by Unknown
They were as dark as her hair, smoldering black with just a glint of amber in them, and he realized, he recognized that look.
It was the one he thought was reserved only for when she danced.
He’d seen it on more than one occasion while he watched her practice with the boys at school like some lovesick fool.
As his breath left his lungs— he knew.
Now he had to make sure she knew, too.
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!
Mel’s heart thumped in her chest with an uneven rhythm while Drew lit candles and put a disc in the CD player. Suddenly, she was nervous. Their last romp had been unexpected. She hadn’t had time to worry about what she looked like naked. Even after almost six weeks of Neil’s grueling workout regimen, she still had lumps.
Lumps she’d probably rather weren’t highlighted by his Glade scented candles.
Mel clenched her cold hands together in nervous anticipation when Drew loosened his tie and took off his jacket to hang it in the small closet by his front door.
It gave her a moment to reassess his apartment, which was sparse in terms of furniture and any kind of decoration. Well, except for the picture of the waterfall.
Drew reached behind it and turned something on. “See? It’s just like real water, so sayeth Myriam. She told me I didn’t have enough atmosphere in the apartment for Nate— so she bought this for us when she was in Atlantic City.”
Mel watched the waterfall seemingly fl ow with real water, her mouth open in fascination. “It’s as riveting as a velvet Elvis painting.
I can’t tear my eyes away.”
Drew approached her from behind. “Let me help you with that,”
he whispered against her ear, wreaking havoc with her belly. Drew ran his hands over her hips, drawing her back to lean completely against him.
His muscled frame against hers, pressing into her fl esh through her thin dress was intoxicating. They swayed for a bit, moving to the soft music on the CD player. Mel’s eyes closed when a familiar tune came on, and she whispered, “Is that Tony Bennett?”
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Drew’s lips slid over the sensitive skin of her neck. “It is.”
“I’d have never fi gured you for that type of guy.”
“Then you still have much to learn, grasshopper. I was raised on Bennett and Sinatra, to name a few.” He turned her in his arms, molding her to him, smoothing his hands over her waist.
“I have a confession.”
“Well, I know you’re not a man. What’s left?”
“Funny. I’m being serious here.”
“Confess,” he prompted, gliding his tongue over her lips.
“I’m petrifi ed.”
He pulled his lips from hers, giving her a concerned glance. “Of?”
“Being naked.”
“That must make it hard to shower.”
“Again, being serious.”
He chuckled low and gritty. “Sorry. Being very serious, I can assure you, you have nothing to be petrifi ed about.”
“Oh, please. You didn’t see me totally naked. It was dark the last time. Now we have all these stupid candles.”
“Oh, but I did. Now I have a confession. I peeked while you were sleeping. Pretty impressive backend ya got there, lady.”
Mel buried her face in his shoulder, her cheeks hot. “It is not. It’s fl abby.”
“How about you let me be the judge of that? It couldn’t be that bad because I’m back for seconds. And let’s not forget, I’ve been waiting for that fl abby ass of yours to be naked for more than a month’s worth of make- out sessions. Clearly, I like you, fl abby and otherwise.
So how about you let me prove that to you?”
Mel let him lead her to his bedroom, stepping over the shoes he kicked off. He opened his arms, and she went willingly, burrowing against the crisp material of his shirt with a sigh. His chest pressed against her cheek, allowing her to hear his heartbeat, rapid and sure.
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Tilting her head up, Drew caressed her lips with his, tentatively touching them before pulling away. His hands roamed in soothing circles across her back and down along the slope of her hips, pulling her closer and closer.
She sighed when his tongue slipped into her mouth, rasping against hers, tasting like the mint he’d used after dinner. His groan of encouragement when she wrapped her arms around his neck made her back arch, pushing her breasts into the muscles of his chest.
His hands found the zipper on the back of her dress, sliding it down her spine while his lips devoured hers. The contact of his hands on her hot fl esh made her gasp in hungry need to feel all of him.
When he slid her dress off, leaving her in a white lace bra and low-waist panties, Drew smiled his approval. “Were you planning to have your way with me, Ms. Cherkasov?”
Mel rolled her eyes at him, planting a fi nger on his chest. “I was thinking no such thing. Underwear is underwear. Why is something sexy a presumption that sex will occur? Maybe I just like nice underwear.”
“I gotta tell ya, I like your version of ‘no presumption of sex’ underwear,” he muttered, thick and low while she unbuttoned his shirt, pushing it aside to feel the heat of his skin.
Her fi ngers fumbled when she reached for his zipper, dragging it down, the sound sharp in her ears. As her hands made the connection to his hard abs and lean hips, she sucked in a breath.
