Leap of Faith

by Arianna Hart

  Her breasts were tender and achy under the steely wall of his chest. She ran her foot up the back of his leg, wiggling so he fit better between her legs. And oh, did he ever fit just right.

  The hard length of his erection pressed against her much softer mound, creating delicious friction even through their clothes. He slipped his hand under the hem of her shirt and stroked her stomach. Ever so slowly, he worked his way up her rib cage. Her heart stopped as she waited for him to reach her breast. When he gently cupped one plump curve, her heart resumed beating triple time.

  The snap of the fire and the chirps of crickets were drowned out by the rush of blood pounding in her ears. The strong scent of pine and burning wood mingled with the completely male fragrance of Lex, heightening her arousal to an almost painful level.

  Lex drew her lip between his teeth and sucked hard before kissing his way to her neck. Jane arched her back in abandon as he placed strategic nips along the nerve-filled tendons along her throat. With every touch, sparks ignited in her body and shot to her core.

  A moan rumbled from Lex as he pushed her shirt and bra down, freeing her breasts for his voracious appetite. Jane clutched her fists in his shirt, holding on for dear life against the waves of pleasure threatening to sweep her away.

  As Lex latched onto a nipple and sucked it into his mouth, Jane felt her womb contract with pleasure.

  “I want to feel your skin against me,” she gasped out.

  “Happily.”

  Lex pushed up enough to yank his shirt over his head and toss it aside. Jane’s mouth watered as the firelight danced over the ripples of his chest. She reached for him, eager to touch the naked skin and bulging muscles.

  “Not so fast. Your turn.” Lex’s voice rumbled through her.

  Jane felt a moment of embarrassment as she realized her top was bunched under her breasts. It was almost as if she had them displayed like a dessert tray. Then Lex moved closer and all she could think about was pressing herself against his gloriously bare chest. She whipped the shirt and bra off without another thought.

  “Much better.”

  He rubbed his lightly furred chest across her nipples, creating bolts of heat at every point of contact. Jane ran her hands over his torso, amazed at how hard his muscles were, yet how soft his skin felt. The contrast reminded her of another hard yet soft area of a man’s body and her hands shook as she thought of moving them south.

  Her nails scraped along the ridges of his six-pack abs as her caress drifted lower.

  And lower.

  When she reached the snap of his jeans she hesitated. Did she really want to do this?

  Yes!

  Lex grasped her wrist and brought her hand lower to cup his length through his pants.

  “Jesus, that feels good,” he murmured, his lips pressed against the lower slope of her breast.

  “You’re telling me.”

  Lex kissed his way to her belly button, moving out of her reach. A whimper slipped from her lips at the loss of her plaything, but she soon found other amusements. Like the hills and valleys of his back and the bulging roundness of his shoulders. She wanted to touch every inch of him, feel his body against hers without any clothes between them.

  He swirled his tongue in her navel and she arched her back to get closer to him. Her fingers tingled and her skin felt too tight to hold all the sensations coursing through her.

  “Janey, we’re approaching the point of no return here.” He ran his hand through his hair and clutched the back of his neck as if looking for something to keep him from touching her. “If you’re going to say no, now’s the time, because if I get your pants off you, they aren’t going back on for a long time.”

  Her heart flipped over at the promise in his words. Did she want to do the right thing—like always—or see where these new and delicious sensations could take her?

  “Promise?” Her libido answered before her brain could kill the party.

  “Oh yeah.” His teeth gleamed in the flickering light as he gave her a sexy grin. “Stay right there.”

  He kissed her again, guaranteeing she would be too boneless to move while he fumbled in one of the backpacks. Jane’s drugged brain tried to stir itself enough to protest, but Lex was back at her side before it could fight its way through the sexual haze cocooning her.

  He held a tiny foil packet in his hand and Jane’s gaze snapped to his eyes. Had he planned this?

  “I bought these because I use them to keep my weapon dry, not because I thought this would happen. Hoped, maybe, but I didn’t plan for it.”

