Guarding Miranda

by Amanda M. Holt

  She took his hand and led him into the room, passion lighting the depths of her sensual green eyes.

  Did she know how beautiful, how sexy she was?

  He didn’t think so.

  It was part of her beauty, the lack of makeup, the lack of ego...

  She was beautiful and she was his.

  If only for tonight, she would be his again.

  If he had his way, he would capture her heart and keep it for all time. But unfortunately, she still seemed to be suffering from the loss of Richard.

  Where else could the tears have come from this time?

  Richard.

  If last night hadn’t been enough to help her forget him, then by God, Brian would keep trying until she did!

  “Will you make love to me, Brian?” She was asking him suddenly, her kiss swollen lips drawing his gaze.

  “I’ll love you in every way I know how.” He promised and hoped that she meant what she was asking of him.

  Would she be so cruel, as to jest about matters of the heart?

  From the look on her face, he could tell she was not joking...

  “In every way I can,” he assured her.

  His fingers went to the tiny snap closures of her sleeveless green top.

  Carefully, he parted them, one by one, slowly revealing the lacy red bra underneath.

  It was the same bra he had seen while snooping through her drawer...

  Brian gave himself a moment to drink in the vision of her, the appearance of all that flawless, creamy ivory skin around the racy red bra.

  The vision of her was so much better than what he had imagined.

  Slowly, he slipped her open shirt back over her arms. She turned her head to the side and a few wisps of onyx black hair slipped over her creamy right shoulder.

  He kissed her bare left shoulder while her head was turned, kissed the scar there and then kissed her slow, sexy smile.

  Her scent was intoxicating him.

  Floral and feminine, it was doing wild things to his senses. Brian breathed deep this scent as his mouth grazed her neck, only the faintest brushing of his lips giving sensation to her skin...

  Miranda gave a small sigh and brought her hands to his hair, urging him on.

  Not that he needed urging – the initial rush of blood to his groin was now aching, almost painful in its arousal.

  He needed her, he ached for her and by God, he was going to have his fill of her!

  “What’s your pleasure?” She asked cattily, reaching behind herself to release the catch of her bra.

  The brassiere loosened from her chest and then fell away, exposing her full breasts to his hungry eyes.

  “You,” he answered finally, truthfully. “You’re my pleasure, Miranda.”

  The two pretty pink nipples crested her apples sized breasts, enticing him.

  He lowered his head to take one in his mouth. It wasn’t long before his gentle but urgent ministrations brought a low moan of pleasure from deep in her throat. His fingertips passed, feather light, over her naked back, arousing her, exciting gooseflesh into existence.

  He threaded his fingers through her hair, to grip her tightly and bring her close for a long, sensual kiss. He loved the way her small tongue darted in and out of his mouth, teasing him, as much as he loved exploring her with his own.

  Even kissing her was exhilarating.

  Miranda...

  Even the name sounded like it belonged to a temptress.

  Miranda.

  It was a name that brought him fanciful ideas about covens and seductresses and witches who cast love spells over men, belonging right up there with the Drusillas and Esmeraldas of his fantasies.

  An enchantress, that’s what she was, what with her luscious mouth and the secrets and mysteries of her impossibly sexy body.

  Sexy... how Miranda personified the word!

  Redefined the word...

  Finally their kiss ended and Brian was left staring into the eyes of the most enthralling, most luminous forest green.

  Eyes the color of Bunyan pine...

  Looking at her, he could not help but kiss her again, as her hands went to his shirt, pulling it free of the waistband of his shorts. Her hands roamed under his shirt, exploring every crevice made by muscle and skin, then ventured lower than his abdomen, in a brazen attempt to learn the extent of his arousal.

  “Find something you like?” He asked huskily, enjoying the feeling of her hand upon him.

  “Maybe...” She dared to cup him for a long moment, before tracing her fingers back up his stomach, to his chest. She tugged at his shirt. “Take this off.”

  He obliged her as she asked, removing his shirt to reveal his bronzed chest of sculpted muscle.

  “How did you get a body like this?” She tucked one hand possessively about the hem of his shorts and with the other, traced the lines of firm muscle across his chest.

  “Logan family genetics?”

  “I mean, your musculature? Your tone?” She ran her palm over his hairless chest, only to bring it to the seam of his shorts. “I never see you working out...”

  “That’s because you’re asleep when I do.” He grazed her chin with his thumb. “You, pretty kitty, like to sleep through most of the morning light.”

  She slipped his shorts over his lean hips, to the floor, revealing him to the warm air.

  He hadn’t been wearing underwear.

  As many times as she had seen him, felt him, the sight of him never failed to amaze her.

  “Oh.”

  Stepping closer to her, Brian slipped his large fingers around the button of her denim shorts and slid the zipper down.

  He placed his thumbs on either side of her pelvis and massaged her there.

  The attention caused the low ring of flames at her center to burn higher, brighter, at his touch.

  Miranda smiled a slow, sexy smile.

  He kissed that smile as he slid the shorts over her hips and then let them drop to the floor, revealing the lacy red panties that were matched to the bra.

