Amanda's Touch [D.A.R.E.ing Women] (Siren Publishing Allure)

by LeeAnn Masters

  She just wasn’t ready to talk to him. After that disastrous weekend he’d spent with her when she was sick, followed by the humiliating scene in his office, she’d tried to avoid him like the plague, pun intended. Her feelings were all jumbled up about both incidents. She felt embarrassed, and she was still angry at him for shipping her off to Timbuktu. Yes, she knew that it had, ultimately, been her choice to accept the job. But, she still felt pressured and wanted to lay the blame at his feet. She wasn’t too proud, or shallow, to admit she could deal with the whole thing better that way.

  Was she running? Yep! Was she in denial? Uh huh! Did she think about, dream about, what she’d envisioned when he kissed her that last time? You betcha! She shuddered, and then turned around to face the music, or rather, him.

  She pasted on a forced smile even as her mind traveled once more to that vision of them in a hot tub, water frothing around them. It was almost as though their chemistry alone had set it to boiling.

  She straddled Zack’s lap as he rested his weight on a low-lying bench, grinding her clit against his heavy erection, as hot mouths met and dueled for dominance. She’d lose, she always did. But, hey, it was a win, nevertheless. He fought to show her who was in control. She fought to show she was no pushover. It didn’t matter. Every time he touched her she melted in short order. However, they both enjoyed the game. Hunter and prey. Master and submissive. Teacher and schoolgirl. She laughed softly. They played many games… Cops and robbers. Yeah, the handcuffs were hot!

  His lips moved down the column of her throat, tasting, teasing, nibbling, biting. Ah! She arched her neck as she shivered, allowing him easier access as she ran her fingers through the soft hair at his nape.

  She raised up slightly on her knees, at his urging. With one hand on her hip, he directed his rock hard cock to her entrance. Her lower lips were swollen and slick with her cream, abetting his slow glide. Her walls stretching as he filled her.

  “Soooo good! So very good,” she sighed into his mouth. He hummed in agreement.

  “So tight. So hot. So sweet. I love being surrounded by you.” He grunted as she gave him a squeeze with her vaginal muscles. “Stop, babe, I won’t last if you do that, and I really want this to last.”

  “Harder, Zack. Please, move faster,” she whispered.

  “Always in a hurry, Mandy. Always in a rush. Slow down, enjoy. We have all the time in the world. We have the rest of our lives. Let’s not rush this bit of heaven.”

  His words sounded pained, though, and she knew he was close as well. Mr. Control Freak needed to be in charge most times and today was one of them. She slowed down and let him set the pace. A glide, a thrust, a kiss, breaths intermingled as he held her close and tightly to him.

  Blue eyes met dark green, a loving and tender look passing between them as his fingers moved down to caress her clit, lightly rubbing circles around the hard little nub.

  She squeezed him again. His eyes slid closed as his head fell back against the rim of the hot tub. The speed of his thrusts increased in tempo.

  “Ride me, babe.”

  Suddenly the sloshing of the water wasn’t from just the jets. It began to ebb and flow closer to the lip of the tub as the ebb and flow of their bodies meeting changed from languid strokes to take-no-prisoners.

  Hard, fast. Just the way she liked it. She’d won after all.

  His grasp on her hip tightened, and as he pinched her clit she felt his warm ejaculate blast inside her. He’d won, too. Her body stiffened over his, her muscles locked down on him as she came, and came.

  “I’m just fine, Mr. Grayson. How are you?”

  She tried to keep her tone light, positive, and formal. Oh, yeah. Formal. Sure! She wanted to climb him like a tree. Her panties were so damp she’d have to wring them out. He’s your boss! Somehow, she just couldn’t seem to care. Her embarrassment grew and she hoped he couldn’t smell how turned on she was. However, as lusty as she felt, she was also scared, and she felt guilty, too.

