by Karen Foley
Reaching out, she slipped her fingers into the waistband of the briefs and tugged him closer. With a laugh that was half groan, he tumbled onto her, scooping her into his arms at the last minute and rolling across the bed so that they ended up, breathless and laughing, with Lacey half-sprawled across his chest, their legs intertwined.
With her hair hanging like a curtain around their faces, they stared at each other for a wordless moment, until Cole slid one hand to the back of her head and drew her down for his kiss. Their tongues tangled and his other hand cupped and kneaded her bottom.
Lacey moaned softly into his mouth, feeling his hardness pressed against her. She gasped when he dipped his hand between her thighs and stroked her intimately with his finger.
“God, you’re so wet,” he groaned, and his kiss deepened, his tongue spearing into her mouth even as he caressed her damp, swollen flesh. Lacey’s legs straddled his, and she arched her back to grant him better access.
“Cole,” she gasped, “I want you inside me.”
“Say that again,” he growled.
“I want you.”
He laughed huskily. “Oh, yeah. I love hearing you say that.” He stroked his lips across hers again. “But you said my name. I want to hear you say my name again.”
“Cole,” she breathed.
In one smooth, fluid movement he flipped her onto her back and then he was over her, kissing her mouth, her jaw, her throat, and working his way lower.
“Wait,” she panted when he reached the apex of her thighs and cupped her with his hand, sliding one finger into her while he stroked and teased her breasts with his other hand. An orgasm teetered just out of reach and she knew that if he put his mouth on her sensitized flesh, she would explode. And she didn’t want this to end too soon. “Cole, stop.”
He glanced up at her, a wicked grin tilting his luscious mouth. “Is there a problem?”
He inserted a second finger and Lacey’s hips bucked. “Oh, God, Cole, you have to stop.” She gasped when he stroked his thumb over her, a shudder of pleasure racking her body. “Please.”
Cole withdrew his hand, but made no move to scoot back up the length of her body. “Well, jeez,” he said huskily, “that’s a shame, considering I was just getting to know you so well.” He smoothed his hands over her hips and then beneath them, raising her up slightly. “Maybe this will change your mind…”
Before Lacey could form a coherent thought, he lowered his head and her entire existence was reduced to this one man and the unbelievable, overwhelming sensation of his mouth on her. And when he flicked his hot, velvet tongue against her, she gave a strangled cry and thrust her hips upward, convulsing in an orgasm so powerful she thought she might actually die.
Only when she stopped shivering did Cole raise himself over her. She wound her arms around his neck and kissed him, tasting her own delicate essence on his lips. He groaned softly against her mouth.
“Oh, man,” he rasped with a soft laugh, “that was amazing. Truly, unbelievably amazing.”
Lacey had to agree with him.
“I’ve never felt anything quite so—so powerful before,” she admitted, stretching languidly beneath him. “I’d almost forgotten how good this could be.”
Cole cocked his head and gave her a quizzical look. “What do you mean?”
Lacey looped her arms around his neck and pressed a kiss against his mouth. “Let’s just say it’s been a while since I’ve done this. But I’m glad that you’re the one who ended my dry spell.”
Cole gave her a tender smile that did odd things to her equilibrium. “Well, I’m glad, too. Can I ask just how long it’s been?”
“A couple of years.”
Cole drew away slightly, his face registering surprise. “Are you serious? Are the guys up north blind?”
Lacey laughed. “Thanks, but it’s by choice. My job is pretty demanding and I don’t have a lot of free time.”
It was a partial truth, at least.
“I get it, but a couple of years?”
“You’ll have to help me make up for lost time,” she said, and moved suggestively beneath him.
“Oh, yeah? Well, I’m all for that.”
Lacey liquefied under his tender expression and the implicit promise in his words. She could feel the hard thrust of him against her hips and, reaching down, tugged at his briefs. “Maybe you want to start by taking these off.”