  Slowly, teasingly, he slid the panties over her hips, down her legs, making her shiver with anticipation from the sensation of the material sliding over her skin.

  They too fell to the floor...

  His nimble fingers grazed her stomach, her ribcage, her breasts, every sensation a new enticement.

  His hands were replaced by his mouth in short order and he left her standing as he nuzzled her breasts, her stomach, her inner thigh, the secret folds where he would find her...

  Brian tasted her salt, her sugar, her spice and knew well the flavor of her sex.

  How sweet she was, how feminine.

  His tongue darted and flicked in and out, around and around, until she was trembling visibly, her legs threatening to hold her no longer.

  Every touch of his tongue to her sensitive flesh ignited another small fire within her.

  Soon, soon, she would be consumed by the flames.

  “Oh Brian,” she sighed, “I can’t take much more.”

  Indeed, her legs were as rubber, weakened by her want.

  He did not let her go.

  Stepping away from his mouth, she urged him back to his feet and in kissing his lips, tasted her own musk there and was further aroused.

  He urged her to lie down on the bed and buried his head between her breasts, kissing her there.

  “Brian,” she assuming a sitting position. “Let me make love to you.”

  “Er... just one minute, love.” Brian rose and left, offering Miranda a choice view of his shapely buttocks and strong back. He returned shortly after, a condom in plain view of his right hand. “It’s a challenge, sometimes, making these things romantic.”

  “Romantic, no – sexy, yes.” Her gaze fell to the gold foil packaging of the condom. “And ever necessary...”

  He joined her on the bed and felt for her secret slit.

  With gentle, knowing fingers, he sought out the places that in touching, pleased her most and worked her in
to a feverish response.

  Her breath came in quick, short gasps after only a sampling of his affection.

  He pushed his fingers into her, bringing her to the height of her climax.

  Her body went rigid and then began to quiver with release and he knew that she had arrived at the place he wanted to take her.

  Summoning her strength, Miranda recovered from her first small orgasm and straddled Brian, pushing him with gentle urgency back unto the bed.

  She took the condom and opened it to withdraw the latex sheath.

  She stroked him into further readiness and smiled as his breath came quicker...

  She rolled the latex down over him and moved into position.

  Slowly, savoring every last inch of sensation, she lowered herself unto him and gasped as she sheathed him, completely within.

  She could have died in that moment, with the feeling of him inside her and been truly happy.

  They fit together perfectly, as they had before, as though matched for the act of love by their Creator...

  Slowly, she began to rock her body back and forth, reveling in the myriad of sensations barraging her.

  She fought to stay focused, so intense was the joy that was building in her, so very fierce the delight...

  The fire in her center was threatening to consume her whole.

  Sensing she was very close to losing what little hold she had on reality,Brian set his hands on her hips, steadying her, helping her keep the rhythm.

  “Oh, God, Miranda! You feel so good to me...”

  She barely heard him over the pounding of her heart in her ears, the fevered tempo of which carried her higher and higher, until Brian was offering her to the sky.

  Her heart felt as though it might burst as she reached the moment of climax.

  Her orgasm tore through her and somehow spared her and seemed to last an eternity that transcended both time and flesh.

  She felt weightless, as though the world had shifted around her...

  The odd sense of weightlessness shifted to the right and she opened her tightly closed eyes only to discover that Brian was now on top of her.

  There was naught but lustful intent in the smoldering depths of his stormy grey eyes.

  Lust, the fires of his passion, burning dark and true.

  He began to thrust before she could fully descend from bliss.

  Each thrust sent her higher and higher, back to the place where she melded with the stars.

  Closing her eyes tightly once more, she focused only on the throbbing current of electrical energy that was thrumming through her entire body.

  She focused on her love for him and on this moment, the moment of her further release.

  Her soul cried out as reality shattered around her, leaving her hanging in a moment of exquisite joy, the ultimate expression of loving...

  She cried out and he thrust harder, with less patience and more hunger, wanting to meet her in the cosmos.

  Finally, he called her name and she felt him spasm deep within her, while his heart pounded fiercely in his chest, so that she felt it against her flesh like a raven flapping in his ribcage.

  “Oh, Miranda.” He kissed her face, her neck, her lips. “My sweet, sweet Miranda...”

  Brian looked down into her green eyes and saw something so tender there, so very endearing that he was afraid to put a name to it, for that name was love.

  His heart lurched as he considered this.

  Surely he was not fooling himself... confusing sexual fulfillment with the powerful emotion of love?

  It was better that he dismiss it from his mind.

  She was not ready to hear that he loved her and he doubted he would hear the same from her any time soon...

  “You have such beautiful eyes,” he told her, as he leaned forward again to kiss her soft lips. “Such big, beautiful green eyes.”

  She smiled up at him in reply, unwilling to speak, lest she betray that which she now knew, without a doubt.

  She was in love with her bodyguard.

  An unrequited love, even worse.

  It was like a cliché from a bad B-movie.

  Eat your heart out, Hollywood, she groaned silently.

  “I hate to get up but...” Brian reached a large hand between them, ensuring the condom would not slip off as he withdrew from her.

