The Ultimate Treasure

by Anne, Melody

  Chapter Fourteen

  Lance had sworn not to kiss Lexie again if he wouldn’t be able to finish what that would start. He’d failed on that promise to himself in only a few hours’ time. The moment his lips had connected with Lexie’s he’d been lost. He hadn’t cared where they were, he’d only cared about getting her to a bed, or a wall. Hell, the floor would have worked.

  He wanted this woman with a passion he was sure was going to kill him. He didn’t care. If he died in her arms, it would be a happy death. But please, he prayed to the heavens, let him have a release first.

  The look on Lexie’s face as they entered the large bedroom wasn’t reassuring him that he was going to get that happy night today. She was protecting herself, but he didn’t understand from what. He wasn’t a terrible guy, and the two of them had chemistry. Hell, they had more than chemistry — they had something that was both amazing and terrifying. But at least he was willing to explore it. He didn’t think she was. It had to do with her father, he decided.

  Lance had pushed her into coming to stay with his family, and now he wondered if that had been a mistake. Maybe she was so overwhelmed she’d go running off to the hills, never to be found again. It was done, though, and there was nothing he could do to change it, so he might as well try to make the best of the situation.

  “Your family is . . . a lot to take in,” Lexie finally said as she wandered around the room. He noticed she didn’t go anywhere near the bed.

  Someone had come up earlier and turned on the gas fireplace, the glow from the lamp and the fire the only light in the room. If he couldn’t seduce her in this room, all hope was lost.

  “Yeah, it took time to get used to it,” he admitted.

  “What do you mean?” she asked.

  “Didn’t your sister fill you in?” he questioned.

  “Not really. She just says she loves them all,” she told him. “I can completely understand why. They are wonderful.”

  Of course Savvy loved his family. Once a person got to know them, it was impossible not to want to be a part of the Anderson clan.

  “My dad was a triplet, but he didn’t know,” Lance began to explain. “The doctor who delivered them discovered a third baby, and since he and his wife couldn’t have children, they decided it was fate. So Joseph and George grew up with their parents never knowing about my dad. About six years ago, my dad decided to move from the East Coast to Seattle and that’s when they all met. My siblings and I discovered we had a hoard of cousins and they took us right in. It was a bit of an adjustment, but now we’re as close as if we’d never been apart,” he told her.

  “Wow,” she said in awe, moving over to the bed and plopping down. The sight of her on that large mattress had him growing uncomfortably hard. Damn, he couldn’t even have a normal conversation without sex on the brain.

  “Yeah, it really is quite the story, but my family was falling apart and moving here healed us in ways I can’t even begin to describe. I’m grateful to have them. And yes, they are meddling and drive me insane sometimes, but I can’t image my life without them,” he admitted.

  “You’re a good guy, Lance,” she said. The words came out sounding more like an accusation than a compliment.

  “Is that a bad thing?” he asked with a smile.

  “No . . . and yes,” she said. She suddenly appeared so sad that he wanted to walk over and comfort her. He feared if he did it would lead to other things though, and he didn’t want her to think he saw her as nothing but a body to use.

  Damn! He wished he had no morals. He knew there was more to the two of them than just wanting her physically, but he’d never been good at talking and sharing his feelings. He didn’t want to screw this up. If only he knew what to do next.

  “I’m glad you came here. No one should be alone at Christmas,” he said. He moved over to his bag and began taking some things out so he could occupy his hands before he went over and filled them with her luscious assets.

  “I’m used to being alone,” she told him.

  “That shouldn’t be the case, Lexie. Your sister is married to my brother. That means you’re family,” he told her.

  She looked at him with so much hope in her eyes he didn’t know what to think. Maybe that’s what he’d needed to say all along. Maybe she just needed to know she belonged somewhere. It wasn’t something he’d ever dealt with before. Even when he and his siblings hadn’t been on the best of terms, he’d always known he had a place to come home to. He assumed everyone felt the same.