Every inch of Drew was as good, if not better, than the last time she’d touched him. His fi rm fl esh beneath his boxer- briefs made her fi ngers shake when she dragged them over his thick thighs.
Drew unsnapped her bra with ease, letting it fall off her shoulders, then hooked his thumbs into the scrap of panties she’d totally lied about choosing because they were just underwear, and slipped them off her.
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And then they were naked, and it was all she could do not to cover herself from his scrutiny. It was as exciting as it was embarrassing, but Drew changed that with just one word. A word that was low and husky, matching the clear desire in his eyes.
“Perfect,” he said before dragging her with him to the edge of the bed. He pulled her body fl ush to his face, taking a deep breath, inhaling her fl esh and wrapping his arms around her waist.
Mel’s hands went to his hair, raking her fi ngers though it, arching into the stubble that had formed on his cheeks and was now tickling her skin. Drew’s lips were hot, consuming her fl esh as he groaned, kissing his way along her hipbone.
Mel’s gasp was sharp when he slid his palms up between her inner thighs, grazing the tender fl esh. She gripped his shoulders to keep her knees from collapsing beneath her when his breath whispered over her swollen, aching fl esh.
He slithered his tongue inside her, spreading her lips to caress her clit with long strokes.
Mel rocked against him, shuddering against his hard embrace, lifting herself on her toes to savor the lap of his tongue, hot and wet.
Drew’s hands cupped her ass, kneading it, drawing her against his mouth with force. When the fi rst sharp sting of orgasm wound tight in her belly, Mel’s breathing came in harsh gasps. She whimpered the words, “Please, don’t sto
p,” in a cry of anguish.
Drew complied, whispering his tongue along the lips of her sex, dragging it back and forth until he evoked a deep growl that began in her chest and came out a howl of pleasure. Her hips gyrated, her hands when to his wrists, clinging to them as his fi ngers tugged at her hard nipples.
She ground against him, pushing her body until completion came hard and fast in a crash of light and sound.
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shelter of his strong body, allowing him to encompass her in his embrace.
Drew sprawled her across his lap, his cock pressing insistently against her thigh. Clinging to his neck, she sighed as he rocked her, giving her the time to recuperate. His lips lay against the top of her head, and Mel closed her eyes, relishing the intimate contact.
But her hands itched for other things. They itched to discover Drew and fi nd what pleased him. She slid off his lap in a sinuous movement, slithering down between his legs to spread his thighs wide.
His stare gleamed from above her, his eyes dark with need— one she intended to fulfi ll. Mel let her hands explore the crisp hair on his thighs, dragging her fi ngers through it, luxuriating in the ripple of his muscles beneath her palm.
She leaned forward, pressing her hot cheek to his abdomen, kissing his heated skin then resting her head there while she examined what lay between his thighs.
He was long and thick, the skin stretching across his cock smooth and lightly veined. Her fi ngers were compelled to skim the satiny fl esh, and he jolted when she enveloped him in her grasp.
Mel made a long, drawn- out pass up and then down his shaft before placing her lips on it, tasting him. Drew leaned back on his elbows with a groan, cupping her chin, tracing the outline of her lips when she fi nally took his length into her mouth.
His gasp was raw, his hips jutting upward, reaching, driving between her lips. His fi ngers found the back of her head, threading them into her hair, directing her as she pleasured him.
Then Drew’s hands were on her shoulders, pushing her away.
“Damn, Mel,” he gritted, dragging her back to meet his gaze. “That’s so hot. Your lips are like silk. I can’t take any more.”
Mel didn’t have the time to respond before he placed both of his hands on either side of her face and pulled her into a kiss that left no 9780425245507_WaltzThisWay_TX_p1-344.indd 235
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air in her lungs. In their tangle of limbs, he somehow managed to locate condoms in the nightstand drawer, and Drew slipped one on just before he slid back to the edge of the bed, picked her up, and impaled her on his cock.
The movement was so swift, so intoxicating, Mel bit back a scream before placing her mouth on his again to drive her tongue into it, clenching his hair in fi stfuls of the silky strands.
Drew reciprocated by placing his hands on her waist, forcing her hips downward. The heat of his cock, the sinful stretch of her wet passage, the scent of desire made her heart crash and her head swirl.
But then Drew slowed his thrusts, easing the tension, whispering into her mouth, “Christ, woman. I can’t get enough of you. If we don’t slow down, I’ll come right now.”
Mel’s breath wheezed in and out of her lungs, raspy and heavy.
Drew’s erotic words made this crazy, white- hot need only deepen.
“I’m trying,” she said between clenched teeth.
Drew stilled her, holding her hips in place with hands of steel until she settled. His cock, so hard and pulsing, was a temptation she had to bite her lip not to indulge in. Instead, Mel took deep breaths, willing her body to calm.
