Perfect Morning

by Marcia Evanick

  She saw his stomach muscles tighten as her fingers trailed down to circle his navel. She’d never thought men’s navels erotic. For that matter, men’s navels weren’t in the top ten things she thought about when thinking of men. Wasn’t it amazing what she’d been missing until Jason came along?

  His hand shot out and grabbed her wrist, and he gently lifted her hand to his shoulder. “Sorry, darlin’, but that isn’t a good idea right about now.”

  She groaned and buried her face in his neck again. How could she be so insensitive? She had never been a tease in her entire life. Tonight certainly was a night for firsts. “Oh, Jason, I’m sorry.”

  At the sound of remorse in her voice, he tried to lighten the mood. “That’s okay, darlin’. But if those fingers traveled any lower, we would have been heading for the kitchen to find some Saran Wrap.”

  “Saran Wrap?”

  “Necessity is the mother of invention.”

  It took her a few seconds to figure out what Jason meant. She was laughing so hard, she barely managed to ask him if it worked. At his negative response, she was fiercely disappointed.

  Her laughing fit was over and the room was silent. The only sound was their light breathing.

  One of Jason’s arms encircled her, holding her close with his hand resting directly below her breast. The other hand was running through her hair, trying to work out the tangles.

  “Darlin’, uhh ... is there a drugstore in town?” His voice had that little boy quality.

  She couldn’t contain the bubble of laughter that burst from her. “Yes. Jason, our town has a very fine drugstore. I have never seen that certain item you seem to be interested in, though.” She raised her head from its resting place on his shoulder to get a good look at him. The red staining his cheeks was enough to start the giggles again. She reached up and ran her finger across his cheek to his lips. His mouth opened and he seductively sucked on her finger.

  Her gaze was glued to his mouth as if it were the most fascinating thing she’d ever seen. As his tongue licked the tip of her finger, she lifted her eyes to his. Amusement glinted in them. Ahh, she thought. Punishment for laughing at his blushing. Well, two can play at that. “I can just picture you walking into the drugstore and asking old man Davis for some. I wonder who will turn a brighter red, you or him?”

  Jason’s eyes lost the amusing glint and started to look dangerous. A wiser woman would have quit while she was ahead, but Riki never had learned the strategy of retreat. “Just think, Jason. If you are real lucky, he’ll take you behind the counter and give you a lecture on the evils of the big bad city women.”

  One moment she was teasing Jason, the next she was flat on her back with her arms pinned above her head. Most of his weight had to be on his knees, she figured, because it wasn’t on her hips, which he was straddling. The light of victory shone in his eyes. “Riki, tell me the evils of the big bad city women. This has to be better than that bedtime story you read to Andrew and Billy-Jo tonight.”

  She was laughing when a thought occurred to her. Jason couldn’t possibly walk into Davis’s Pharmacy and buy what he wanted. Everyone in town would know what was going on and with whom. There was already speculation on why Jason was visiting. She wouldn’t be surprised if everyone was waiting for wedding invitations. She didn’t particularly care what people thought of her. She was a grown woman who could make her own decisions. It was Jake and Pete she was concerned about. What if the story got started and somehow wound up affecting the adoption procedures?

  Jason saw the serious expression on her face and knew something was wrong. “Riki?”

  “You can’t go into town and buy them.”

  “I can’t?”

  “No. Everyone in town will know what we are doing.” Her eyes begged for understanding.

  He traced her lower lip with one finger and tried to reassure her. “Okay, darlin’, if it bothers you that much what people think. I’ll go to a different town tomorrow and see what I can come up with.” She caught hold of his wrist and tried for a better understanding. “Jason, I don’t care what people think of me. Believe me. I’ll be the luckiest woman in town to have you for a lover. I’m sure some women would turn green with jealousy. It’s Jake and Pete I’m worried about. They’re not mine yet. I’m not sure if being wanton would count against me.” Her teasing smile assured him she wasn’t taking it personally.

  He let his finger trail down her throat, only to stop when it ran into a barrier of emerald silk. “Are you feeling wanton?”