He helped her, sliding them off and kicking them free. And there he was, rising thick and heavy against the tautness of his abdomen. Lacey’s mouth went dry.
Unable to prevent herself, Lacey wrapped her fingers around him. He jerked reflexively in her hand. He was hot. And hard. And as smooth as satin beneath her fingertips. She slid her hand down the length of him and felt a surge of feminine pride when he sucked his breath in sharply and buried his face against her neck. Lacey continued to stroke him, tentatively at first and then with growing confidence as he groaned softly and bent his head to her breast, capturing a nipple in his mouth and drawing deeply on it.
And there it was again. The slow, throbbing ache that made her long to wrap her legs around him and bring him completely inside her.
“Cole,” she whispered against his hair.
He raised his head from her breast and his eyes were startlingly blue. “Yeah?”
“I want you. Now.”
“I almost forgot.” He slanted her a crooked grin and then leaned over to open a drawer in the bedside table and drew forth a small foil package.
A condom! God, she hadn’t even thought about protection.
She watched as he expertly covered himself, then positioned himself above her. Reaching down, he lifted one of her legs and laid it across his hip, opening her for him. He stroked a finger along her damp cleft and Lacey gasped at the exquisite sensation. But when she felt the fullness of his erection pressing against her, a liquid heat gathered at her core and she lifted her hips in invitation. His breathing was ragged as he gazed down at her and, in one smooth movement, surged forward and buried himself inside her.
Lacey groaned as he filled her and clutched at his shoulders. He captured her mouth with his, sweeping his tongue against hers as he began to move, his hands cupping her buttocks and lifting her to better meet the bone-melting thrusts of his hips. Lacey arched against him and raised both legs to wrap them around his lean hips.
“That’s it,” he rasped huskily against her mouth.
Lacey had never felt anything so all-consuming. She was being swept upward in a vortex of sensations, clinging with mindless abandon to this amazing man who seemed to understand what it was she needed before she did. He was as attuned to her body as if it were an extension of his own, as if he was somehow hardwired into her. He thrust again, slowly, moving his body sensuously against hers, and she barely suppressed a huff of laughter as she realized he was hardwired into her. And she was about to experience a total system overload.
“Ohmigod,” she breathed raggedly, as pulsating pressure built once more and threatened to undo her. “Cole…”
He smoothed the damp tendrils of her hair back from her face. “I’m here,” he breathed huskily. “I’m right here with you, baby.” He ground his hips against hers, thrusting deeper, until he filled her completely.
“Oh, oh,” Lacey gasped, and Cole caught her small, frantic cries with his mouth, spearing his tongue against hers as he moved faster, deeper. Reaching a hand between their bodies, he stroked a finger over her, and the simple contact was enough to push her completely over the edge.
Lacey climaxed in a blinding white-hot rush of pleasure, even as Cole gave a harsh cry and she felt him stiffen and then shudder inside her. As she drifted slowly back to reality, she stroked her hands over his back, slick with sweat, and reveled in the feel of his body, heavy and replete against hers.
Cole kissed her, slowly and languorously, but made no move to withdraw from the warmth of her body.
“Hey,” he murmured, “you okay?”
Lacey
gazed at him and nodded mutely. She couldn’t have articulated what she felt at that moment if her life depended on it. Her body still shuddered with small aftershocks. In the indistinct light, his eyes were filled with a tenderness that made her chest constrict.
Rolling away from her, he quickly cleaned up and then returned to the bed, pulling her against his chest and drawing the sheet over them. His hand stroked a lazy pattern over her arm.
“I have a feeling that neither of us is going to get much sleep tonight,” he murmured against her hair.
His voice held infinite promise, and outside the night sky was still brilliant with stars. And for tonight, at least, it was enough. She wouldn’t think about tomorrow, or all the tomorrows after that.
