by Anne, Melody
“Lance . . .” she groaned, her mouth wrenching from his. He trailed his lips down her neck, sucking the skin before he scooted back enough to tug her shirt over her head. He continued trailing his lips down her chest until he reached her beautiful breasts. He just needed a little taste, he assured himself.
There was a clasp on the front of her bra, and he was able to undo it with a flick of his fingers. Her breasts spilled into his palms, and he pulsed in his pants. He didn’t stop the journey of his mouth until he was latched onto her nipple. When he sucked it into his hot mouth, she cried out again, and he felt her shaking as he bit down.
She tensed and then let out another cry as he sucked one nipple and squeezed the other. Then she went limp in his arms. Shocked, he kissed his way back up her body and traced her lips with his tongue. Her eyes were dilated as she met his gaze. She’d come from little more than his kiss and the feel of his mouth on her nipples. He was in awe of this beautiful, sexual creature.
He wanted to give her one orgasm after another. He had forgotten about his own need for a moment. She leaned against him as if their connection was too great; she couldn’t look at him any longer. For just this moment in time he wanted to do nothing more than hold her.
But as she squirmed in his arms, his own need came raging to the surface. He pulled back, afraid she was going to leave him. He wasn’t sure he could survive that. When she looked at him again, she gave him an assessing gaze, and then she pushed against his chest.
Lance wanted to find a weapon and end his own life right then and there. He wasn’t sure he would survive her rejection at this point.
“Your turn,” she whispered. Lance didn’t understand what she was saying until she jumped down from the counter and knelt at his feet. He wanted to stop her. This wasn’t a contest. She didn’t owe him an orgasm because he’d given her one.
But then her fingers were on the waistband of his sweats, and she was tugging them down. He tried to open his mouth to tell her she didn’t need to do this, but then the cool air hit his throbbing skin seconds before her hot breath rushed over him, and he lost the ability to speak.
When her mouth closed over his pulsing flesh, a gurgle of sound escaped him before his fingers were tugging on her hair. She pulled him deep into her mouth, wetting him, making him drip his pleasure on her tongue, lubricating the path.
She sucked him deep while squeezing him with her hand. He groaned in ecstasy as she brought him closer to the relief he needed so desperately. When she pulled him from her mouth and ran her tongue along his length he knew it was almost over. He wanted to be buried inside her, but he couldn’t pull away from her incredible mouth.
She sucked on him again, and he pulled her hair hard as an explosion ripped through him. His release coated her tongue as he shook beneath her touch. He pulsed over and over again, a guttural sound emerging from him as she held him tight and continued to suck him.
When the orgasm was over, he opened his eyes and looked down. She was gazing up at him with satisfaction. Her tongue came out and licked her swollen lips, and some of his pleasure dripped from the corner of her mouth, making him ready for a second orgasm.
He wanted this woman with unlimited passion. He knew it would never be enough. It didn’t matter how many times he took her, it would never be enough. But he sure as hell would try to have her as much as possible.
He reached down and lifted her to her feet, needing to take her lips. A salty flavor resided there, but he didn’t care. He was falling for her in so many ways he would never be able to end the connection.
She pulled back and smiled at him before lifting her hand and brushing sweat from his brow. Then she pushed away, and he felt instant coldness where she’d been pressed against him.
“I’m not going to say I didn’t want that because I did,” she said. But he was watching the shutters come over her eyes. He didn’t like that at all. He wanted to give her so much pleasure she wouldn’t have time for regrets.
“But . . .” he said, knowing it was coming.
“But it won’t continue,” she told him. The final board was nailed into place on the coffin burying him in the ground.
He knew he could fight her, knew he could get her into his bed. But he didn’t want it to be a fight. He wanted her to come willingly.
“It will,” he said as he reached up and cupped her face. “But I’m a patient man.”
Lexie looked at him with shock. Good. He wanted to surprise her. If she thought she knew him, she would learn there was much more to him than what met the eye. He was in this for the long haul. He decided that right then. He wasn’t sure he’d ever let this woman go.
He didn’t stop her when she turned and walked away from him. He had plenty of time to woo her. That thought made him smile. He’d never had to woo a woman before. What an old-fashioned term. He decided he liked it a lot. He’d get her into his bed, and he hoped to hell he got into her heart.
Chapter Seven
Sweat beaded off Lexie’s brow as she swung a hammer and nearly hit her thumb. Snatching her hand back, she cursed and looked around to make sure a kid was nowhere in sight. Thankfully none were.
Two weeks! She’d been in this village in the Philippines for two long weeks, and after that second night when things had gotten hot and heavy in the small house she shared with Lance, the steam had gone depressingly down.
It was what she wanted, she convinced herself. She didn’t need to have a steamy affair with the man. Her brain was on the right track, but her body wasn’t listening. She lay in bed night after night wondering if he was awake, if he was touching himself the way she wanted to touch him. She wondered if she was going to survive living side by side with the man.