He ran his hands along her back, massaging the muscles with a gentle caress, tracing the underside of her breasts, tweaking her rigid nipples until they stung with desperate need. He followed the outline of her body, lightly trailing her skin until she shivered from his now gentle touch.
She did the same, clenching his arms, learning each curve of his biceps, every sprinkling of hair on his forearms.
Drew slipped a fi nger between their bodies, spreading her aching lips and stroking her clit with his forefi nger, making Mel lean back, bracing her hands on his thighs as he stoked the embers of the fl ame building in her belly.
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His lips found her breasts, licking at her nipples, drawing them into his mouth.
Mel’s moan was harsh and her hips began to rock once more, undulating their need. Drew’s thrusts became more forceful when he splayed his hand between her breasts, driving his cock upward.
Perspiration dotted her forehead as she strained to take all of him, savoring every nerve- shattering inch of his shaft. That swell of sharp heat hit her again, beginning deep in the pit of her belly and careening toward out of control.
Drew hissed her name just before his head fell back on his shoulders and he grunted. Mel followed, whimpering at the sting of electric currents setting her veins on fi re.
The coil of orgasm sprung loose, and Mel couldn’t hold back her scream of completion. She drove downward on Drew’s lap, crashing against him until she found what she sought. It ripped through her body with fl ashes of light and the sweet bliss of surrender.
When it passed, Mel sank against Drew’s thighs, only to have his strong arms scoop her up and fold her into them. As she settled against him, her breathing eased in time with Drew’s.
He cradled her to his chest once more before nudging her. “Hey, I’m old. I think my legs are cramping.”
Mel chuckled, slinging her leg over and off him. “Are you calling me fat?”
“I’d rather wear a dress,” he joked, taking a sip of her lips before leaving her to discard the condom.
Mel sank back to the bed, taking a moment to gather her thoughts after the most amazing sex ever. The myriad emotions running ram-pant in her body, as well as her heart, frightened her and comforted her in a fell swoop of confusion.
Drew tugged at her hand, pulling her up to him. “Wow, right?”
“It had a wow factor,” she admitted with a giggle.
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“It had all kinds of factors,” he said against the top of her head.
Mel slipped her arms under his, loving the heat of his skin on hers. “It did, indeed.”
Drew began to sway to the music that drifted in from the living room. Norah Jones’s raspy “Come Away With Me” fi ltered to her ears, tender and gentle.
This moment, timeless, safe in the cocoon they’d created, left her in a state of awed wonder.
It was the exact moment Mel knew she’d fallen in love with Drew, and there was no going back.
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C H A P T E R S I X T E E N
Dear Divorce Journal,
Well and fuck. I went and did it, and then it went and did me. Yes, dear journal, I fell in love, and for about two whole minutes, okay, maybe it was more like two hours, I had a boyfriend. Then he turned into a total shit. Do I have a total shit magnet stuck on me somewhere I’m unaware of? Maybe it’s one of those computer chip implants that seeks out t
otal shits. Either way, Drew McPhee is a total shit. Oh, and piss on love.
A hard body molded to her back, and Mel sighed with deep contentment.
Drew wrapped his arm around her waist, nuzzling her neck.
“You’re awake.”
She felt the smile of his lips against her neck. “I had no choice with your hot, stinky breath on my neck,” she teased.
He cupped her breasts, rolling her nipples between his fi ngers until he made her moan. “Not so, dancer. I’ve been up for two hours and I brushed my teeth.”
“And I see you’re all suited up,” she giggled, reaching behind her to fi nd he’d already put a condom on.
“Always be prepared. It’s my motto.”
“Isn’t that the Boy Scouts’ motto?”
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naked anymore because I need to be inside you. Now, bend to my will, woman.”
Her eyes popped open, panic- stricken. “What time is it? Nate— is he due home?”
Drew splayed his hand over her abdomen, slipping a fi nger between her thighs. “Relax. He won’t be home for another two hours.
Grandma makes chocolate chip pancakes on Saturday mornings.
Nobody wants to go home.”
Mel breathed a sigh that shuddered on its way out as Drew stroked her clit. Her arm went around his neck and she arched into him with a sensuous stretch. “I want to go to Grandma’s if we’re talking chocolate chip pancakes.”
He pressed his hot cock against her ass. “And miss this?”
Mel let her eyes slide shut. Oh, this man and his decadent lips and work- rough hands. She didn’t think she’d ever get enough of him.
Her response was breathy. “It is pancakes. I’m not sure you can measure up,” she challenged.
Lifting her thigh to wrap it around his hip, he drove upward into her in a single, fl uid motion, dragging a throaty groan from her lips.