  “Really?” A warm glow spread through her at his words.

  “Hell yeah. How can you doubt it?” He captured her lips in another mind-bending kiss, not giving her a chance to answer.

  Jane was the one to break away this time. She wanted to taste him, to torment him with her tongue as he had done to her. The saltiness of his skin tasted better than any gourmet meal she’d ever had. His flat nipple raised into a tiny bump as she drew it into her mouth and nipped it. His musky scent drifted through her nostrils, swamping her senses.

  “Holy Jesus!” Lex grabbed her shoulders and flipped her to her back. “You’re killing me, sweetheart.”

  “Good.” She felt powerful and unafraid. Brave even.

  So brave, she didn’t hesitate to pop the snap on his fly and unzip his jeans. Lex groaned, but did nothing to stop her from freeing his length.

  “Oh my.” She stroked his sex, loving the heavy heat of him.

  “I think my brain just exploded but it feels too good to stop.”

  His knuckles grazed her belly as he unbuttoned her pants and pushed them down over her hips.

  “Stopping is a very bad idea,” she gasped. “Ouch.” Something hard pressed into her back as Lex rolled her over to remove her jeans completely.

  “Did I hurt you?”

  “Not you, an acorn.” She reached underneath to remove the offending item.

  Before she could do more than chuck it aside, Lex scooped her into his arms and headed for the tent. “We can’t have you distracted by acorns when there’re so many other things to concentrate on.” He squeezed a cheek of her rear end.

  Jane felt giddy held in Lex’s arms. His hairy chest rubbed against her breast and caressed her in a million places. This close she could see the stubble darkening his chin and see a drop of sweat glistening along his brow.

  When they reached the tent, Lex released her legs so she slid down the entire length of his body. His unfastened pants slipped off as she rubbed against him.

  “Let me take these off out here. There’s not much room in the tent and I don’t want to hurt you by accident.”

  She let her gaze drop to his pulsing erection and licked her lips. “Hurry.”

  “You’d better believe it.” He kicked off his boots as she turned to crawl through the zippered opening of the tiny tent. Seconds later, Lex followed with the flashlight.

  “Dr. Farmer, do you have a tattoo on that delicious ass of yours?” He pressed her face down on the sleeping bag and stroked one globe of her behind.

  “My one and only rebellion.” She’d gotten the tiny rosebud in college and had regretted it almost immediately. Gerard had thought it completely tasteless and had urged her to get it removed.

  She craned her head around to gauge Lex’s reaction. His hot eyes practically scorched her skin. Boy was she glad she hadn’t listened to Gerard.

  “You’re just full of surprises.”

  “Let me up and I’ll show you some more.” Where had this brazenness come from?

  “Not yet. I want to examine your flower a little more.” His fingers drifted between her legs and teased her entrance.

  Shudders of need shook her frame. She had to bite her lip to keep from begging him to press his fingers deeper.

  “That’s. Not. My. Tattoo,” she gasped out, trying to thrust back against his hand.

  “I know. That isn’t the flower that interests me right now.”

 
He slid his finger deeper, stroking her most intimate spots. When his thumb grazed her sensitized nub, she couldn’t hold back a cry. Her body shuddered and spasmed around his finger as he thrust it deeper inside her.

  She was still recovering from the force of her flight when Lex rolled her over. He was fully sheathed and his eyes blazed in the low glow of the flashlight.

  “Honey, I want to be gentle with you but I’m so keyed up I’m not sure I’ll be able to.”

  “Don’t. I’m not fragile, I won’t break.”

  His thick leg spread her thighs wide to make room for him. Jane leaned up to lick his collarbone while he probed her entrance.

  “Lord in heaven, I’m not going to last long,” he growled as he slid all the way in.

  Her inner muscles clenched around his length and another tremor shook her core as he moved in agonizingly slow circles. He leaned his weight on one elbow so he could cup her face in his hand.