  The only response he received was a groan. He couldn’t seem to stop the impulse to kiss her one last time. It was even harder to pull back, knowing that if he continued there would be no stopping for either of them.

  As he raised his head and saw the look in her eyes, he told himself he had to get out, while he still could. He stood, then reached down to help her to her feet. He brushed a lock of hair out of her eye and kissed her chastely on her forehead. “I don’t want to leave, but if I stay you know what will happen.” At her nod, he continued, “I’ll take care of our little problem tomorrow.”

  “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  She smiled and she brushed her lips across his cheek. “For being Jason.”

  A whimsical smile was his answer as he turned and walked out the door.

  Seven

  Three hours and a bleeding arm later, Jason muttered an explicit curse as to what could be done to maple trees. After driving practically to Richmond to find a drugstore open at this time of night, he was in a reckless mood. Maybe he was getting giddy from the lack of sleep, but this had seemed like a good idea when standing on the lawn looking up at Riki’s open bedroom window.

  The image of Errol Flynn climbing a tree to sneak into his lady’s boudoir was romantic. Jason Nesbit stuck in a maple tree with a gash on his arm that probably would require half a dozen stitches just didn’t inspire the same feeling. He’d be lucky if Riki hadn’t already called the police to report a Peeping Tom.

  He sighed with relief when he silently raised the screen and didn’t detect any movement from within. Holding his injured arm close to his shirt, hoping not to drip blood all over the place, he slipped over the windowsill. Standing still he could just barely make out Riki’s sleeping form nestled on the bed. As he crossed the room he prayed she wouldn’t wake up screaming. Gingerly sitting on the edge of the mattress, he whispered her name. The only response he received was an incoherent mumble as she snuggled deeper beneath the quilt.

  For the fourth time in the past twenty minutes, doubts assaulted his brain. Maybe he should turn around and climb back down the tree before she woke up. Don Juan he wasn’t. The only thing that stopped him from going back over the window ledge was knowing he’d probably fall and break his neck. His arm was hurting like hell, and he wished there was enough light to see what damage had been done.

  With his good arm he gently shook her shoulder. He was ready to silence any scream that might be forthcoming, but when she slowly opened her eyes, the only thing forthcoming was a seductive smile.

  Riki wasn’t sure if she was dreaming or not, but she wasn’t going to fight it either way. She’d fallen asleep with fantasies of Jason in her bed, and now that he was here, she wasn’t going to let this golden opportunity slip by.

  When she reached for him, Jason didn’t know if he should laugh at her eagerness or be worried that she didn’t seem too upset about a man in her bedroom. “Riki darlin’, are you awake?”

  As her arms circled his neck she mumbled, “Shh! If I’m not, don’t wake me now.”

  Her lips settled on his. The kiss started out slowly with the promise of things to come. When Riki pressed herself against him to deepen the kiss, the sound of Jason’s grunt of pain brought her to awareness. She jerked back to try to focus on him in the darkness.

  Not satisfied with the blur in front of her, she reached for the lamp on the nightstand. Momentarily blinded by the sudden light, she missed Jason turning away t
o hide his arm. As her eyes adjusted, she caught the sheepish grin on his face. After a brief glance at the clock on the nightstand to confirm her suspicion that it was still the middle of the night, the most intelligent thing she could come up with was, “Hi.”

  “Hi, yourself.” He took in her tousled hair, sleepladen eyes, and the same oversized football jersey he had caught her in the first morning. He was never more aroused by the sight of a woman than he was at that very moment. He reached out and stroked her cheek. “I took care of our problem.”

  As she caught the spark of desire in his eyes, a soft, inviting smile formed on her lips. “Did you now?”

  Jason couldn’t believe his luck. She wasn’t going to call him names, which he rightly deserved. With the flare of a magician pulling a rabbit out of his hat, he produced a brown bag. At her raised brows, he flashed his little-boy smile and dumped the contents of the bag in her lap.

  Riki looked down at six dozen prominent members of the birth control society and mumbled the first thing that came to mind. “Feeling frisky?”

  When Jason made a grab to capture her, she noticed the blood on his arm. Her eyes wide with horror, she screeched, “You’re bleeding!”