He seemed to take every opportunity to touch her, tease her, smile, and flirt with her, without taking it to the next level. The morning after their steamy counter make-out session he’d told her he would respect what she wanted; he wouldn’t push her to do more than she was willing to do. He’d also told her all she had to do was say the word and the two of them could be sharing a bed.
She hated her damn stubbornness, hated that she was resisting what she wanted so badly. But Lexie feared that if she gave in to the hunger of wanting him, gave in to her body’s desire, she would never be able to turn things around. She feared she would fall in love with the man, and then she’d be in an entirely different world of hurt.
She could last a couple more weeks in this country, watching him as he worked hard bringing things to families who were so appreciative. If he were a monster this would be easy. She would allow herself to let go and take comfort in his arms. But he was anything but a devil. He was kind and generous, and he was the type of man she hadn’t thought truly existed. He was the kind of man a woman wanted to keep forever.
But Lexie didn’t trust herself — didn’t trust that what she was feeling was real. She was seeing one side of him. But her dad had also been able to lay on the charm, not that he’d bothered to do it very often and certainly not for as long a stretch as Lance was doing. But that fear was still there. Lance could change, and when that happened it might be too late for her to shift her own feelings toward him.
So instead of taking what she wanted — what he’d offered to give her — she suffered each and every day. It wasn’t going too well for her, but he seemed fine, happy as could be, in fact.
Lexie’s gaze searched the area they were working, and she found Lance without much effort. He was putting together a shed, his shirt off, his tanned skin gleaming in the sun. Back home it would be rainy, possibly even icy, but where they were the sun was shining and the temperatures were in the high seventies to low eighties, which wasn’t helping with her situation at all.
Lexie was getting ready to turn away and get back to work when she saw a beautiful brunette approach Lance with a cup and a smile, her hips swaying in the short shorts she wore, her upper half b
arely covered by an indecent bikini top. Lexie glared at the woman, who was unaware of the heated gaze sent her way. Hell, the woman was only focused on Lance.
Without realizing she was moving, Lexie stepped closer, staying hidden behind the house as she spied on them. She couldn’t hear what was being said, but she could see it all, and when Lance threw his head back and laughed, and the woman reached out and ran her fingernail down his naked chest, Lexie felt her claws come out.
She had no reason to feel jealous, no right to stake a claim, but that’s exactly how she felt and what she wanted to do. Lexie hadn’t seen this woman around the village before and didn’t like that she was invading what Lexie considered her space.
Lance drank whatever the woman had brought — probably something with a roofie in it — and some of the drink dribbled down his chin. Lexie didn’t have to worry about that, because the woman reached up and wiped the moisture away with her thumb before she pulled her hand back and licked the digit in a very inappropriate way.
Lexie didn’t believe in calling names or shaming other women, but there were a few choice words she wanted to call the brunette, who wasn’t trying to hide the fact that she wanted to jump Lance’s bones. He was obviously enjoying the moment, and it solidified in Lexie’s mind that she’d made the right decision in not getting involved with the man.
Whether he was sleeping with Lexie or not, he would constantly have women throw themselves at him, and she couldn’t compete with that. She didn’t want to pretend to be someone other than who she was to keep him faithful. She shouldn’t have to be a different person to keep her man interested. Not that Lance was her man she reminded herself.
Unable to watch the scene anymore, she turned away. It had been a long day and she was done. There was no way she’d be able to watch him walk off with the woman — probably to go to her place, or to some private area on the beach not too far away.
The thought made Lexie’s stomach heave, and she had to fight back the feeling of nausea. This was too much for her to take. Sadness filtered through her as she skirted the couple before beginning the walk back to the place she was sharing with Lance.
When she reached the door to their house another horrifying thought came to mind. What if he brought the woman home? He wouldn’t do that, would he? There was no way he was so clueless that he would flaunt another woman in the place Lexie was staying.
Fear filled her at the thought. If he brought that woman home, Lexie’s claws would surely come out as she attacked. The thought was so horrifying she felt her body trembling with rage.
What in the world was wrong with her? She had to pull herself together. Maybe it was because it was getting closer to Christmas, but it didn’t feel like it with such warm weather surrounding her. She wasn’t sure. Maybe she needed more releases like what he’d given her a couple weeks before. Whatever it was, she had to get herself under control or she was never going to survive this trip.
Unable to push thoughts of Lance from her mind, she climbed into the shower and did something she hadn’t done in a long time — she allowed herself to let go and have a good cry. Not even that helped.
Chapter Eight
I have a surprise for you,” Lance said as he joined Lexie in the kitchen the next morning.
She knew she was acting like a bratty child, but she couldn’t help it. The night before she had taken her time cooking a nice dinner — and then she’d waited. She’d tried telling herself she wasn’t waiting, but that was exactly what she’d been doing. She’d nibbled on her food with zero appetite, and she’d thrown out the rest, deciding if he wasn’t going to come back to their place at a decent hour then the man didn’t need to eat.
