the slightest. I just think your head’s been so fixated on whatever your next move is going to be that you haven’t let yourself daydream about anything.”
“I suppose you’re right. Or at least, I hope you’re right. I’d hate to end up so self-obsessed that I believed any compliment anyone ever threw at me.”
“I don’t think there’s any chance of that happening any time soon.” Dan's voice was reassuring, and once again he warmed her with his words. How was it possible to feel so comfortable and at ease with a man she had only just met? It was a question she couldn’t answer, and right then she had no inclination to even try.
“Besides, how could you be shallow when you’ve got such dreams of traveling the world?” Dan asked.
“They’re more like pipe dreams, to be honest. If my parents have their way, I'll never set foot out of the States will spend the next twenty years wearing a white coat and a stethoscope. Oh well, it could be worse.”
“It could be a lot worse. You could be in a padded cell with someone in a white coat looking after you. Hell, we could be in adjoining cells for that matter.”
Jen laughed out loud at that. She laughed until her sides ached and tears rolled down her face. She didn’t have a clue why she found his comments so hysterically funny, but it felt so good to really let her guard down and laugh until he joined in with her.
“Oh my God, my jaw is aching, and I bet I look like a panda.” Jen used the hem of her shirt to wipe away her tears and the mascara streaks they had left behind. “I’m so sorry, Dan. I don’t know what came over me.”
She felt his arm flex as he tightened his grip and pulled her into his side in a friendly hug. “Hey? Do you hear me complaining? I think it’s been too long since either of us has laughed quite that hard.”
Jen knew she should’ve pulled away, but with his muscular arm wrapped around her, pulling away from him was the last thing on her mind. She felt safe and secure, and for the first time in a long time her worries about her future weren’t in the forefront of her mind.
As their chuckles died down, she rolled back over onto her back and looked up at the sky once more. Peaceful wasn’t quite strong enough a word for the way the night felt around her. She felt serene, with just a snippet of danger at being there with a stranger.
“Are you cold? I’m sure you just shivered.” Dan tightened his arm around her once again, pulling her into his side more securely as his hand rubbed up and down her arm, trying to warm her up. “I didn’t even think to grab a blanket from the car, and I should’ve made sure that I brought us a couple of drinks from the bar as well. Some date I turned out to be, huh?”
Turning on her side to face him again, Jen looked up at his face. “Do you want to know something?” She didn’t wait for him to answer. “I think this has been the best date I’ve been on. Ever.”
She watched as a smile spread across Dan’s face, making his eyes twinkle in the darkness. “See? Sometimes living a little dangerously can be a good thing.” Suddenly his expression turned pensive. “I suppose I should get you home soon, or your friend is going to send out a search party.”
Jen shook her head. “It’s okay. I told her I’d see her tomorrow. Chances are she won’t be going home tonight anyway, if I know her at all.” She tried to hide another shiver as the coldness of the ground beneath them finally registered.
“Well, we need to get you out of here before you catch your death of cold.”
He looked down into her face again and she could almost see his brain working overtime as he tried to put into words what was on his mind.
“The way I see it, we have a couple of options open to us. I could be a gentleman, take you back to the bar and call you a cab, or I could drive you back to my place and call you a cab, or...”
“Or?” She was almost afraid to breathe as she waited for what he was going to say next. She had a good idea what it might be, but she didn’t want to presume anything. The night had been so perfect so far that the last thing she wanted to do was make a fool of herself.
“Or?” She prompted him again as he hesitated.
“Or, I could take you back to my place and drive you home in the morning.” Jen felt her heart miss a beat as he finally said what she’d been hoping he would. “I promise you I won't try anything.” He paused to make sure she was paying attention. “Unless you want me to.”
Jen felt herself blush at his words and the intense expression on his face. She couldn't deny that she was tempted, but she couldn’t quite find the words to tell him.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. Just forget it okay? I don’t want to ruin what’s been a wonderful evening.” Dan had obviously mistaken her silence to mean that she had no interest in spending the rest of the night with him. It was a mistake that Jen was quick to rectify.
“No, Dan. I’d love to spend the night with you. I really would.” She knew her face was flaming red, and she was glad of the darkness to hide it a little. “I’m just not used to doing this kind of thing, but hey, I said I wanted to live dangerously tonight, didn’t I?” She cleared her throat before continuing. “Can you do me a favor before we go?”
“Just name it.” He had turned onto his side so that he was facing her, and he reached up with his free hand to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
It was the first time that he’d touched her with any kind of deliberate intimacy, and Jen almost forgot what she’d been about to say.
“Can you, um, kiss me?” She couldn’t believe that she just asked him to do that. It was totally out of character for her, but that was the idea of her night out, wasn’t it?