  He chuckled. With a curious glance down to confirm that the bleeding had almost stopped, he muttered. “It’s only a scratch.”

  As Riki jumped out of bed grumbling about macho men, he drank in the sight of soft creamy legs that seemed to go on forever. Then he groaned when he caught sight of her cute little tush barely covered by the jersey.

  “Are you in pain?” she asked, concerned.

  He swallowed, trying to clear his throat, and decided it was safer to nod than to explain exactly where the pain was.

  Tugging on his good hand, she practically dragged him into the bathroom. As she flipped the bathroom light on, she ordered, “Take that shirt off.” From the medicine cabinet she pulled down disinfectant, gauze, first-aid cream, three different boxes of Band-Aids, scissors, iodine, and medical adhesive tape. Jason began to have second thoughts.

  He sat on the closed lid of the commode and held his arm over the sink. “Do you know what you’re doing?” he asked.

  She gave an indignant huff and stated the obvious. “I am a mother, you know.”

  Deciding it was safer to change the subject while he was at the mercy of a frustrated Florence Nightingale, he gestured toward her jersey and asked, “Do you always sleep in that?”

  Riki wasn’t pleased at being caught in an old football shirt that by no stretch of anyone’s imagination could be called sexy. So she fluttered her eyelashes and purred, “Only when I’m cold.” At Jason’s intake of breath, she poured half a bottle of peroxide over the cut.

  He half rose off his seat. “Damn, that hurt!” he bellowed.

  “Sorry. I’m only trying to kill the germs.” Exam- ining the gash for any objects that might be in it, she noticed that the bleeding had almost stopped. She applied pressure to the area with a gauze pad and tuned out Jason’s mumbling about sadistic mothers. After making sure the cut had stopped bleeding entirely and was clean, she applied a thin layer of first-aid cream.

  Jason stopped her before she could rip into another gauze pad. “It’s fine the way it is. Thank you very much, Riki.”

  She noticed the husky tone in his voice and knew it wasn’t caused by pain. His eyes burned into her. Her breathing became shallow and rapid. How could she become so aroused by a simple thank-you? The man practically bled to death in her bathroom and she stood there having sexual fantasies about him. Morbid, real morbid, Riki. She took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. “You really should have a bandage on that.” At the negative shake of his head, she whispered. “Please.”

  Jason knew he was a goner. That “please” had come out in the same tone of voice as the “maple syrup” this morning. Desire shot through his body, blood started to heat in his veins, all because of her voice. If she had asked for the moon, he would have gotten it for her. What was a simple bandage? When he saw all the paraphernalia that covered the vanity, he revised his thinking. “Maybe a Band-Aid.”

  With trembling fingers, she reached for the box with the biggest band-aids in it. Jason’s gaze never left her mouth. He was fascinated by the way she sank her teeth into her lower lip when she concentrated. When she raised her eyes and whis- pered, “All done,” his heart skipped a couple of beats. It seemed right when he glanced at his injured arm to see five Band-Aids covering the cut, each with a smiling blue Smurf face on it.

  Turning around on the pretense of putting the array of medical supplies away, Riki tried to hide the effect Jason was having on her. How could she be so aroused by him while bandaging his arm? Maybe she was a sadist after all. Deciding a change of thoughts was required, she asked Jason to hand her his shirt.

  “No.”

  Startled by the negative response, she asked, “What do you mean, no? The blood will stain the shirt if it’s not soaked right away.”

  “I don’t need a Suzy Homemaker right now.”

  “Oh.”

  His voice lowered another notch. “I don’t need a Florence Nightingale either.”

  She watched him rise and take a step toward her. “What do you need, Mr. Nesbit?”

  His hand circled the back of her neck and he slowly pulled her toward him. “Erika McCormick, the woman.”

  Jason meant to go slowly. He really did. But when he felt Riki’s hand run down his chest, he lost control. Her fingers tangled in his hair, dark as coal and soft as velvet, as they journeyed to his belt. When she released the buckle, he drew her jersey up over her head.

