by Lori Foster
He looked toward the kitchen, as if he didn’t quite believe her.
“It’s just chicken noodle. You know I’m not a very good cook. But it should be ready soon. I know how often you usually eat, and so I thought…”
She knew she was rambling and drew to a halt. Oh, he looked hungry all right. “Would…would you like to rest here on the couch instead of in the bed? Maybe we could watch a movie.”
His nostrils flared, and without a word he made his way to the couch. Annie shoved aside her pile of books.
The seating arrangement was actually as wide as a bed and formed an open square. “Careful now. Let me go get you a couple of pillows.”
Guy groaned as he lowered himself, but the sound was quickly cut off. Annie knew he wanted to hide his discomfort from her.
She also knew she’d added to that discomfort.
Shame at being so self-centered in her goals bit into her determination.
But he had been hard, she reminded herself. So she knew he wasn’t totally immune.
She rushed into the bedroom and grabbed the pillows off the bed. She also saw the aspirin still sitting on the nightstand and got caught with a grin.
Guy had his eyes closed when she approached him. Softly, she touched his shoulder. “Lean forward for me.”
He did as she asked and Annie slipped the pillow behind him, then carefully lifted his leg to wedge another pillow under there. “Daniel said to keep your leg elevated. Here.” She handed him the aspirin and the water, then admonished, “Take them this time.”
He didn’t argue. After he’d swallowed the pills, he asked, “Did you oversalt the soup?”
“Nope, not this time.”
“Did you throw in any weird ingredients?” He kept his eyes closed, holding himself away from her.
“I didn’t season it at all because I was afraid I’d ruin it.”
Annie sat on a cushion beside him. It was very difficult, but she managed to keep her hands to herself. “In fact, I’m not sure I’d even call it soup, really. I just boiled some chicken until it was tender, then threw in noodles. I was going to make a salad to go with it.”
“How much longer do you think?”
He was being cautiously polite, and that broke Annie’s heart. Since he’d slept the better part of the day away, she knew he had to be hungry. Now for food as well as satisfaction.
“I can get you some now if you like.” She stood, but before she could walk away, Guy caught her hand.
“Annie.”
She squeezed his fingers. “It’s okay. I shouldn’t have pushed you like that.” She pulled away, not wanting him to say more, unwilling to hear his explanations and excuses for turning her down.
From the kitchen, she asked, “Do you want milk or water or tea?”
“Milk. Thank you.” He hesitated before saying, “It doesn’t feel right to just sit here and be waited on.”
“I want to do this, Guy. You’d do the same for me.”
“Damn right I would. But that’s different.”
“Why?” Annie loaded up a plate.
“Because you’re female. And small.”
“And you care about me?”
A slight hesitation, then: “Yes.”
She could feel him watching her, the heat of his gaze. “I care about you, too, even though you’re big and male.” Especially because you’re big and male.
“And you trust me?”
I love you. “Yes.”
“That’s good. Because I want to talk to you.”
Outside, the wind rustled branches against the roof and ice pellets drubbed the windows. It seemed a new storm was brewing, though inside they were warm and cozy. The fireplace burned hotly, and there was plenty of dry wood on the hearth and on the covered porch. She’d called Daniel while Guy slept earlier. Everything was set. He could talk all he wanted, but she wouldn’t take him home.
Guy appeared content enough sitting up on the seating group with his leg cushioned. Annie placed a tray in his lap with the chicken and noodles, a small salad, milk and the salt and pepper shakers. She got her own plate of food and sat across from him.
After Guy had salted and peppered his food, he tasted it, then gave a nod of approval. “Good.”
Annie grinned. “Had you worried, didn’t I? But there’s no need. Daniel knows I’m not the best cook around so he made sure there was simple stuff to fix. We won’t starve.”
His brown eyes smiled at her. “I remember those chocolate cookies you baked for us.” Gradually, Annie could see him relaxing. “You’d used unsweetened chocolate.”
“I didn’t know there was a difference.”
“Max ate them with his beer. Said they were better than salted nuts.”
They both chuckled, and for the next hour they joked and teased and generally carried on in their normal mode of camaraderie.
When Guy was done eating, after three refills, he patted his flat abdomen and sighed. “Delicious. I probably just put on a few pounds, but it was worth it.”
Annie carried the dishes to the kitchen. She wished she’d thought of some kind of indulgent dessert, but she hadn’t. Cautiously, she said, “You know a good way to lose weight?”
His groan turned into a laugh. “Don’t tell me. Sex.”
“You already knew that one?” She resettled herself in the seating area with him.
“Annie, honey, you’ve got sex on the brain.”
It was more than her brain clamoring for attention right now.
“It’s a fact!” she assured him. “Why, you can burn off a lot of calories in vigorous sexual activity. Not that I really know the difference between the vigorous and the lazy stuff, but I thought it was interesting.”
Guy twisted to face her. His expression was still somewhat strained, but also accepting. “Sweetheart, sex is not a cure-all for everything that ails you.”
