Fortune's Little Heartbreaker

by Cindy Kirk

  When he started to pull his hand back, she brought it to her mouth and placed a kiss in the palm. “Depends I guess on your definition of wise.”

  His blue eyes darkened. “What are you saying?”

  The intoxicating scent of his cologne wrapped around her senses. Her gaze met his.

  “I’m saying I want you.” Her eyes searched his. “I’m okay with it not being forever. I’m not sure I’m ready for forever, anyway.”

  “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  She gave a little laugh, her pulse a swift, tripping beat. “Uh, correct me if I’m wrong. I believe it’s pleasure—not pain—on tap tonight.”

  Still, he made no move toward her. “Are you sure?”

  Shannon took a step closer, wound her arms around him and planted a kiss at the base of his neck, his skin salty beneath her lips. Then she lifted her face, and met his dark gaze with what she hoped was a sexy smile. “Very sure.”

  “Well, then...” He folded her more fully into his arms, anchoring her against his chest as his mouth covered hers in a deep, compelling kiss.

  He continued to kiss her with a slow thoroughness that left her weak, trembling and longing for more. When his tongue swept across her lips seeking access, she eagerly opened her mouth to him, her tongue fencing with his.

  The warmth in her lower belly turned fiery hot and became a pulsating need.

  Barnaby’s deep woof barely registered.

  Another bark and the dog sprang. The unexpected impact of the solid body against the back of her knee knocked Shannon off balance. Only Oliver’s strong arms saved her from a tumble.

  “Barnaby.” She dropped her gaze to the dog, who now sat at her feet. “What is your problem?”

  “He’s ready to go inside.” Oliver’s mouth skimmed the edge of her jaw. “It’s a good plan.”

  Keeping a firm grip on her arm, Oliver opened the sliding glass door. The dog bounded inside, nails clattering against the hardwood, and made a beeline for Ollie’s room.

  With her fingers linked with Oliver’s, Shannon followed the dog down the hallway. When Barnaby plopped down on the rug next to the crib, Shannon stepped around him to lean over the rail.

  Oliver joined her.

  “His cheeks aren’t flushed anymore,” he said, his voice filled with relief.

  Shannon placed the back of her hand on Ollie’s forehead. “His skin is cool.”

  She and Oliver exchanged a smile, then eased silently from the room. They stood in the hall and Shannon fought against a sudden wave of awkwardness and uncertainty. “I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for bed.”

  “You took the words out of my mouth.”

  She tilted her head back, met his gaze. She’d never seen such beautiful eyes. Or such compelling eyes. Or eyes that had a weakening effect on her knees.

  Oliver reached out and touched her cheek, one finger trailing slowly along her skin until it reached the line of her jaw. “I can’t wait to have you in my bed.”

  Then, before she even had a second to breathe, his lips were on hers, exquisitely gentle and achingly tender. He took the fingers of her hand and kissed them, featherlight. “Unless you’ve changed your mind?”

  “Race you there,” she said and, with a breathless laugh, started to run.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Oliver caught up with Shannon just as she reached the doorway. She giggled like a giddy teenager when he spun her around.

  “Caught you,” he said.

  “I let you catch me.” How was it that standing here, both of them grinning like two fools, felt so right?

  She’d had two other love affairs, one in college and one when she lived in Lubbock. While in both cases she’d had high hopes for a future with the guy, being with them had never felt quite right.

  Now, here she stood beside a man who’d made it clear whatever they shared would be very short-term, and she had no hesitation or doubts.

  Like now, having him scatter kisses down her neck felt natural and oh-so right.

  “Hmm.” Shannon tilted her head back, giving him full access to the creamy expanse of skin. “I love the feel of your arms around me.”

  “I love the taste of you.” His lips continued their downward journey. Only when he reached the vee of her dress did he lift his head. “This dress drives me absolutely bonkers.”

  She gave a pleased laugh. For that one compliment alone, the dress had been worth every penny she’d spent. “Oh, so it’s the dress you fancy, is it?”

  Oliver chuckled, then kicked the bedroom door shut with his foot, reaching around her to lock it. “I fancy every part of you.”

  The sentiment, coupled with the wicked look in his dancing blue eyes, sent warmth sliding through her veins like warm honey.

  “Locking the door seems a bit excessive,” she said, her tone light and teasing. “Concerned about Barnaby doing some spying?”

  “I don’t want anything to disturb us,” he said, then his smile turned rueful. “Except—”

  Shannon didn’t know what to think when he abruptly released her and strode to the bedside stand. When she saw him flip on the baby monitor, her admiration for him inched up another notch.

  “Just in case Ollie needs us.” In several long strides he was back beside her, pulling her to him.

  “I must admit I find your concern for Ollie—” she leaned close to whisper in his ear “—incredibly arousing.”

  “I’ll remember that.” His eyes twinkled. “All I ask is you do your best to restrain any carnal urges while I’m checking his temperature or changing his nappy.”

  Shannon realized she was seeing a playful side of Oliver that up until now she’d caught only glimpses of. “This relaxed, fun side of you is also sexy.”