5
COLE HAD BEEN AWAKE for hours. He bent his arms behind his head, careful not to disturb the woman who lay curled against him like a contented kitten, one hand resting over his heart. Her hair spilled over his shoulder like a skein of pale red-gold silk and her skin was almost translucent against the suntanned brown of his own. One slim leg was thrown across his thighs, and she was pressed against him from his neck all the way down to his ankles.
He groaned softly and tried not to think of how incredibly soft her skin felt, or how good she smelled, or how he had only to turn his hips slightly to gain access to the sweetest, most intimate part of her.
It was almost six-thirty, but he was reluctant to wake her. Reluctant to end a night filled with some of the most amazing moments of his life. He didn’t typically go in for one-night stands, and on the rare occasion that he did, he acted in true insensitive-jerk style and made sure he was gone long before the sun rose. He’d never spent a full night with a woman he’d only just met. And he’d never brought a strange woman back to his place.
Until now.
His gaze drifted over Lacey, lingering on the soft fullness of her lips, watching the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest in utter fascination. Her breasts were small, the nipples pale and pink, but they fit perfectly in the palms of his hands.
He closed his eyes and groaned inwardly, knowing he was in real danger here. She aroused every protective male instinct he had. Hell, she just plain aroused him. They hadn’t slept more than an hour all night. And in between the mind-blowing sex, they’d talked and nestled together until their bodies recovered and clamored for yet more. She hadn’t been kidding when she’d said she was making up for lost time. Yeah, it was definitely a night he was going to remember for the rest of his life.
But right now, all he could think about was how she would react when she woke up in his bed, still wrapped around him. Would she be warm and welcoming, or self-conscious and uncomfortable, wanting only to be gone from his life? He’d been there, done that, and even if he had been the one wanting to be gone, it wasn’t exactly a fun-fest for either party.
As if on cue, she murmured something incoherent, her eyelashes fluttered, and then he was gazing down into the luminous gray-green of her eyes. Sleepy and bemused, she stared up at him for a moment, and then smiled.
“I’m still dreaming.”
“Not unless I’m having the same dream, baby,” Cole said softly, and stroked a hand over her hair.
She continued to stare up at him, and the sleepy confusion was slowly replaced with an expression of dawning awareness as she came fully awake.
“What time is it?” She sat up, withdrawing her limbs from his body and curling them inward, dragging the sheet over her nakedness.
So that’s how it was going to be. Damn.
“It’s barely six-thirty,” he answered.
He couldn’t help himself. He cupped the nape of her neck and drew her head down, intent on sampling her mouth. She gave him a chaste, closemouthed kiss before pulling away.
“I should take a quick shower and then get going,” she said apologetically.
Cole pushed down his own disappointment and opted instead for a light tone. Maybe she was just being typically female, uncomfortable at being seen with bed-head and no cosmetics. Although, hell, he’d never seen a woman look as desirable as she did first thing in the morning.
“Well, as long as you’re taking a shower,” he said huskily, “can I offer to scrub your back?”
She cast him a swift glance and Cole could have sworn she was considering it. Her gaze slid over him, and he was helpless to prevent the instant reaction of his body. But if she was tempted, she did a great job resisting. She dragged the sheet around her and stood up.
“Thanks, but I really am going to be quick. I have some calls to make, and I’m sure you have things you need to do.”
What would she say if he told her the only thing he wanted to do—needed to do—was her?
“Yeah. Okay. Take a shower, and I’ll make some coffee. Then I’ll run you over to the sheriff’s office.”
“Thanks.” As if on impulse, she leaned down and pressed a swift kiss against his mouth. “And thanks, too, for last night. It was great.”
Her words had a ring of finality, and Cole watched as she walked across the room, the sheet trailing behind her. He heard the bathroom door shut, and then there was the unmistakable sound of the lock clicking into place.
Yep. That had gone real well. He flung himself back against the pillows and threw an arm across his eyes.
She was so gone from his life.