  Zack could almost taste her apprehension, the feeling of it was so thick in the air. She was still angry and embarrassed about the incidents, as she referred to them. Such as when she’d first emailed her apology to him about the incidents. Emailed him for God’s sake! When she had, two weeks later, accepted the project, and apologized humbly in person for the incidents, literally shaking in her shoes at having to see him face to face—after punching him in the nose and storming out of his office a week previously, he’d had it coming, he admitted and now when she didn’t want to talk about the incidents. But, she was going to have to deal with the fallout from the incidents sooner or later, and he’d needed to see how ready, or not, she was.

  Ready, or not, here I come. God, he hoped he’d come, a lot, inside her, while she came all around him. He shook his head slightly, trying to clear his dirty mind.

  It had been six damnable weeks! Couldn’t she let it go yet? Didn’t she understand that he wasn’t upset with her? Didn’t she care that he needed to talk about it, clear the decks? How the hell could he ever get anywhere with her if they were in this constant stand-off, or if she was too busy running scared? Had he imagined some of her feelings, or had they changed? She’d been none too steady then, and he wasn’t sure if she was any steadier now.

  The phone rang, and Amanda practically leapt to answer it. Her beautiful melodious voice, made husky by her strong feelings, sent a quiver through his groin and he almost groaned at the interruption.

  “Mr. McGinty! I’m so glad you returned my call!”

  I bet you are, Zack thought. A few more moments in which you can run.

  She turned her back to him and tried to focus on her client. Unfortunately, all she could think about was how darned sexy Zack looked today, and she couldn’t help but sneak glances at him to take it all in. He was wearing a dark blue button-down that brought out the deep blue of his eyes quite nicely. The sleeves, rolled up to his elbows, showed off his tanned and muscled forearms, and with the top couple of buttons undone she glimpsed a thick thatch of dark chest hair peeking through. His gray Dockers hugged his ass and offered her a great view from the rear, and of it. On his feet was a pair of black Timberland Chukkas. He’d come prepared for the mud at least, was her passing thought.

  Amanda ran the alterations by McGinty, while she watched Zack tour the little carriage house, rummage in the refrigerator for his own drink, and then kick his feet up on the sofa, after removing his shoes. Eff, she thought. He’s planning to be here a while. She turned her complete attention back to her client as she realized she’d just missed his inquiry.

  “I apologize, Mr. McGinty, would you please repeat that?” She rolled her eyes at his next request. “Of course I’ll call you Jared, if you prefer.” She smiled and laughed ruefully. The man was going to be angling for a date soon. She was going to have to stop using him as an excuse to escape Zack. “Jared, please, what had you asked me?”

  Zack observed Amanda at work. She was great with her clients. She always put them at ease, seemed to know what they needed, or at least how to explain what she could give them. He thought of his clients, “Good luck. You can’t always get what you want,” and then realized that might be the case with him as well and frowned unhappily.

  Since she wasn’t directly looking at him, he took advantage of the opportunity to study her. She reached up to absently twirl a loose strand of burnished hair that had come loose from her long braid. That strand wound between and around her fingers, and his eyes followed the movement of her delicate wrist and hand. Man, did he wish he could run his fingers through that thick, silky length again. He heard her laugh lightly and focused on her face. She appeared to be recuperating well, physically. Her face was filling out, not as gaunt as it had been. She had some color to her cheeks from being outdoors. She also had a little bit more light to her eyes, he thought. She didn’t look as, as…haunted, somehow? She still had circles under her eyes, but not the nearly black ones he’d seen at her sickbed.

  Mentally, hmm�
��he reached out with his senses, to see what he could find there. Now that she was no longer focused on him she seemed a lot less stressed, a little more carefree. Her anger was still simmering, but on a very low setting at the moment. Embarrassment was still off the charts. Oh, for Christ’s sake! When would she learn that it was all right, sometimes even necessary, to lean on others! He really needed to find a way through that one.

  He could tell she was wrapping up her conversation so he quickly ran through his checklist. Anger: low, good for the moment anyway. Embarrassment: high. She needed to get over herself! Sadness: moderate. Hey, there was an improvement. Loneliness: high. He wasn’t sure what she was missing there. David, home, Diane, coworkers, he wished it were him. Longing: moderate. For whom or what? Desire: high. Desire for whom? That was a stumper! He could feel his eyebrows shoot up as he considered that. Happiness, low to normal. He’d take it, though he wished it were higher.