  “This is Savvy’s new destiny, not mine. I’ve leaned on her for a long time. I have to learn to stand on my own,” she told him.

  “That’s not true. We aren’t meant to do it on our own. The people who love us never mind that we accept their help,” he told her.

  “Sometimes we have to grow up,” she countered.

  “And sometimes growing up means knowing when to ask for help,” he insisted.

  “You have all the answers, don’t you?” she said with a chuckle.

  “I’m a smart guy,” he said.

  “That you are,” she told him. “Do you want the bathroom first?”

  “No, go ahead.”

  Lexie grabbed some items from one of her bags and disappeared into the connecting bathroom. Lance groaned as he heard the shower turn on and pictured her peeling her clothes away and climbing inside, steam surrounding her, soap dripping down her chest, over her stomach and . . .

  Whoa! He couldn’t be having those thoughts. It would make it impossible for him to get any sleep regardless of how exhausted he was. He glanced at the bed again and felt an ache filter through him. He couldn’t just assume she’d want to share the bed, though that would make the night a hell of a lot more pleasant.

  He’d give her the choice, but he’d also be a gentleman and make a separate bed. If she wanted to invite him into her bed instead of making him sleep on the floor, he certainly wouldn’t complain.

  He pulled some blankets out of the closet and laid them out in front of the fire. If he wasn’t going to enjoy her body heat, then he needed something to keep him warm on this cold night — not that his own body temperature wasn’t scorching hot right now.

  Lexie didn’t take too long in the bathroom and when she came out, her peachy scent assaulted him. He wanted to take that bite out of her he’d been fantasizing about for a month. Her cheeks were glowing, and with her hair wet and hanging down her back, she looked so young and innocent that he almost felt guilty about having thoughts of her writhing beneath him.

  Lance didn’t trust himself to say a word, so instead he slipped into the bathroom and shut the door, the scent of her was even stronger in the closed room. Stripping down, he looked at the misbehaving part of his body and cursed how hard he was.

  He stepped into the shower she’d just been naked and wet in and whimpered in pain as he pulsed. Reaching down, he squeezed himself to the point of pain, trying to make the traitorous erection die away. But that did nothing.

  Placing his hands on the wall, he wondered if it was okay to let out a few tears of frustration. That thought had him smiling. It took a lot to bring Lance to his knees, but he had a feeling the woman on the other side of the door could do it easily.

  He again thought of relieving himself, but he couldn’t do it, not with the chance of her doing it for him. He was saying every prayer imaginable that he would walk back into the room and see her lying on the bed with a come-hither look on her face and open arms.

  Reality wasn’t nearly as appealing as his fantasies. He left his shirt off, walking from the bathroom in a pair of low slung sweatpants, sweat from his hot shower gleaming on his chest.

  Pride filtered through him when Lexie stopped pulling the covers back on the bed and stared at his pecs. Lance was one of the lucky ones that had a great metabolism, and it didn’t take much to keep his body in shape, but he stil
l worked out hard and didn’t mind one little bit at her looking.

  Her face assured him she wasn’t planning on sharing the same bed. With almost a sad sigh, he moved across the room and looked at the covers he’d laid out on the floor. It was less than appealing.

  “I’ll sleep down here if you prefer,” he told her. “But I don’t mind sharing that nice big bed with you.”

  Lexie’s eyes widened, and he saw desire flare. For one second he had hope that she was going to invite him in. He could seduce her. He knew that, but he wanted her to want him without the seduction. He wanted her to let go of her inhibitions and let him love her.

  “Your entire family is on the other side of this door. There’s no way I’m going to risk them hearing us doing . . . things,” she finally said with that intriguing blush stealing over her features.

  “They wouldn’t hear a thing. It’s a big place,” he said. If that was all that was stopping her, he could certainly win this one.

  “Good try,” she said with a forced chuckle.

  Then he watched in agony as she bent over, her nice tush a pleasant sight, before it disappeared as she climbed beneath the covers, pulling them all the way up to her chin.