  Seeing her standing there in nothing but a pair of lacy peach-colored panties sent desire sweeping through him like a forest fire. Every nerve ending was attuned to her as he reached to embrace her.

  Her luscious breasts crushed against his chest, rousing a deep groan from the back of his throat. Lifting her so that she was cradled in his arms, he brought his mouth down on hers. He didn’t lift his mouth until he had laid her on the tangle of lavender sheets. Lowering his gaze to the lacy peach panties, he gently removed them.

  When he stepped back, he couldn’t seem to stop trembling. Lifting one foot to remove his sneaker, he noticed Riki’s unwavering stare. After shedding his sneakers and socks, he slowly lowered the zipper of his jeans.

  He’d never known that green eyes could smolder, but Riki’s were smoldering. Sweeping his jeans and briefs off in the same movement, he heard her sharply draw in a breath.

  Moving over to make room for Jason. Riki pushed his latest purchases on the floor. Never had she seen such blatant arousal, such strength. They had shared nothing more than a few kisses. Granted, they had melted her socks, but obviously they hadn’t melted anything of Jason’s. As he stood there, she raised her hand to invite him to her bed.

  Seeing Riki reach out to him made Jason smile with satisfaction. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. Lying down next to his emerald-eyed vixen, he drew her into his arms.

  Jason dropped small kisses on her forehead, nose, and eyelids, frustrating Riki. Small light kisses were fine at their proper time and place, but this wasn’t it. Whispering a husky, “Please.,” she cupped his face and forced him to meet her waiting lips. Her lips were soft and yielding beneath his demanding ones. As his tongue thrust into her mouth, she rose to meet the challenge and arched her back.

  Feeling the neglected, pouting nipples brushing his chest, Jason released her mouth to blaze a trail downward. He captured one of those protruding nubs between his teeth and nipped gently. Riki pulled his head closer, confirming his suspicion that they were on the same wavelength, and slow and easy went flying out the window.

  While paying homage to her breast, he slid his hand down over her silky abdomen. It smoothed over her hip to linger on creamy thighs. Then slowly, persistently, his fingers climbed up the inside of her thigh to seek their destiny.

  Finding her warm and wet to his touch, Jason suppressed the primitive urge to bang his
fists on his chest. As his fingers slid deeper into her moist haven, her hips moved in a rhythm as old as time. When he withdrew to prepare himself, he felt more than heard her frustration. Moving back to settle between her quivering thighs, he murmured, “Riki?”

  She gazed at him with passion-filled eyes. “Yes,” she whispered as her hips rose to complete the union. Jason entered her in one deep thrust. He clamped his jaw together to control his desire while her body relaxed to accept him. Her deep moan brought an answering one of his own.

  With her nails sinking into his shoulders and the heels of her dainty feet digging into the back of his thighs, he started to move his hips. With every thrust he was met equally by the passionate woman beneath him. He could feel the strain in her. She was reaching, stretching, racing toward something she didn’t understand. He quickened the pace while whispering against her ivory breasts, “That’s it, darlin’. Reach.”

  The rhythm became frantic, and he had to keep reminding himself to breathe. Sweat broke out of every pore as he took a rosy nipple deep within his mouth, matching the sucking motions to the natural dance of their bodies. Nails dug deeper into shoulders, heels applied bruising pressure, while little animal sounds were murmured with every release of her breath. Her eyes shot open and locked with his. He read amazement, ecstasy, love, and uncertainty in those glistening emerald eyes. He slipped one arm beneath her driving hips to bring her closer. “Let go, darlin’. I’ve got you. I won’t let you go. You’re safe.”

  Trust was the last emotion he read in those eyes before she closed them and cried his name. Hearing that hoarse cry of release, he gave one final thrust and loosed his passion deep within her.

  After his breathing slowed to a near-normal rate, he dragged his body off her and cradled her in his arms. Tenderly he brushed back a lock of auburn hair that clung to her face. Her eyes slowly opened to reveal contentment as a slow, wondrous smile curved her mouth. He lowered his head to kiss the tip of her nose. “That was perfect, Erika,” he murmured.