by Cat Schield
“Yes, it is,” he replied, not daring to sip from the tumbler of scotch lest she see the slight tremble in his hand.
“A day devoted to lovers.”
Shane decided to follow her lead and see where it took him. “And romance.”
“I think both of us know what’s inevitable.”
“That you and I get together?” To his credit he didn’t sound as hopeful as he felt.
“Exactly.” She leaned forward to kiss him. Her lips, whether by design or intent, grazed his cheek instead. Her breath smelled of chocolate and scotch, sending blood scorching through his veins. “I’ve been thinking about you a lot.”
Her husky murmur made his nerve endings shiver. He gripped the glass tumbler hard enough to shatter it. “Me, too. I lay in bed at night and imagine you’re with me. Your long hair splayed on my pillow.” Thighs parted in welcome. Skin flushed with desire. “You’re smiling up at me. Excited by all the incredible things I’m doing to you.”
From deep in her throat came a sexy hum. “Funny.” Her fingertips traced circles on the back of his neck before soothing their way into his hair. “I always picture myself on top. Your hands on my breasts as I ride you.”
Shane winced as his erection suddenly pressed hard against his zipper. “You drive me crazy,” he murmured. “You know that, right?”
He set down his drink with a deliberate movement before cupping her head. She didn’t resist as he pulled her close enough to kiss. Her lashes fluttered downward, lips arching into a dreamy smile.
Their breath mingled. Shane drew out the moment. Her soft breasts settled against his chest and he half closed his eyes to better savor the sensation. This wouldn’t be their first kiss, but that didn’t make it any less momentous. Tonight they weren’t in the middle of a pasture surrounded by cows. This time, the only thing standing in the way of seeing this kiss through to the end was if she actually felt something for him.
Was that what made him hesitate? Worry over her emotional state? Or was he more concerned about his own?
“Let’s go inside,” she suggested, shifting her legs off the couch and taking his hand. Her expression was unreadable as she got to her feet and tugged at him. “I have a wonderful idea about how we can spend the rest of the evening.”
* * *
The instant they stepped away from the raging fire, Brandee shivered as the cool February air struck her bare skin. She’d dressed to show off a ridiculous amount of flesh in an effort to throw Shane off his game. Naturally her ploy had worked, but as they crossed the brick patio, she wished she hadn’t left the throw behind. Despite how readily Shane had taken her up on her offer, she was feeling incredibly uncertain and exposed.
In slow stages during their romantic dinner, her plan to methodically seduce him had gone awry. She blamed it on the man’s irresistible charm and the way he’d listened to her talk about the calf and her camp. He hadn’t waited in polite silence for her to conclude her explanation about the program she and Megan Maguire had devised to teach the teenagers about patience and responsibility. No, he’d asked great questions and seemed genuinely impressed by the scope of her project.
But the pivotal moment had come when she saw a flash of sympathy in his eyes. She’d been talking about one particular boy whose dad had bullied him into joining the football team when all the kid wanted to do was play guitar and write music. Something about the story had struck home with Shane and for several seconds he’d withdrawn like a hermit crab confronted by something unpleasant. She realized they were alike in so many ways, each burying past hurts beneath a veneer of confidence, keeping the world at bay to keep their sadness hidden.
As they neared the house, a brief skirmish ensued. Shane seemed to expect that Brandee would want their first encounter to be in her bedroom. That was not going to happen. She’d invited him into the space once and it had been a huge mistake. Her bedroom was her sanctuary, the place she could be herself and drop her guard. She didn’t want to be vulnerable in front of Shane. Seeing her true self would give him an edge that she couldn’t afford.
“Let’s try out the shower in your suite,” she suggested, taking his hand in both of hers and drawing him toward the sliding glass door that led to his bedroom. “I had such fun designing the space and haven’t ever tried it out.”
“The rain shower system is pretty fantastic.”
The four recessed showerheads in the ceiling and integrated chromotherapy with mood-enhancing colored lighting sequences were ridiculous indulgences, but Brandee had thought her grandmother would get a kick out of it and had been right.
Shane guided her through the bedroom. His hand on the small of her back was hot through the semisheer material of her blouse and Brandee burned. How was it possible that the man who stood poised to take everything from her could be the one who whipped her passions into such a frenzy? They hadn’t even kissed and her loins ached for his possession. She shuddered at the image of what was to come, a little frightened by how badly she wanted it.
While Shane used the keypad to start the shower, Brandee gulped in a huge breath and fought panic. How was she supposed to pretend like this was just a simple sexual encounter when each heartbeat made her chest hurt? Every inch of her body hummed with longing. She was so wound up that she was ready to go off the instant he put his hands on her.
Shane picked that second to turn around. Whatever he saw in her expression caused his nostrils to flare and his eyes to narrow. Her nerve collapsed. Brandee backed up a step, moving fully clothed into the shower spray. She blinked in surprise as the warm water raced down her face. Shane didn’t hesitate before joining her.