  He felt his flesh where latex should be.

  He turned his back to her and froze.

  The condom had broken some time during their love play.

  He discarded the ruined latex sheath and turned to her, a frown upon his lips.

  He had to tell her.

  “Miranda?”

  “What is it?” She was troubled by the note of dubious concern in his voice.

  “The rubber broke. When it was... inside of you.”

  She paled for half a moment.

  Her mind raced to determine the date of her last period – it had barely been over two weeks before.

  “They took me off of my birth control while I was in the hospital. My last period was a little more than two weeks ago, so we probably don’t have to worry about pregnancy. A woman can’t get pregnant until well after the first two weeks...”

  “You’re sure?”

  Am I sure? She wondered to herself.

  Wasn’t that the way it worked? Sure, there were exceptions to every rule, it was said a woman could ovulate any time with certain factors in play but her periods came regularly enough, she was certain that she didn’t have to worry about ovulating.

  Not today, anyway.

  “Certain,” she told him, confidently.

  “We could go into Dauphin, to the hospital, get you a morning after pill, just in case-”

  She put a finger to his lips, silencing him. “I’ll be fine.”

  “And what about other concerns?” He asked, holding her hand. “Personally, I know I’m clean, I get tested regularly. Contrary to what you might think, I’m not exactly a ladykiller. Haven’t dated in ages.”

  “I was tested while I was in the hospital.” She told him, hoping to appease his worried mind. She had never had a sexually transmitted infection in her entire adult life. “I’m clean, too.”

  He leaned forward and kissed her. “I’ll try to be more careful next time.”

  “It’s your fault for having such a big Johnson,” she teased.

  “I should have checked it at some point, made sure it was still there.”

  “It wasn’t your fault, Brian. These things happen.”

  “Well, it’s never happened to me before.”

  She kissed his worried smile.

  “Don’t sweat it, love,” she said, mocking his accent, assuming his deep tone.

  “Are you making fun of me?”

  “I am,” she laughed, kissing him briefly.

  “Crazy girl. How ‘bout we go have a soak in the Jacuzzi tub and then get something to eat?”

  “Sounds great – I’m starving.”

  The last thing they ended up doing in the Jacuzzi was soaking.

  They splashed about, frolicking like children, only with adult consequences, making fierce love in the churning water.

  By the time the water had cooled, so had their lovemaking.

  Stomachs growling, they left the confines of the large tub and stalked, dripping, into the kitchen.

  Brian whipped up a quick meal of minute rice and vegetarian stir fry, which Miranda ate as though she had been without food for days.

  She had certainly worked up an appetite.

  As comfortable with himself as always, Brian walked around the kitchen with only a towel to cover him.

  Miranda watched him with hungry eyes, marveling at the contrast of the stark white towel against his bronzed, tanned skin.

  She suddenly wanted her canvases and acrylic paints.

  He would make for a beautiful life study piece…

  “You know, love, I think we’ve embarked on the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” His words came suddenly, distract
ing her from her thoughts of painting him.

  Friendship?

  Was that all she was going to mean to him?

  Miranda bit back a torrid slew of nasty comments and swallowed the lump of pride that had welled in her throat.

  Friendship...

  It was just further proof that Brian was incapable of feeling for her the way she felt about him.

  “You may very well be right,” she replied slowly, carefully choosing her words and her tone.

  She was angry, angry for allowing herself to develop feelings for Brian, angry at Brian for being so... so damn friendly.

  Friendship.

  Ha!

  She had plenty of friends.

  What she wanted was a man who could challenge her, be her equal. She had been beginning to entertain the crazy idea that she had found her equal in Brian.

  It upset her to her core to discover that she had been wrong.

  Horribly, horribly wrong.

  “Thank you for supper, Brian,” she said softly. “It was lovely. But I’m going to bed.”

  She left him before he could see the sheen of tears in her eyes.

  Damn him, anyway.

  He was too – too hot-blooded Aussie male for her tastes anyway.

  In the bathroom, she brushed her teeth quickly and studied her reflection in the mirror. There was a great deal of color in her cheeks, the kind of rosiness left only by lovemaking.

  Extensive lovemaking. Only the look in her eyes was no longer one of satisfaction, it was one of upset.

  There were tears there, just waiting for an opportunity to be shed.

  Well of course she was upset!

  She had thrown herself at Brian in the Jacuzzi tub she now stood by, engaging him in long, torturous foreplay and wild, unprotected sex.

  How was she going to be able to bathe now and shower, knowing what had come to pass there?

  And what of the frame of mind she had been in throughout the underwater adventure?

  Loving him, hoping that he might have the capacity to love her back, only to find out that he thought they had embarked on a friendship.

  A friendship!

  Miranda damned him again as she walked up the stairs to her bedroom, tears wetting her somber green eyes.

  Chapter Twelve:

  Miranda woke alone Saturday morning, knowing that she should call Tommy Tyson and have him mow the lawn.

  It was getting quite long and it bothered her to think of all the creepy crawlies that could be lurking there, waiting for her to step on them.