  “We could both be sleeping like puppies if you’d let me help you relax,” he tried one more time. But he knew it was a losing battle. He sank to the floor, too hot to get under the blankets, so he laid on top instead, his hand beneath his head as he gazed at what an appealing sight she made, her body lost in all those covers.

  The dim light of the room cast a perfect glow on her features and made him want her that much more. He had never respected a woman this much, and he sort of liked how much he did. He didn’t want to do anything to dishonor Lexie.

  With a sigh that sounded as pained as he felt, Lexie reached over and clicked off her bedside lamp. The glow from the fire was the only light in the room, and Lance had put the setting on low so it was only enough to cast shadows, but still he could see her face, even if he could no longer read her expression.

  He feared it was going to be a very long night. The floor felt harder than normal, even though he’d slept on worse in the past. If he didn’t get into her bed soon, he’d be suffering all sorts of aches and pains.

  The silence weighed on Lance as he tried to get comfortable. After several minutes he wondered if she’d fallen asleep. Maybe that was best. He certainly could use a refresh session.

  “Goodnight, Lance,” she finally said, the words drifting lazily over to him. “Thanks for bringing me here.”

  His heart swelled at her words. She might be feeling overwhelmed, but she also appreciated his messy family. That tugged on his heart more than anything else that had been said or done between the two of them.

  Though Lance hadn’t thought he’d be able to sleep, he focused on Lexie all snug in her bed, and soon his eyes were drifting closed, her face flashing in his mind. He was falling more and more for her. And he wasn’t afraid.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Perfection.

  Lexie was perfect in every single way. Her hair tickled its way down his belly as her hands traced the ridges on his stomach before she tugged on his pants. He lifted his hips so she could slip the pants away, and then he felt her hot breath on his thickness, her mouth descending. He couldn’t open his eyes, couldn’t do anything other than enjoy the feel of her touching him — tasting him.

  A groan escaped his mouth at the first swipe of her tongue down his entire length. He didn’t even try to hold back the moan this time. He was pulsing in her hand as she wrapped her fingers around him. Then her mouth circled the tip of his hardness, and she tasted him and moaned, the vibration of her mouth sending him over the edge of sanity.

  More. He wanted so much more than her mouth. “Lexie . . .” he groaned, reaching down for her, but coming up empty. Her magical mouth moved up and down him, and he was so close . . . so very close to releasing. But he wanted to be buried deep inside her the next time he let go so he held back.

  It had been over a year since he’d felt the hot slickness of her heat surrounding him. He almost forgot what it felt like — almost, but not quite. The next time he came it was going to be because he was buried to the hilt deep within her body. Nothing else would be as satisfying.

  “Lance . . .” she called again, but this time there was real urgency in her voice. He whimpered when her hot, wet mouth left his thickness. No. He wasn’t ready unless she was planning on crawling up his body and sitting down on him. He was more than ready for that.

  “Lance!” This time her voice was angry, and Lance didn’t understand. Had he done something wrong? He didn’t want to open his eyes, but he knew he needed to. Something wasn’t right.

  “Wake up!” Lexie hissed.

  Lance’s eyes flew open, and he looked down. Lexie wasn’t on him, and his pants weren’t down. There was certainly a tent where his erection was standing at attention, but when he realized he’d been dreaming he almost felt the sting of tears. He wasn’t going to last, not at all — not like this. Maybe seduction was back on the table. He’d been an honorable man for long enough.

  Lance focused on Lexie, who was sitting up in bed looking frightened, and then he heard the knock on the bedroom door. He turned in that direction. Why was she freaking out?

  “Hello? It’s late morning, and we have to get going. I’ll wait two minutes for you two to get decent, and then I’m opening the door,” a voice called through the closed door.

  “Soundproof my butt,” Lexie said with a glare sent his way. “Get up here on the bed with me,” she demanded.