But what did it really matter, anyway? He would only be in Black Stone Gap long enough to obtain the evidence he needed to prove the coal mines were operating illegally, and then he’d return to his home on Virginia Beach, just outside of Norfolk. He’d agreed to go undercover for the Feds, but he hadn’t counted on how hard it would be to lie to his friends and family about why he’d returned. If anyone knew his real reasons for wanting to work in the mines, they’d despise him. The local coal mines were the biggest employer in the region, and if they shut down, hundreds of people would lose their jobs. But that was preferable to losing their lives, wasn’t it?
Even if he’d been inclined to pursue some kind of relationship with Lacey, it wasn’t like she lived locally. Christ, she was from Boston. He could just picture where she lived, in one of those elegant old brownstones on a cobbled backstreet of the city, where the rents went for about a zillion bucks a month and the number of piano bars per capita was exceeded only by the number of young investment brokers.
He snorted. It was no wonder she was anxious to leave. Hell, she’d been slumming last night. No doubt she and her girlfriends would have a good laugh over martinis about how she once did it redneck-style.
But then he recalled her confession that she hadn’t been with anyone in a long time, and he knew instinctively he was wrong. This was a woman who apparently didn’t share much of herself with others. He suspected she was more than a little self-conscious by her passionate response to him last night. She’d probably never had a one-night stand in her whole life.
All things considered, he was beginning to feel a little better about the situation. He’d almost forgotten that she was from New England, home of the original Puritan. But hell, he wished she wouldn’t feel embarrassment over the things they’d done. Because if he had anything to say about it, they’d be doing a whole lot more of those things.
* * *
WHEN LACEY CAME out of the bathroom, she smelled the tantalizing aroma of bacon cooking, and heard Cole whistling softly in tune to the radio as he prepared breakfast.
“Smells good!” she called as she scooted down the hallway and up the stairs, wearing nothing but a towel.
“Hey, we don’t dress up for breakfast around here,” he shouted after her. “Come as you are!”
Lacey smiled, but didn’t answer. She could easily envision what would happen if she came to the table wearing only a towel. Not that those images weren’t appealing, but Lacey knew she had to get away while she still could; Cole MacKinnon was too irresistible. If she wasn’t careful, she could easily be tempted to scrap her work and spend all her time with him, instead. She blushed every tim
e she thought about the previous night. Which was, like, every second since she had woken up plastered against his hard body.
Had that really been her doing those things with a virtual stranger? The entire night was like some surreal fantasy, as if some alien sex goddess had temporarily taken control of her body. That uninhibited, wanton creature surely hadn’t been her. And while she didn’t regret a single second of the previous night, neither did she want Cole to become a distraction to her real purpose for being in Kentucky. This was her first field assignment and she didn’t want to screw it up. She needed to stay focused.
In the guest bedroom, she retrieved her cell phone, turned it on, and saw she had several text messages from her mother, mostly chiding her for turning her phone off. There was another message from her office, and she punched in the number as she changed. Her friend Julia, who worked in the customer service department, answered on the first ring.
“Good morning, StarPoint Technologies. How may I direct your call?”
“Julia, it’s me…Lacey.”
“Lacey, where are you? I tried calling you last night and you didn’t answer.”
“I know. I had my phone on avoidance mode. Sorry.”
Julia made a sympathetic noise. “Your mom? I understand. As long as you made it there safely, no worries. But please give her a call today or she’ll start calling the office, and you know how Sam hates that.”
Sam Caldwell was their boss, and although he understood that Lacey had her hands full with her mother, there were limits to his patience.
“I’ll call her. Yes, I made it here safely, but…” Her voice trailed off as she wondered just how much she should share with her friend.
“But what?” Julia asked. “Spit it out, Delaney, or I’ll start imagining the worst.”
Lacey sat down on the edge of the bed. “I met a guy last night and stayed at his place.”
“What? Oh, come on. You’re pulling my leg.”
“No, I’m not kidding.” Lacey quickly told Julia about the previous night, leaving out only the most intimate details. On the other end of the phone, Julia made little gasping noises, as if she couldn’t quite believe what Lacey was telling her.