  “I’m beginning to think,” he said, brushing back a strand of hair that had fallen across her cheek, “that everything about me turns you on.”

  Shannon pretended to think for a second, then grinned. “Pretty much.”

  “We’re going to take our time tonight. No rushing allowed.” His expression turned serious. “That will be difficult, considering I’ve wanted to kiss you for a very long time.”

  “Well, what are you waiting for?” She lifted her face to him and placed her hand on his chest, toying with a button. She slipped it open. “What do you say? Let’s get this party started.”

  Shannon felt her knees grow weak at the fire in his eyes. An answering heat flared through her, a sensation she didn’t bother to fight.

  “Oliver.” She spoke his name, then paused, not sure what she wanted to say. Her eyes, which seemed to suddenly develop a mind of their own, zeroed in on the area directly below his belt buckle.

  He chuckled, a low pleasant rumbling sound.

  “Slow,” he murmured, twining strands of her hair loosely around his fingers the same way he had when they’d danced earlier, “means keeping our clothes on a little while longer.”

  Shannon stuck out her lip and pretended to pout. The effect was spoiled by the smile that kept forming on her mouth. “I don’t like this game.”

  “Oh, but you will.” His voice was like a promise.

  Shannon lifted her gaze and their eye contact turned into something more, a tangible connection between the two of them. Could he hear her heart pounding? How could he not?

  “You’re pretty full of yourself, mister,” she managed to sputter.

  Oliver winked. “That’s a Fortune for you.”

  Shannon’s laughter disappeared when his hands spanned her waist. He ran his palms up along the sides of her dress, skimming the curve of her breast, and she forgot how to breathe.

  Her nipples stiffened, straining against the fabric toward his touch.

  “You are so lovely,” he whispered into her ear rig
ht before he took the lobe between his teeth and nibbled.

  Shivers rippled across her skin.

  Without warning, he shifted and pressed his mouth against hers. When his tongue swept across her lips seeking access, Shannon eagerly opened her mouth to him, her tongue fencing with his.

  He tasted like the most delicious decadent candy she’d ever eaten. And she couldn’t help wanting more.

  Still, as he promised, Oliver didn’t rush. He simply continued to kiss her. Testosterone wafted from him like an invisible tether, tugging at Shannon, keeping her feet anchored to the floor and her mouth melded to his.

  The feeling of his mouth on hers was like nothing Shannon had experienced before.

  She ached for him, desired him, with her entire being. The need quickly became a stark carnal hunger she hadn’t known she was even capable of feeling.

  “I want—” she whispered against his mouth, when they came up for air “—you.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” he said, his voice a husky caress.

  “I want you naked.” In a display of unexpected boldness, she pushed her hips against him, rubbing his erection.

  “I planned to take this slow,” he reminded her, his breath hitching. “Savor every moment.”

  “Plans have changed,” she said. “Next time we’ll go slow. For now, get naked.”

  “Heaven protect me from a bossy woman.” But his eyes glittered and his clothes quickly landed in a heap next to hers on the floor.

  She’d been hot only seconds before, but now, when his gaze shifted to her naked body and lingered, Shannon felt exposed and vulnerable. She almost embarrassed herself by trying to cover her most private parts with her hands...until she saw the stark desire in his eyes. Desire...for her.

  To realize he wanted her as much as she did him was a heady feeling and a confidence booster. Her hands remained at her sides.

  “You are...magnificent.” He breathed the words and took her hands loosely in his.

  “You’re not so bad yourself.” An understatement, but the best Shannon could manage at the moment. Broad shoulders, hard chest, lean hips, Oliver Fortune Hayes was every woman’s fantasy.

  Though a businessman, Oliver had a workingman’s body, corded with muscle, lean and tan. Dark hair converged on the flat planes of his stomach into a line that...

  She inhaled sharply and her knees suddenly felt weak.

  Without warning, he scooped her up and carried her to the bed.

  “Hey,” she laughingly protested, “what do you think you’re doing?”

  “Something tells me you’re going to be at your best horizontal.”

  The bed was soft and luxurious, and the tiny part of her brain still capable of rational thought registered the fact that he must have had a new mattress delivered.

  Rational thought disappeared as Oliver settled beside her and once again began to kiss her. Not slow and easy as he had before but with a voraciousness that showed a mounting hunger.

  The same hunger that was rapidly consuming her.

  She could have cheered when his thumbs brushed across the tight points of her nipples. His stroking fingers sent shock waves of pleasure through her body.

  “Oh, Oli—”

  Whatever she’d been about to say died away on a soft little whimper as he found one sensitive part of her body after another. His hands continued to move, to search; touching, stroking, caressing until her heart pounded and she didn’t even know her own name. All Shannon knew was she needed him to continue touching her.

  “Your breasts are perfect,” he whispered. “I need to taste you. Open your eyes.”

  Shannon opened her eyes. As she watched, he touched the tip of his tongue to the tip of her right breast. The combination of seeing and feeling brought her up off the bed and had her crying out in delight.