  “Hell yeah,” he said as he scrambled to his feet, forgetting the person at the door.

  “Not for that, you fool,” she snapped, making his erection twitch. “We’re supposed to be a couple. Couples tend to sleep together,” she hissed.

  Lance wanted to go back to sleep and continue where his dream had left off. It had been much more pleasant than the reality of Lexie inviting him into bed as a showpiece instead of as her lover.

  “Come on,” she said urgently as he saw the knob on the door begin to turn.

  Lance dove into motion, though he didn’t know why he was doing so. He made it to the bed and Lexie reached for him, pulling, knocking him off balance. He slipped and fell on top of her, their eyes meeting as she lost her breath at his weight.

  He’d been about to apologize, though she’d been the one to do it, but even through the blankets, he felt he was in the V of her thighs and all thoughts other than completing his dream fled his brain.

  The door opened just as he was bending down to kiss Lexie’s sweet lips.

  “Oh. I gave you warning,” Savs said with a chuckle. “I’m turned around. Get decent. I brought coffee and a bagel since I know Lexie is a beast before she has her first cup.”

  Lance was trying to process what his sister-in-law was saying, but he couldn’t focus, not when he was where he’d wanted to be for so long. Well, almost where he wanted to be. The covers in their way were a huge inconvenience.

  “Give us a second,” Lexie said with a squeak.

  She was yanking at the covers that were trapping her, and trying to push Lance off her. Finally, his brain fired and he moved, grabbed the covers, and then slid beneath, his leg pressed against Lexie’s. He didn’t need Savvy seeing his morning happiness that was ready to explode with the simplest of touches.

  “It’s safe to turn around. You just startled us, that’s all. Nothing was going on,” Lexie said after sending Lance a death glare.

  Savvy turned and grinned at both of them. “Sure,” she said with sugar. Lance was loving his sister-in-law more and more by the second. He realized she wasn’t at all against a relationship between her sister and him. He had at least one cheerleader in his section.

  “I’m gonna leave this on the nightstand. We’re going to leave in two hours. I’ve given y
ou plenty of time,” Savvy said, winking at them before exiting the room.

  Lance turned and looked at how adorably embarrassed Lexie was, and he couldn’t help himself. With a quick movement, he shifted and was pressed on top of her, his thickness between her thighs, his lips only inches from hers.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, though it was more than obvious.

  “Tell me to stop if you don’t like it,” he said, bending down and kissing her jaw. Damn, she tasted good. He nibbled along her jaw line, his erection pulsing against the heat from her covered core. He tasted his way back up to the corner of her lips before leaning back and looking into her eyes, which were fired up as much as his were.

  Pressing himself tightly against her, he wanted to leave no doubt where he was hoping this would lead them. Her eyes sparked again, and they hadn’t even kissed yet. He was waiting, wanting to draw out the beautiful moment. If they weren’t interrupted again, he might finally get the happy ending they both deserved so damn much. Too bad he hadn’t done exactly this the night before.

  “Lance . . .” she said with a sigh.

  It didn’t sound like a protest. Maybe she was giving in to what she wanted as badly as he did but was too afraid to say anything. Lance felt relief wash through him.

  “What do you want, Lexie?” he asked, leaning down and gently kissing her lips, just a small taste. Her tongue flicked out and wetted them, and he pulsed against her body.

  His hips moved in a circular motion as he pushed against her. Yep. Seduction it was. She was too shy or too something to admit she wanted him, but as he pressed into her, she also wasn’t telling him to stop.

  He wanted her, but it had to do with so much more than needing her physically. He loved talking with her, laughing with her, watching her expression-filled eyes when she was happy or angry or sad. He was learning so much about her, and the more he learned, the more he wanted her.

  But at the moment there was only one thing on his mind. He needed to sate the lust he had for her, and he wanted to make her cry out his name like she’d done a year before. He wanted her thinking of nothing but him, and he wanted to do it over and over. Two hours wasn’t remotely long enough.