“I’ve been wanting to kiss you for the past hour, at least. I just didn’t want to spoil the night by making you feel as though I expected anything more. Because I don’t, you know.”
“Shut up and kiss me, Dan.” She accompanied her words by reaching up and grabbing a handful of his T-shirt, pulling it and him towards her as she spoke.
He didn’t need to be told again, and Jen held her breath as he dipped his head and claimed her mouth with his own in a tentative, sensual kiss.
Jen moaned softly as she felt his tongue trace over the curve of her lips before gently pushing against them in a quest to gain entrance. Her tongue came to meet his in tactile exploration and her hands crept up to the back of his neck as Dan turned them both slightly so that she was beneath him.
He brought both hands up to cup her face as he kissed h
er like she’d never been kissed before. His breath was warm and he tasted of something delicious that she couldn’t quite put her finger on.
The weight of him on top of her was increasing the sensations coursing through her, and without even realizing that she was doing it, Jen pushed her lower body up against him, making them both gasp as she came into contact with the hardness of his erection.
“Okay, maybe we do need to go somewhere a little more private. As badly as I want you right now, I don’t want to do this in public.”
Jen didn't answer; she simply pushed herself against him again and he gave a low growl as he moved away from her.
“Okay, that’s definitely my cue to get you home.” They both laughed breathlessly as he got to his feet and pulled her up.
They half-ran back to where his car was parked, and Jen could feel her heart still racing as he opened the door for her to get in. Dan got in behind the wheel and started the engine.
Somewhere in the recesses of her mind, Jen knew that she should, at the very least, think about it. But there was no way she was going to pass up a night with this man. There was just something about him that made her want to dig deeper and find out more, and she had no intention of falling back into her “sensible Jen” role.
“Take me home, Dan. Your home. Not mine.”
Dan's smile broadened and his eyes shone as the implication of her words sank in. “Your wish is my command, my lady.” He leaned across the gap between the two seats and planted a kiss firmly on her smiling lips before turning back to the front, putting the car in reverse and backing swiftly out of the clearing.
Chapter Six
The drive to Dan's place didn’t take long, but to Jen it felt like hours. She couldn’t believe she was going back to a relative stranger’s home to spend the night with him. Her friends would be amazed at the sudden change in character, but all she felt in that moment was a mixture of nervousness and excitement. She could honestly say that she had never had a one night stand before, but maybe it was way past time that she did.
Dan parked the car outside of a small apartment building, and Jen had her door open before he could walk around the car and do it for her. She stepped out and stood for a moment, looking up at where he lived, shivering against the coldness of the night as she waited for him to key in the door code and open the door.
“After you.” He held the door open for her and then took her hand and walked with her to the door of his apartment.
The door closed behind them with a thud and Jen looked around her with interest. She wondered if the place he lived in would give her some clues as to the kind of man he was, but in all honesty she already had a good idea about that anyway. Any man who would jump to the defense of a woman he didn’t know without any thought for his own safety had to be a good person.
The apartment was larger on the inside than it had looked from the outside, but that could just have been because he didn’t have that much furniture in the place. An oversized couch, a recliner and a coffee table with a television on it was about the extent of the furnishings. The place looked like a typical male abode, a little cluttered with newspapers and a couple of beer bottles, and no evidence of anything more personal, such as photographs or books.
She felt him move up behind her and then his arms wrapped around her, effectively trapping her against him. His breath was warm against her ear as he planted a kiss on the side of her neck.
“Do you know how much I want you?” he murmured. Jen turned around in his arms and tilted her head upwards. “The second I saw you walk into the bar, I knew that I wanted you.” He dipped his head and closed his mouth over hers with a hunger that threatened to devour her.
Jen moaned as her back arched in reaction, her breasts heaving against the broadness of his chest. Her nose was filled with the scent of him, sending her senses spiraling into acute arousal. His mouth fit perfectly over hers, and the kiss was so passionate and familiar that she felt like they’d been doing this always.
Dan moved a hand up to her hair, tightening his grip as he moved his pelvis forward, pushing his erection against her pelvis as his other hand slid around to cup her ass.
Jen lost all semblance of sanity as his tongue tangled with hers and she moaned against his mouth. It took serious effort to tear her lips away and look up into his eyes as she gasped in gulps of air.
“This is crazy.”
“I know, but I like crazy.”
Jen raised her face up in a wanton plea to be kissed again, and Dan acquiesced, lowering his lips to hers with a stifled groan.