  “That was Jared. I mean, Mr. McGinty. He approved the changes that the contractor and I worked up this morning.”

  Amanda grinned at him, feeling a sudden tide of positive emotions surface. If she’d had to describe it she’d say she felt almost sunny. Weird, she thought, and then frowned as she attempted to figure it out. Where did that come from?

  Zack was astonished by her sudden turnaround. He’d only sent a brief wave to her to ease her anxiety, and didn’t count on it doing much, but it seemed like he’d struck gold! So, she must be doing better than he’d thought. It wasn’t going to take much persuasion from him to build her up and keep her there. Now why was that? Was it her, him, or, he suddenly remembered who she’d been on the phone with, Jared. Was Amanda reacting to him, or to Jared, he wondered. Oh hell! Jared had even coaxed an unexpected laugh from her, and she had been traveling to his office once a week to touch base with him about the project. Should he worry? Did he have the right to worry, was more the question.

  “Mr. Grayson? Did you hear me?” Amanda’s brows drew together and she tried to gauge her boss’s response, for he wasn’t answering her. “Do you have a problem with the changes I mentioned to him?”

  Zack floundered, she anticipated that he’d been listening in, and he had been, but not to her conversation. He felt a sudden flood of anxiety wash through her and got angry with himself that he’d ruined her good feelings, and sent another warm vibration her way.

  “Sorry. I was…distracted. Thinking about a problem at the office,” was his lame excuse. He had a lot to think about and he needed some serious alone time with Amanda, if she’d allow him to have it, that was.

  “Oh! Well…since you’re here, would you like to come up to the house and take a look at the progress, discuss the changes there?” Amanda asked coolly. “Or do you need to get back to the city soon?”

  She could only hope. If she could just get her emotions under control she might be able to tolerate his visit. Sometimes when she was near him she thought she was positively manic depressive. The bipolar shifts she felt around him were more than a little unnerving.

  Then again, part of her hoped he’d stay. She flushed as she once more recalled that second seriously hot future sex scene. Feeling another, rather unwelcome, rush of warmth and the throb of her clit between her legs, she clamped her knees tightly together and swallowed down the impulse to jump his bones. Naughty, naughty! she scolded herself. You’re not ready for a relationship with him, but sex is okay, right? she asked herself sarcastically. Get a grip, Amanda!

  She reminded herself that she didn’t want him anywhere near her. Anytime he touched her she read more and more from him. To be fair to him, she still wasn’t sure if she was entirely ready to let David go, though she was coming to better grips with the thought now. She didn’t know how to have a future with Zack. She didn’t know how to tell him about her talents. He was also hiding something from her, she felt it. The idea of it lingered in her subconscious. Of course if she’d just touch him, she’d freaking know, wouldn’t she?

  Shit! This cyclical thinking would drive her insane! She was talking herself in circles, round and round. She felt like she was on a frigging merry-go-round! If he touched her, she saw stuff she wasn’t ready to deal with. If she didn’t let him touch her, she’d never be able to determine where their feelings would take them! Fuck! Exactly! Her body told her. Go right ahead! She groaned, stood up, and began pacing the small space, in an effort to shake those traitorous feelings.

  Zack didn’t need to read Amanda’s emotions now. He could almost see them warring, just by watching her face. She waffled from fear to desire, back and forth. He could feel it tearing her apart. Interesting! He amusedly watched her pace and felt her libido jumping up and down. That he had not expected. Again, who was she responding to? She’s not ready, he firmly told himself. She’s not completely over David, he could tell. Not that he expected her to actually completely recover, he had been her husband, after all. But Zack needed more assurance before he played his hand. He still wasn’t sure if he could trust her emotions. It had only been six weeks since the incidents, after all.

  Zack took stock as she paced. Her frame had put on some much needed weight, which was great, but she still had a ways to go. Her energy level was good. And, if he let her go on pacing too long she’d wear a rut in the hardwood floor.