When she knew it would be pathetic for her to be sitting there waiting for him to come home, she’d gone to her room and tried to get lost in a book. That hadn’t worked either. She’d been awake when she’d heard him come in, walking around the house about ten that evening. She’d been listening for the sound of another set of footsteps, which she hadn’t heard.
Now it was morning and she was tired, grumpy, and in no mood to deal with any of his riddles. She wanted to punch him, and Lexie wasn’t normally a violent woman, but Lance Storm brought out the worst in her. Maybe that was another reason she would be foolish to get involved in any sort of relationship with him.
“I don’t want anything from you,” she told him, unable to keep her anger from showing. Her tone stopped him in his tracks, and he gave her an assessing look. Dammit, she didn’t want him to know how jealous she was. She wanted him to go back into his box where he didn’t matter to her. She feared that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.
“What’s wrong?” he asked as he sat down across from her, his face looking concerned. That was just more proof the man could act.
“Nothing’s wrong. I don’t want anything from you, especially any surprises,” she said, this time able to more convincingly control her voice.
He looked at her for several moments before he reached across the table for her hand. She jerked it back so fast her coffee sloshed over her cup, some spilling on her. She screeched as the hot liquid burned her skin.
Lance was quick on his feet, jumping up and forcing her to release her death grip on the mug before dragging her over to the sink where he held her hand under cold water. She was stiff as he pressed against her.
“Let me get some ice. Keep your hand under the water for a while longer,” he demanded. There was no other word for it. He now seemed irritated as he moved to the freezer and pulled out ice, wrapping it in a towel before coming back to her.
He turned off the faucet and led her to the table. Her hand wasn’t hurting, thanks to his quick thinking, but she didn’t feel like thanking him. All she could see was his hands all over the brunette’s body, and the more she thought about it the more rage she felt.
“You are going to have to tell me what has you so riled up. As intelligent as I am, I’ve never claimed to be a mind reader,” Lance said as he moved his chair so he was facing her as she held the towel on her hand.
“Nothing has me riled. I can say I don’t want something without it being a big deal,” she grumbled. The more she spoke the more absurd she knew she sounded. But if she told him what her problem was, then he would realize she was jealous and irrational, and she would rather cut off one of her right toes than admit to that.
Lance gave her a quizzical look before leaning back. He was assessing her, which made her squirm in her seat. This situation grew worse by the minute. She wanted to get up and run away.
“Okay, well, I’ll tell you the surprise anyway,” he said. “If you want to sit there and pout like a child, there’s nothing I can do about it.”
“What?” she screeched, hating the whine in her voice. “I’m not the one behaving like a horny adolescent.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he snapped.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m not your keeper,” she muttered.
When a smile lit up his face, she saw red and again felt the need to scratch the man’s eyes out. She apparently couldn’t keep her mouth shut. That was her problem; she was too much of an open book.
“This doesn’t have anything to do with me getting in late does it?” he asked. The knowing tone of his voice had her on edge.
“Of course not. I have no idea what time you got in,” she said too quickly.
Lance laughed and Lexie seriously contemplated picking up the rest of her coffee and tossing it in his face. Of course then she’d have to doctor him since he’d probably be blind. Still might be worth it.
“I was out with some of the guys having a drink and talking about a project,” he told her.
“I didn’t ask where you were,” she said, but the flood of relief that filtered through her had her more worried than before. She wanted to demand to know that he hadn’t gone anywhere with the brunette, but she wasn’t
going to do that. Besides, he could be making it all up. Men were pigs. They could easily go from one woman’s bed to another.
“I think you’re jealous,” he said with wonder.
“I’m not jealous. There’s nothing to be upset about,” she yelled as she sent him a death glare.
“This is interesting,” he said as if talking to himself and not her. She was growing closer to tossing that coffee.
“There’s nothing interesting because I’m not jealous. I don’t care who you’re with or where you’re at. You can be out all night if you want,” she told him.
He looked at her again as he leaned back in his chair, and she could see the wheels turning. Then his smile turned to mega-wattage status, and she felt her fingers twitching toward the coffee cup.
“I didn’t even think about it, but you disappeared shortly after I was talking to Bella,” he said.
Bella! Of course the woman had a name like that. It was a floozy name, Lexie decided. Except she’d always sort of liked the name before hearing it come from Lance’s lips while talking about a scantily clad woman. But now she decided it was definitely a hussy name.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I finished what I was doing, and I was hot so I left. I didn’t think I needed to check in with you on my comings and goings,” she muttered.
“You know, Lexie, you’re the only woman I see anymore,” he said. The seriousness in his voice nearly floored her.
“I don’t expect that,” she said. She was feeling pettier by the moment, and it wasn’t a feeling she was enjoying. “You shouldn’t be thinking about me because we are just partners here.”
“Bella is a flirt, but it’s all harmless. She wasn’t around long,” he told her. She wanted to jump up and hug the man, but then she would be admitting to him that she had been jealous and she hadn’t slept because of it. It sounded as if he was telling her the truth. Lexie wasn’t sure of anything in her current hormonal state.