Annie stretched to reach a specific book, and then flipped to a dog-eared page. “Sex,” she said, reading out loud, “can lower your cholesterol and tip the good cholesterol/bad cholesterol ratio. It kicks your respiratory system into overdrive which makes you breathe deep and adds oxygen to your blood, which nourishes all your organs and tissues. And sex releases endorphins, which are effective painkillers.”
Guy rolled his shoulders, as if easing tense muscles.
Annie flipped to another page. “Accelerated blood flow to the…uh—” she nodded at his lap “—that area, takes pressure off the brain which helps you relax and eases tension in your neck and back.”
She frowned at him. “Guy, you do look tense.”
He burst out laughing, which wasn’t quite the reaction she’d been going for, but at least he wasn’t pushing her away again. Deliberately, Annie shrugged one shoulder and let the flannel droop again. She’d noticed his preoccupation with the shirt earlier, how it had affected him each time the material had slipped down her shoulder.
This time was no different.
His laughter stopped abruptly.
“I’m surprised,” she said, adding an edge to her tone on purpose, “that you don’t already know this stuff. I mean, here you have this little love nest and you don’t even know what you’re doing.”
His jaw firmed. “I know exactly what I’m doing.”
“You couldn’t prove it by me.”
“Honey, I don’t want to prove it to you.”
“Okay, so you don’t want me. Tell me what you do with other—” she nearly choked, but managed to finish “—women.”
Guy came up on one elbow to frown down on her. His brown eyes were intense, as hot as the flames in the fireplace. “I have sex. Is that what you want to know?”
Her heart thundered in jealousy, but she tamped it down. “I want details. Do you strip for them like you stripped for me? Do you let them examine you?”
The look on his face was comical. “I feel violated.”
Annie snorted. “I’m not buying that for a minute. I’ll tell you it surprises me, though. Being
that this is a little love nest, I figured I’d find some neat stuff. You know, like mirrors on the ceiling, or sex toys hidden away. I guess the Jacuzzi tub counts, but I’m not quite sure how it’d work.”
Guy groaned.
“You could at least take this seriously,” she said, watching him closely to catch his reaction, “so when I approach Perry I won’t embarrass myself with my ignorance.”
His short hair stood on end. “You really want to get involved with Perry?” His voice rose to a near shout.
“Not involved. I mean, I don’t want a relationship with him.” She shuddered even as she assured him of that fact. Perry didn’t turn her on. No man turned her on, except Guy. “But so far he’s the only one willing. You’re certainly not.”
Guy dropped flat to the couch and covered his face with his arm. He muttered, but Annie couldn’t hear what he said, except for the key words of “torture” and “intolerable” and “witch.”
“As I just pointed out, Guy, sex is necessary for my general health and well-being.” She saw his chest rising and falling with labored breaths. “You do want me to stay healthy, don’t you?”
Guy didn’t respond to that, except to give another groan. Annie said, “I guess you don’t need all the props, huh? That, or else you don’t know what to do with them. Is that it? No experience with the kinky stuff?”
“I’m not discussing my personal…experiences with you, Annie.”
She shrugged, and the flannel slipped just a little bit more. She waited and when he finally looked at her, she shrugged again for good measure.
Guy’s hands curled into fists, held at his sides on the couch. “I don’t want you going to Perry.”
Her heart pounded, making her breathless, making her body tremble. “You don’t want me, period.”
He looked away and Annie could practically hear his turbulent thoughts.
Finally, very softly as if the words were forced out, he said, “Yes I do.”
Annie’s mouth opened, then snapped closed. Cautiously, hope building to the boiling point, she asked, “You do?”
Guy scooted up on the couch until he was sitting upright with his leg stretched out before him. He took up a lot of room, and looked sexy doing so.
His eyes glittered at her, unwavering. “My erection is for you.”
“It is?” She felt like a damn parrot, but he’d done such a quick turnaround, she wasn’t sure what to think.
She hadn’t known brown eyes could look so burning. Guy reached for her, caught her arm, and pulled her up to his chest. “It is. And now I’m going to start your instruction.”
7
GUY HELD HER close, feeling her nervousness and glad of it. “You’re too brazen, sweetheart. You need to learn some subtlety.”
“Do I scare you?”
What she was really asking, was would she scare that other man, the man she wanted to seduce. It enraged him. “No. But you can push a guy right over the edge, when what you want is a man who’s in control.”
Her dark lashes swept down to hide her eyes. He wasn’t fooled for a second.
“Look at me, Annie.”
She did, and her expression was so hungry, so anxious, he almost lost it.
“What are you going to do?” she asked. She looked at his mouth, his throat, then met his gaze.
Control, Guy reminded himself. He had to stay in control. “Anything you want me to.”
Her indrawn breath was sexy and sweet at the same time. “I want you to…have sex with me.”
She had started to say make love, he was sure of it. But she didn’t want him to love her. She just wanted sex. She wanted to experiment.
Guy understood that, but everything in him rebelled against it. Annie was a healthy, attractive, energetic woman, and it was only natural that she wanted to experience more of the sensual side of things. The wonder of it was that she’d stayed innocent so long. Of course, she’d been so protected by her brothers when she was younger, any male would have had a hard time inching close. And then she’d stayed busy getting her bookstore opened up and off to a good start. For the most part, she had never seemed all that interested in sex.