As he circled her waist, drawing her against his hard planes, Brandee slammed the door on her emotions and surrendered to the pleasure of Shane’s touch. She quested her fingers beneath his sweater, stripping the sodden cotton over his head. The skin she revealed stretched over taut muscle and sculpted bone, making her groan in appreciation.
Almost tentatively she reached out to run her palm across one broad shoulder. His biceps flexed as he slid his hands over her rib cage, thumbs whisking along the outer curves of her breasts. She shuddered at the glancing contact and trembled as he licked water from her throat. Hunger built inside her while her breath came in ragged pants.
The water rendered her clothes nearly transparent, but Shane’s gaze remained locked on her face. He appeared more interested in discovering her by touch. His fingertips skimmed her arms, shoulders and back with tantalizing curiosity. If she could catch her breath, she might have protested that she needed his hands on her bare skin. An insistent pressure bloomed between her thighs. She felt Shane’s own arousal pressing hard against her belly. Why was he making her wait?
In the end she took matters into her own hands and stripped off her blouse. It clung to her skin, resisting all effort to bare herself to his touch. Above the sound of the rain shower, she heard a seam give, but she didn’t care. She flung the garment aside. It landed in the corner with a plop. At last she stood before him, clad only in her white lace shorts and bra. And waited.
Shane’s breath was as unsteady as hers as he slipped his fingers beneath her narrow bra straps and eased them off her shoulders. Holding her gaze with his, he trailed the tips of his fingers along the lace edge where it met her skin. Brandee’s trembling grew worse. She reached behind her and unfastened the hooks. The bra slid to the floor and she seized Shane’s hands, moving his palms over her breasts.
Together they shifted until Brandee felt smooth tile against her back. Trapped between the wall and Shane’s strong body, hunger exploded in her loins. She wrapped one leg around Shane’s hip and draped her arms over his shoulders. At long last he took the kiss she so desperately wanted to give and his tongue plunged into her mouth in feverish demand.
Brandee thrilled to his passion and gave back in equal measures. The kiss seemed t
o go on forever while water poured over his shoulders and ran between their bodies. Shane’s hands were everywhere, cupping her breasts, roaming over her butt, slipping over her abdomen to the waistband of her shorts.
Unlike his jeans with their button and zipper, her lacy cotton shorts were held in place by a satin ribbon. He had the bow loosened and the material riding down her legs in seconds. A murmur of pleasure slipped from his lips when he discovered her satin thong, but it was soon following her shorts to the shower floor.
Naked before him, Brandee quaked. In the early years of her fashion line, she’d modeled all the clothes up for sale at her online store, even the lingerie. She’d lost all modesty about her body. Or so she’d thought.
Shane stepped back and took his time staring at her. She pressed her palms against the tile wall to keep from covering herself, but it wasn’t her lack of clothing that left her feeling exposed. Rather, it was the need for him to find her desirable.
“You are so damned beautiful,” he said, sweeping water from his face and hair. His lips moved into a predatory smile. “And all mine.”
She hadn’t expected such a provocative claim and hid her delight behind flirtation. Setting her hands on her hips, she shot him a saucy grin. “Why don’t you slip out of those wet jeans and come get me?”
Without releasing her from the grip of his intense gaze, he popped the button on his jeans and unzipped the zipper. He peeled off black denim and underwear. Brandee’s breath lodged in her throat at what was revealed.
The man was more gorgeous than she’d imagined. Broad shoulders tapered into washboard abs. His thighs were corded with muscle. The jut of his erection made her glad she still had the wall at her back because her muscles weakened at the sight of so much raw masculinity.
“Come here.” She had no idea how her voice could sound so sexy and calm when her entire being was crazy out of control.
He returned to her without hesitation and captured both her hands, pinning them against the wall on either side of her head. His erection pressing against her belly, he lowered his head and kissed her, deep and demanding. Brandee yielded her mouth and surrendered all control.
This was what she needed. A chance to let go and trust. He was in charge, and in this moment, she was okay with that.
When he freed her hands, she put her arms around his neck, needing the support as he stepped between her feet, widening her stance. His teeth grazed her throat while his hand slid between their bodies and found her more than ready for his possession.
She moaned feverishly as he slid a finger inside her, the heel of his palm grazing the over-stimulated knot of nerves. Gasping, she writhed against his hand while hunger built. She needed him inside her, pumping hard, driving her relentlessly into a massive orgasm.
It was hard to concentrate as he masterfully drove her forward into her climax, but Brandee retained enough of her faculties to offer him a small taste of the torment he was inflicting upon her. She cupped her palm over the head of his erection and felt him shudder.
“Jeez” was all he could manage between clenched teeth.
“We need a condom.” She rode his length up and down with her hand, learning the texture and shape of him. “Now.”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“Jeans.”
“You’re prepared.” A bubble of amusement gave her enough breathing room to stave off the encroaching orgasm.
“Since I arrived.”
She bit her lip as his hand fell away from her body, but kept the dissatisfied groan from escaping while he took a few seconds to reach into his jeans pocket and pull out a foil-wrapped pack.
“Let me.” She plucked it from his fingers and deftly ripped it open.