  “You’re so beautiful.” He teased her lips with the barest of touches. “So responsive. I want to make this good for you, but every gasp and touch makes me ready to explode.”

  Jane couldn’t believe what she was hearing. He thought her beautiful? She was turning him on? Power surged through her.

  “Me too.” She planted her feet on the slippery sleeping bag and pushed upwards, driving him in even deeper.

  Lightning rocketed along every cell as he threw his head back in surrender and drove into her. Lex clasped her hips in a punishing grip and thrust hard and fast.

  Stars blossomed in her eyes as her world exploded. The last thing she saw was Lex’s face as he reached his climax a second ahead of her.

  ***

  “Are you cold?” Lex asked Jane when he could form words again. His brain was slowly returning to normal.

  “Not a bit.”

  Jane stretched her arms over her head and her breasts brushed against his chest. Heat zipped down his torso straight between his legs.

  So much for operating under normal brainpower. How long could the human mind last without blood going to it anyway?

  Talk. He should try to talk to Jane. Women liked to snuggle and crap after sex, right? And Jane was a freaking therapist, she lived to talk about her feelings.

  Good Lord, he’d rather face an armed opponent in his underwear than talk about feelings. Maybe he could fake it?

  “That was most definitely worth the wait,” Jane practically purred as she trailed her fingers through the hair on his chest.

  “Glad to hear it. How long a wait has it been?”

  “Too long. Since my divorce two years ago.”

  “You’ve gone two years without sex?” And she’d ended her dry spell with him. Was that good or bad?

  Lex leaned up and secured the door flaps open to let the light from the fire in.

  “Yup. A lady doesn’t sleep around, you know.”

  “Huh?”

  “Just one of the iron-clad rules my mother handed down. A lady doesn’t chase a man, sleep with him before marriage or throw emotional scenes should she discover he’s strayed.”

  “Are you kidding me?”

  “I only wish I was. My mother didn’t believe in outward displays of emotion.”

  Lex laughed. “I hope she never meets the women in my family. They can’t sneeze without extreme emotion.”

  “I’d like to meet your family. They sound wonderful.”

  The wistfulness of her voice tugged at something in the region of his heart but he pushed it away.

  “They are. It was hell having four older sisters, but I wouldn’t trade them for anything. Not that they’d let me anyway.”

  “I picture them as the type who would hug you as soon as you walked into the room then try to feed you.”

  “Pretty close. Throw in a few kisses and maybe a slap or two for not calling them and you’ve got the right idea.”

  “Do you know my father never once kissed me, or slapped me either for that matter? My parents weren’t big on displays of affection. I sometimes wonder how they managed to get pregnant with me.”

  No wonder she was so skittish about physical contact. She wasn’t used to it.

  “That sucks. I may not have liked getting smacked when I did something wrong, but I got a lot more hugs and kisses than spanks. I always knew I was loved.”

  “I’ll bet. Don’t get me wrong, I know my mother loves me. She just really wasn’t equipped to have a child. She doesn’t like noise or disruptions to her routine.”

  “Sounds like your house was a lot of laughs.”

  “Yeah, well, on the positive side I went to all the best schools and had private tutors for tennis, dance, piano and French.”

  “Can you play piano?”

  “Not a note. I have no musical ability whatsoever and even less rhythm. And I only know enough French to make sure I don’t order snails at a restaurant.”

  “That’s not a bad skill to have. I just got back from Paris and could’ve used someone to let me know what the hell I was eating. One night I ended up with pig’s foot by accident.”

  Jane laughed out loud, and her whole face lit up.

  “It’s not funny. I saw ‘pied du porc’ on the menu. I recognized ‘porc’ as pork so I ordered it. Let me tell you, I was more than a little surprised when the waiter came and there was a hoof on my plate.”

  “I’m sure it was a shock.” Jane gasped with laughter.

  “Laugh all you want. If I’d had had you with me I wouldn’t have made that mistake.”

  The idea of going away with Jane when there weren’t guys shooting at them sounded very tempting. What would it be like to stroll along the Seine with Jane instead of hiking through the woods of Pennsylvania?