Now he knew better.
Because he understood, and because he cared about her, he’d show her a few things, and still hold on to what honor he could. Anything would be preferable to her going to Perry; the mere thought made him nuts.
“Lie down here beside me.”
Annie bit her lip. “Should…should I take my clothes off first?”
Muzzling her became a real possibility. It might be necessary to save his sanity.
“No. Quit pushing. From here on out, let me tell you what you need to do, okay?”
Her lips parted. “Is this a fetish of yours?” Obviously that idea appealed to her. “I mean, you being dominant and everything? Because I’ve read a whole chapter on fetishes and…”
His hand covered her mouth. “I’m not…dammit, Annie, will you just do as I tell you?” His control was nearly nonexistent.
She laid down. Stiffly. Staring up at the ceiling. The audacious woman demanding satisfaction was now hidden behind a mask of uncertainty.
Guy rested his hand on her belly. He felt the heat of her and his own body burned. She was so soft, so slight.
She was holding her breath.
“Annie, are you nervous?” Gently, he caressed her and watched her face color with desire. That, or she was suffocating.
She gasped for air. “I’m…worried.”
Guy leaned down and kissed her temple, a featherlight touch, teasing, brushing. In her ear, he whispered, “About what?” In the back of his mind he thought perhaps now that he’d called her bluff, she’d back off.
In his heart, he prayed she wouldn’t.
“Orgasm face.”
His hand, his heartbeat, stilled. “What?”
“I’m worried about orgasm face. I read this article that said some people look really dumb when they climax. They make funny sounds and jerk and jump and roll their eyes and I’m afraid I’m going to look really bad because I’ve had very little practice.”
Every pulse beat of his heart made him more rigid. He couldn’t quite seem to form a coherent sentence.
Annie, still stiff beside him, turned her head to see his face. “You could go first.” She sounded inordinately enthusiastic about that idea. In her new eagerness, she forgot she was nervous and reared up over him, bracing one hand on his bare, bruised shoulder, the other tucked close to his side. He could feel her breath on his nose. “If you went first, I could see how you look and then I wouldn’t be so worried how I’d look.”
“No.”
Her eyes crossed, trying to see him so closely. She frowned. “Why not?”
Guy didn’t tell her he had no intention of taking his own release.
He felt pressured into assuring her first experience was a good one—a good one not with Perry—and that was his plan. But he wouldn’t actually make love to her. He wouldn’t share intercourse because that would cross too many boundaries.
And once he crossed them, he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to find his way back.
When he didn’t answer her right away, her face softened into lines of understanding. “You’re a grunter, aren’t you? Do you scrunch all up, too? I won’t mind, I promise. If we both look dumb, then I guess we could just close our eyes, right?”
Ignoring her ridiculous words, especially since he had no idea what the hell he looked like when he came, Guy caught the back of her head and pulled her down until he could kiss her throat. Another series of light, tempting kisses.
Annie groaned. “I like that.”
He kissed her collarbone.
“And that.”
He opened his mouth against her skin.
“And that!”
He sighed. “Annie, I don’t need a blow-by-blow report.”
Her chest heaved and her fingers dug into his shoulder. The pain was nothing compared to the pressure building in hi
s groin.
Panting, she said, “I read in one book that you should tell your partner what pleases you.”
“I know what pleases you.”
“You do?” She pushed back to see his face again. “How?”
Guy turned the smallest bit and kissed her wrist. Her fingernails had left small indentations in his bruised skin. “By this. By the way you react.”
“Ohmigod! Am I hurting you?” She looked appalled by her own actions and would have pulled away if he hadn’t caught her to him. Her squirming not only hurt his aching body, but it further incited his lust.
Muscles clenched, Guy asked, “Do you feel how close you are to me? You’re pushed up against my hip. I can feel your heat there. And where our chests touch, I can feel your heartbeat pounding.” He smoothed his hand over her back. “Why don’t you just forget the damn books, okay?”
She tucked her face into his throat. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
He smiled—until she reared up and said sincerely, “I’ll be gentle with you, I promise.”
The laugh took him by surprise, and annoyed Annie.
“I don’t want you to laugh at me, either.”
“I’m sorry.” He smoothed her thick, silky hair.
“But I think you’re adorable.”
She peered down at him, considering his words, before nudging her face into his throat again. “What if I have a silly orgasm face?”
As she spoke, her lips brushed his skin, burning him, driving him nuts. “All women look different—”
Her arms stiffened, lifting her away. “How many female orgasm faces have you seen?”
Ferociously, she stared down at him. Guy bit back his grin. He hadn’t expected this, hadn’t expected to laugh with her, to have fun with her now. He’d been all set to be a martyr, but Annie wasn’t letting him.
“Every orgasm face I’ve seen has been female. I sure as hell haven’t been watching any men.”
“That’s not what I mean and you know it.” Then she blinked. “Have you…you know. Ever seen yourself?”
Despite her resistance, Guy pulled her down to rest against his chest. “Rule number one. You never discuss other partners when in bed.”