  He smiled, then circled her nipple with his tongue before drawing it fully into his mouth. The gentle sucking had her arching against him. At the same time, his hand slipped between her legs.

  She parted for him, catching her breath as he rubbed against her slick center. Then his head was moving down to where his fingers still caressed, scattering kisses down her belly.

  The tension filling her body continued to increase exponentially with each warm, moist kiss against her bare skin until she stiffened, realizing just where those wickedly clever lips were headed. Part of her suspected what Oliver was going to do while the rest of her couldn’t believe it was really happening. She’d heard...she’d read...but she never had...

  His openmouthed kiss between her legs had her writhing in pleasure. He found her sweet spot and licked it over and over again until all she could do was dig her heels into the mattress and clutch the sheets with her hands.

  How could it be she’d lived this long and had never known such pleasure existed?

  “I want you inside me,” she said even as her muscles tensed and collected and her breath came in ragged pants.

  She didn’t have to ask twice.

  Oliver pulled away briefly and she heard the sound of foil tearing. Then he was over her.

  She reached between them and guided him inside.

  He was large and stretched her in the best way possible. Her legs swept around his hips as he began to move slowly inside her in a rhythm as old as time.

  Shannon felt filled, yet the need—that all-encompassing need for him—propelled her to want more. She clung to him, urging him deeper.

  The rhythmic thrusting grew faster. As she surged against the pleasure swelling like the tide inside her, Shannon heard herself groan, a sound of want and need that astonished her with its intensity.

  Her blood had become a fire in her veins, her pulse throbbing hard and thick.

  Seconds later, the orgasm ripped through her, hitting with breathtaking speed. Her entire body convulsed then released.

  As she cried out, Oliver caught her mouth in a hard kiss.

  He continued to thrust until every last drop of pleasure had been wrung from her. Only then did he take his release, shuddering in her arms and calling out her name.

  For a moment he simply lay there on top of her, a sweet heavy weight. When he rolled off, she murmured a protest.

  In answer, his arm slipped around her, not confining, but comfortable. With a contented sigh, Shannon snuggled against his chest and discovered her head fit perfectly just under his chin.

  He was warm and solid. A man she could hold on to, a man she could count on. At least for another few weeks...

  Shannon fought to keep her eyes open.

  “You kept your promise,” she murmured before she fell into a sated slumber. “It was so very good.”

  * * *

  Oliver waited until Shannon’s breathing had turned easy and deep before he slipped from her embrace to check on Ollie. Even after he confirmed his son’s fever had remained down and the child was resting comfortably, he didn’t return to bed.

  Instead he headed to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of whiskey. Sipping from a tumbler shaped like a boot, he stared into the darkness.

  He’d had sex with a number of women, but tonight had been different. Shannon had touched a part of him that Oliver had always kept well hidden. From the time Oliver had been a small boy, his father had taught him to guard his emotions. Although the man had never struck him, Rhys Henry Hayes’s tongue had been a potent weapon; sharp as a knife and capable of drawing blood.

  His father had been fond of saying he didn’t tolerate fools. To Rhys’s warped way of thinking, a fool was anyone who cared too much and let it show. That included little boys.

  Taking another sip of whiskey, Oliver thought of the words Diane had flung in his face the day she moved out. She’d accused him of being as cold as his father and told him it was no wonder she had looked f
or love elsewhere.

  At the time, he’d shrugged aside the arrow that had been aimed to wound, concluding it was her way of excusing her own poor behavior. Now he wondered if there might have been some truth to the statement. Still, something had kept him from fully trusting his wife, and in the end Diane’s duplicity had shown his instincts had been spot-on.

  Shannon, on the other hand, was a different story. It would be easy to let her get too close, and that would be disastrous for all concerned. She was a small-town girl who loved living close to family and friends. Her home was in Horseback Hollow. His home—his life—was in London.

  Her mind, her heart, the person she was fascinated him. Her body tempted him. She was the total package, and that’s what made her so hard to resist, both in bed and out. That’s what would keep him coming back for more. He knew there was so much more of this fascinating woman left to plumb.

  The thought made him smile, remembering all he’d plumbed tonight—

  Arms slid around his bare chest. “I hope that smile means you’re thinking about me.”

  When Oliver turned, he found Shannon wearing one of his shirts, hanging open save for a single button. Her hair was a tangled mass of curls and her gaze was sloe-eyed and sensual.

  He flipped the button open, then eased back the shirt and let it slide to the floor. His mouth skimmed the edge of her jaw, testing the sweetness of her skin. “You must be a mind reader.”

  She laughed softly and wound her arms around his neck, lifting her face for a kiss.

  Though it hadn’t been all that long since he’d left her side, it felt amazingly good to hold her again. To taste her. To smell her. He spread his hands over her buttocks and pressed her against his erection.

  “Well, hel-lo there,” she said, her eyes teasing.

  He bent his head and kissed her softly on the mouth. “I haven’t had nearly enough of you.”

  “You stole the words right out of my mouth.”

  “I love your mouth.” Once again his lips closed over hers.