  Damn good, probably.

  Jane’s foot slipped along the inside of his leg. Her silky thigh brushed along his hairy one and his body stirred to life. He released a harsh breath as her hand stroked his growing length.

  Although, lying in a miniscule tent with her wasn’t all that bad either.

  Her tiny tongue flicked out to stroke his nipple and his blood caught fire. That was the only way he could explain the surging heat rushing through his veins.

  “You know, I’ve never been on top before.” Jane straddled his hips and gazed down on him with sloe eyes.

  “Then it’s about time you tried.” He barely had time to fumble on a condom before her wet heat surrounded him.

  She threw her head back with a gasp. “I just love new experiences.”

  Chapter Ten

  A slap on her naked butt woke Jane out of the best sleep she’d ever had, despite the fact she was sleeping on the ground. Lex leaned over her with a cup of coffee held just out of her reach.

  “Come on, sleepy head. It’s a long hike to the shuttle stop and I want to get an early start.” He handed her the coffee and backed out of the tent.

  Jane drew the sleeping bag up to her chin while she blew over the rim of the cup to cool the coffee for her first sip. Her brain was a jumble of memories and doubts tumbling around for supremacy. Lex hadn’t appeared to be changed in the least by their lovemaking.

  She felt as if the whole world had tilted on its axis. Not only had she been brave enough to have sex with Lex, she initiated it the second time around.

  The third time was a mutual decision.

  Maybe for him last night had been just another night in a long string of affairs, but for her it was like climbing Mount Everest. Only a lot more fun. She’d faced her fears of intimacy. Heck, she’d obliterated them. All this time she’d thought the reason she hadn’t achieved orgasm was because of her inability to relax and enjoy sex. Now she knew better.

  It didn’t have as much to do with her inabilities as it did her partner. Lex had enjoyed touching her before, after and during sex. He’d feasted on her body to the point where she had raw spots along her breasts and thighs from his razor stubble.

  No wonder she’d never had an orgasm with Gerard. He’d treated her body like it was an invest
ment and if he handled it too much it would lower the value.

  Maybe she wasn’t the one with intimacy issues after all.

  “Come on, Janey. Get moving!” Lex shouted.

  “I’m coming! Keep your pants on.” She slipped on a spare shirt and a clean pair of undies before she wiggled out of the tent and stood. Her jeans and bra were still on the ground where Lex had stripped them off.

  “That’s not what you said last night.”

  Her face flamed as Lex ogled her bare legs. Memories of what Lex looked like without his pants made her knees weak. He must have recognized the lust burning in her eyes because he dropped the pan he was washing and strode over to her.

  His lean hips pressed against her as he drew her within the circle of his arms. “We can always skip this mission and stay in bed all day.” He nuzzled her neck seductively.

  “I thought you needed inside information?” She’d meant to sound firm but her voice was breathy, husky.

  “I do, but there are other things I’d rather get inside of right now.”

  Jane’s muscles turned to water and she seriously contemplated his seductive offer. It would be much more fun to explore Lex in the light of day than it would be to go on some creepy mission. And she really should make sure she’d totally faced down her fears of intimacy…

  “No. If we don’t do this now we might not get another chance. I should go down there today.” She stepped away from him and tried not to moan at the loss of contact.

  “I hate that you’re right. You’d better get dressed then, because if you flaunt your sexy bod in front of me much longer I won’t give a damn either way.”

  A secret smile lifted the corners of her mouth. It was terribly shallow of her to be so happy that he liked her outward appearance instead of her intellect or her personality, but it felt darn good. No one had ever accused her of flaunting anything before.

  While she cleaned up and got dressed, she snuck peeks at Lex whenever she could. His behavior confused her. The psychologist part of her didn’t understand why he hadn’t pulled away after the night of intimacy. Men just did that as a matter of course. It was a standard male pattern to step back, only Lex didn’t show any signs of re-evaluating their relationship.