  She was casually dressed in a yellow T-shirt and low-slung jeans. The shirt emphasized her small, firm breasts. They were just a little less than a handful but beautiful and perky. He liked perky. The low-riding jeans showed off her tiny waist, they also hugged her tight rear end and slim legs. Her long chestnut braid swung midway down her back and was flying apart in places. It looked like she’d thrown herself together this morning with little thought of clients or visitors. She was a far cry from the primped, starched, and made-up woman he’d seen in the office. She had dust and grit all over her, and mud was splattered along the hem of her pants. A wide streak of drywall dust coated one cheek. She looked absolutely mouthwatering in her imperfection. He wanted to throw her down on the floor right then and make love to her until she screamed his name. Focus, Zack! He cleared his throat.

  “Sure, let’s go up to the house. Show me around.”

  Zack stood and stretched his large frame, watching Amanda surreptitiously from the corner of his eye as she observed him. Oh yes, her libido was definitely up. Unfortunately for him, so was he. The pressure against his zipper was almost unbearable. He stepped into his shoes, wiggling unobtrusively, trying to loosen the tightness in his crotch.

  Amanda practically ran to her own boots in her eagerness to get out of the confined space. As embarrassed as she still felt about that weekend, it was nothing compared to what those future memories did to her. Fresh air was definitely a requirement. Too bad it was too damned hot and humid to cool her ardor.

  Leaving the carriage house, Zack followed her to the storage area. He grabbed a hard hat and chuckled as he saw Amanda place her own upon her head.

  “The guys?” he questioned with a lifted brow and a crooked smile.

  Amanda smiled and laughed unselfconsciously. “Yes, it was their welcome gift, so to speak. They meant well.”

  Zack grinned back at her, enjoying her loosened, more confident state. He was momentarily stunned by the desire that washed off of Amanda when he smiled at her, and his smile then briefly acquired a very natural, sensuous and somewhat predatory element. He saw her eyes unconsciously widen and her pupils dilate in response and he made himself wipe the expression from his face. God did he want her! But she wasn’t ready, yet.

  “Come on, let’s go. I can’t wait to show you all the work the guys have done. It looks amazing already!”

  She motioned toward the old home and began a running litany of the work done to date, deliveries, problems she encountered and how she’d handled them, etc., things he already knew from her reports, but he let her ramble on anyway. He loved to just listen to her talk. Her voice was strong, clear, and expressive. The sorrow that used to shadow her words was missing. He decid
ed it had been an excellent idea to send her here.

  He was relieved to see how well she was doing. She’d been ducking him for the past three weeks. Every time he’d made an appointment to visit the site, she’d found something else she’d needed to take care of, immediately, usually at McGinty’s office, back in Pittsburgh, just blocks away from Zack’s own office! He’d been stuck with Tom going over plans he was already well versed in. He’d decided it would have to be a surprise visit, if he was going to touch base with her at all. He had needed to see her, touch her, feel her emotions, to know she was all right.

  As they took the temporary stairs to the home, Zack offered his hand to Amanda to aid her ascent. Not to his surprise, she refused it. Well, ignored it actually. He smiled down at her as he saw her slide on the mud on the top step, and made a mental note to tell the guys to clean it up. Knowing Amanda, she’d probably get hurt.

  He felt her anxiety level climb again as she did her best to ignore his hand without seeming to make a point of it. Could it be she knew about him? No, she would have said something, surely. How much longer could he go without her finding out and truly running away, rather than just avoiding him?

  Keeping her eyes off of him, Amanda let them both in, and toured him around the skeletal framework. She tried to keep a running banter of details Mr. McGinty wanted to include in the final design, allowing a soft sigh of relief to escape when she heard Tom stomping onto the porch.

  Halleluiah! she thought. I’m rescued!

  Zack felt it the moment Amanda decided she was going to cut and run, and placed his hand on her shoulder, leaning over it, trying to make it look casual as the three stood there discussing the plans laid out in front of them. He felt her initially stiffen as he touched her and then slowly relax when his hand stayed in place. He needed to experiment with that a little, to work out why she was okay about it sometimes, but not at others. After a minute he just as casually dropped his hand to gesture to the drawings, continuing Tom’s train of thought. He watched from the corner of his eye as Amanda eased herself slowly to the opposite side of the work table.