He winced as she rolled the condom down his length. Another time, she might have made more of a production of it to torment him, but her body needed to join with his, so she skipped the foreplay.
Almost as soon as she was done, he was lifting her off the floor and settling her back against the wall once more. Brandee stared out the shower door at the mirror that hung over the double vanity. She could just make out the back of Shane’s head and her fingers laced in his hair. Every muscle in her body was tensed. Waiting.
“Look at me.”
She resisted his demand. She needed him inside her, but she couldn’t let him see what it would do to her. This wasn’t just sex. Something was happening to her. In the same way she’d liked having him in her bedroom and found comfort riding beside him out in the pasture, she craved intimacy that went beyond the merely physical.
“Look at me.” His rough voice shredded her willpower. “You’re going to watch what you do to me.”
That did it. She could no longer resist him. Her eyes locked with his. A second later he began to slide inside her, and Brandee began to shatter.
Eight
Shane wasn’t sure what he’d said to make Brandee meet his gaze, but from the way her big blue-gray eyes locked on him, he was certain he’d regret it later. The ache she’d aroused needed release, but he took his time sliding into Brandee this first time. He wanted to remember every second, memorize every ragged inhalation of her breath and quiver of her body.
The first flutters of her internal muscles began before he’d settled his hips fully against hers. Her eyes widened to a nearly impossible size and she clutched his shoulders, her fingernails biting into him. As the first shudder wracked her, it was all he could do to keep from driving into her hard and fast and taking his own pleasure. Instead, he withdrew smoothly and pressed forward again. He watched in utter fascination as a massive orgasm swept over her, nearly taking him with it.
“Damn, woman.” He thought he’d known lust and desire before, but something about what had just happened with Brandee told him he was diving straight off a cliff with nothing at the bottom to keep him from crashing and burning. “That was fast.”
She gave him a dreamy smile as her head dropped back against the wall. Her lashes appeared too heavy to lift. “It’s been a while,” she said weakly. At long last her gaze found his and a mischievous glint lurked in the depths of her eyes. “And you’re pretty good at this.”
“You haven’t seen anything.”
She slid her fingers up his shoulders and into his hair, pressing the back of his head to urge his mouth toward hers. “Then let’s get this party started.”
“I thought we already had.”
Before she could come up with another sassy retort, he claimed her mouth. Apparently the orgasm hadn’t dampened her fire because Brandee kissed him back with ardent intensity.
Shane began to move inside her once more, determined to take his time and make her climax again. Had he ever been with a woman as wildly sensitive and willing to give herself wholeheartedly to pleasure as Brandee? Her whispered words of encouragement accompanied his every thrust and drove his willpower beyond its limits. But he held on until he felt the tension build in her body again. At last he let himself go in a rush of pleasure as her body bucked and she began to climax again. Sparks exploded behind Shane’s eyes as they went over together.
In the aftermath, there was only the hiss of water pouring from the showerheads and ragged gasps as they strained to recover. But these were distant noises, barely discernible over the stunned, jubilant voice in Shane’s head. He’d known making love to Brandee would be a singularly amazing experience, but he’d underestimated the power claiming her would have on his psyche.
“You should put me down,” she said, her low, neutral tone giving nothing away. “Before something happens.”
Something had already happened. Something immense and unforgettable. Powerful and scary. He was both eager and terrified to repeat the experience. But not yet. First he needed a few seconds to recover. And not just physically.
As soon as she was standing on
her own, he reached to turn off the water, and the instant he took his eyes off her, she scooted out of the shower. He started to follow, but was slowed when a towel shot toward his face. The emotions that had been gathering in him, unsettling yet undeniable, retreated as he snatched the thick terry from the air.
Brandee had used his momentary distraction to slip a robe off the back of the door and wrap it around herself. Water dripped from the ends of her blond hair as she whirled to confront him, chuckling as she caught up another towel and knotted it around her head. Cocooned in plush white cotton, she watched him wrap the towel around his waist.
“Wow,” she said with a bright laugh. “I knew that was going to be fantastic, but you exceeded my expectations.”
Her delight found no matching gladness inside him. From her nonchalant cheerfulness, the experience hadn’t been as transformative for her as it had been for him.
“That’s me,” he said, straining for a light tone. “Satisfaction guaranteed.”
“I’ll make sure I rate you five stars online.” She yawned. “Well, it’s been quite a day. And I still need to get a little work done. See you tomorrow, Delgado.”
Shane had assumed there’d be a round two and now watched in stunned silence as Brandee blew him a kiss and disappeared out the bathroom door. Shane retreated to his room, shadowed by an uneasiness he couldn’t shake. Chasing after her would only give her the upper hand in this wager.
Few knew his inner landscape didn’t match the witty, life-of-the-party exterior people gravitated to. If he went after Brandee right now, he honestly didn’t think he could pull off the cocky, charming version of himself that was his trademark.
She’d blown his mind and then walked away, leaving him hungry for more. But it wasn’t so much his body that was in turmoil, but his emotions. And not because he was worried she might not be as into him as he’d thought.