He pulled her back into his embrace, claiming her lips hotly as his hand tugged at her top, breaking the kiss only long enough to pull her shirt up and over her head. They both moaned as his hands came up to her bra, skimming lightly over her lace-covered breasts before circling around to her back to release the catch of her bra.
He groaned softly as the garment slid off of her shoulders, throwing it to one side before he dropped to his knees in front of her, as though in worship. His palms greedily closed over her breasts before his head dipped forwards and his tongue came out to tease her right nipple.
Jen had to remember to breathe in as she felt the warmth of his breath instantly cool as his tongue wetly flicked and tickled her nipple. She didn't think there was anything that could turn her on as much.
“That feels amazing.” She forgot to breathe altogether when he sucked her nipple into his mouth and gently bit down with his teeth. “Oh my God.”
She was incapable of movement, incapable of stringing a coherent thought together. She didn’t know what it was about this man, but she did know that right then she was at his mercy and would do anything he wanted her to.
She felt his hands move lower and then they crept around to her back again as he reached for the fastening on her skirt, undoing the zipper and letting it fall down over her hips to land softly at her ankles.
Jen sucked in a breath as his hands skimmed over her hips, coming to a stop at the elastic of her panties. He hooked his thumbs beneath the band and coaxed them down, bearing the most intimate part of her and leaving her open to his gaze.
Dan sat back on his heels and looked up at her face. “You are absolutely exquisite.”
Jen visibly trembled as he looked at her. She wasn’t used to being completely naked and on show, especially in front of a man she hardly knew. For all intents and purposes she should have felt mortified, but in reality, she felt empowered.
Looking down at him, Jen licked her lips and watched as his eyes roamed over her body, taking in her breasts and the flat plain of her belly. He paused when he reached her crotch and Jen tried to ignore the instinct to cover herself up with her hands.
“Exquisite.” He repeated the word quietly, almost as though talking to himself, and Jen felt moisture pool between her legs at the lust she heard in his voice.
Jen couldn’t help shivering with sensation as he knelt there looking at her; it took all of her focus not to lose her balance altogether.
“I want to taste you so badly, but I have no intention of rushing.”
Her insides clenched at his words and her clit throbbed in anticipation of what was to come. She opened her mouth to answer him, but the words got stuck in her throat as he dipped his head forwards and planted a kiss on her pubic mound.
A moan of frustration escaped her as he moved away and got to his feet, standing mere inches away from her as his hands came up to cup her breasts once more and his mouth claimed her lips in a kiss more passionate than any she’d ever had before.
Jen was breathless and trembling from head to toe as she stood in front of him, in all her naked glory, while his tongue plundered her mouth and his hands grasped at her soft skin.
“I don’t think I can wait to get you to the bedroom, Jen. I want you right now.” His voice was so deep and husky that she shivered uncontrollably in reaction.
“I think you need to take some of your clothes off first.” Jen had never really be
en very vocal when it came to sex, so she surprised herself with her words. She quite liked this new side of her, and hoped that it would last for the duration of the night, at least.
Feeling brave, her hands reached forward to the waistband of his jeans, undoing the button and the zipper before her bravery ran out. Rather than push his jeans down, she took the safer option and reached for the hem of his T-shirt, pulling it up and over his head before letting it fall to the floor with her own clothes.
If he had thought her exquisite, she thought him absolutely magnificent. His body was a myriad of tattoos, some of which covered scars. His shoulders were broad and his chest was muscled, tapering down to a narrow waist made even more tantalizing by the trail of hair that created a pathway from his bellybutton and disappeared under the waistband of his boxers.
She couldn’t take her eyes off him, and almost of its own volition, her hand came up to skim across his chest, coming to rest over his nipple.
“I know that I shouldn’t use the word beautiful with regards to men, but you are, Dan.” She wanted to make him feel as good as he’d made her feel, so before her bravery left her completely, she sank to her knees in front of him.
“Can I?” Jen's hands had moved back to his waistband as she talked, and there was no need for him to ask her what she meant.
“You don’t have to ask my permission, baby.” His voice was husky and she was sure that she could sense a faint tremor behind his words.
“Good, because I want to do this, more than you’ll ever know.”
And she did. Even if it was just for one night, Jen wanted to let go of all her inhibitions and find out what it felt like to do what she wanted, when she wanted. She took one final deep breath to steady her nerves before tugging at his jeans until they came down over his hips and bunched at his ankles. Dan placed a steadying hand on her shoulder while he kicked his shoes off and stepped out of his clothes, kicking his jeans away impatiently.
Jen couldn’t take her eyes off his body, although it was the bulge in his boxer shorts that grabbed her attention more than anything else. Even covered up with his underwear, he looked enormous, and she felt her body quicken with desire at just the thought of having him inside her.