by Tina Gayle
It felt good just to hold her.
She lifted her head abruptly. “Will you be here when I wake up? Or are you leaving?”
He tucked her back into place. “I’ll be here. I have every intention of following tonight’s performance with an encore presentation tomorrow. I would probably try now but I’m too tired.” Derek continued stroking her back.
“Really?” Jilllian’s head popped up again.
“Yes, let’s go to sleep.”
****
Did they have a future?
No, but at the moment, Jillian didn’t care. With him beside her, the beat of his heart under her ear, the warmth of his skin next to hers, she wanted to enjoy the simple joy of lying in his arms.
Even if they only had a few days, she’d have a lifetime of memories. Loneliness could reclaim her when it was over and she’d deal with it then.
Restlessly, her hand played with the soft curls behind his ear. Back and forth, she stroked his hair. The slow, soothing rhythm settled her excited emotions. She floated in the warm cocoon of Derek’s body and drifted to sleep.
Minutes later, he slid from beneath her and exited the bed. Turning away, she buried her face into a pillow and tracked the sound of his footsteps to the bathroom.
A light glared into her eye. She shoved her pillow over her head and mumbled, “Turn off the lights.”
“I didn’t turn them on, but you’d better get up. It’s almost nine-thirty.”
“You’ve got to be kidding. We just went to sleep!” Jillian peered out from under her pillow.
“No. It’s morning.” He climbed back into bed and dropped kisses along the edge of her shoulder. His hand traced a path over her back, moving the sheet and blankets out of way as he proceeded downward. His lips followed his hand, charting the same course.
She didn’t want to budge, not with him right beside her, not with him rubbing her back.
“Don’t you want to wake up and greet the morning?” His hand squeezed her buttocks.
With a sigh of pleasure, she shook her head. “No.”
The rough texture of his beard sliding along her upper thigh and she raised her head to glance back over her shoulder at him poised between her legs. He resembled a pirate with his hair tousled, his eyes shining with mischief, and the midnight shadow marking his chin.
Whoa, is he hot.
“Good morning Mr. Blackbeard. May I ask what you’re doing?”
His hands traveled up and down her legs, ever closer to the center of her heat. Her body liquefied.
“Boy, if you have to ask. I must be doing something wrong.” He dropped his head, kissed her lower back then continued across her buttocks.
Twisting, she struggled to shift out of the path of his questing mouth. But he held her in place, refusing to let her up.
“Be still, woman,” he teased in a fake pirate voice. “How can I have my daily pound of flesh, if you keep wiggling?” He stroked his rough beard across the sensitive skin of her inner thigh.
“Derek!” Jillian cried out in excitement.
“You like?” He repeated the erotic caress.
Clutching the sheet, she pressed her hips into the bed away from his rough chin. “Come on. Let me up.”
“Aw, matey, it’d give you a distinct advantage, and I can’t have that.” He pretended to twist his beard like Blackbeard and released her. “Now can I?”
With a laugh, she worked to turn over. Derek allowed her to change position, but he fell on her as soon as she landed on her back.
“Now we have more interesting toys to play with.” His hands covered her breasts. Looking up into his face, she smiled. The twinkle of desire in his eyes matched the teasing tone of his voice.
She put her arms around his neck, and drew him closer for a kiss. “Good morning,” whispered from her lips seconds before his mouth captured hers.
The dream from last night had been true. She basked in the wonderful feel of him on top of her, his lips hot and moist on hers. Sighing softly, she surrendered to the intoxicating rhythm of his heart beating against hers.
This time she knew what she wanted. Unwilling to wait, she wrapped herself around him, urgently demanding his body join with hers.
When he drove into her, she bucked beneath him, rising to meet his thrusts. All thoughts fled from her mind. Only he existed in this world.
The slow pace of his thrusts at first soothed her with long loving caresses, tempted her into the fire of desire, at last inflamed. She pumped her hips to add to the rhythm.
He freed her mouth. “Easy my lady, I want to enjoy every inch of you.”
“No!” She groaned and squeezed her legs tighter around his waist.
His pace increased. She flew higher and higher. Skin drenched, chills rippled along her spine as her climax washed over her, and his followed.
Jillian couldn’t help but sigh with pleasure. “Incredible. Thank you, Derek.”
“The pleasure was all mine.”
“I don’t think you can say that. I enjoyed it quite a bit too.” She felt the smile next to her hair. Turning his head, he kissed her forehead.
“You’re one sexy lady.”
Amazed, she stared into his eyes. “You really think so?”
He flipped the end of her nose with his finger. “I’d say you’re dynamite.”
His gray eyes reflected his excitement. “So, what do you want to do today?” His wicked expression displayed some options they could try.
She responded seriously. “Well, I had planned on go shopping and run some errands, but that was before...”
“What if I go shopping with you?”
“That would be great. But are you sure?” She leisurely stroked her hand across his chest.
Derek scowled at the clock on the nightstand. “What time is check-out?”
“Eleven. Why?”
“Well, you might as well check out and come home with me. No need to pay another night’s hotel bill.”
“What about Jason and Kelly?” She twisted her hair around her finger.
“They’re gone for the weekend and won’t be back until Monday evening.”
“But you don’t have to spend any more time with me.” She didn’t know how soon he’d want to get away from her.
“I believe I can tolerate you a few more hours. After all, if you get out of hand, I’ll have Blackbeard make you walk the plank.”
Running her hand down his cheek, she tickled him under the chin. “Oh, you know just how to charm a lady.”
“My charm is only one of my many virtues.” Rolling off her, Derek rose. “But we’d better get moving, if we want out of here in the next few minutes.”
She stepped from the bed. “I want to shower before we leave.”
“Not enough time. Why don’t you follow me to my place and you can shower there? I’ll fix breakfast while you’re in the shower and then we can go shopping from there.”
He bent and retrieved the clothes they had dropped the night before. He held her black lace panties up to the light. “I think these might belong to you. But I don’t remember seeing them last night.”
Holding her clothes in front of her, Jillian grabbed for the panties. “You had other things on your mind when they were exposed to your view.”
He released the panties and grabbed for her instead. Bringing her into his arms, he drove them back onto the bed.
Pinned down, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and brought his head down for a kiss. She couldn’t remember ever enjoying lying in bed so much. His lips made her tingle all over, and she snuggled closer.
“You know, I think this bed has a mind of its own. It keeps pulling us back to the surface. If we’re not careful, we’ll never make it out of here alive.” He stood and yanked her to her feet. “We’d better run for it while we still can.”
Chapter Four
Should he tell her to go home?
The question popped in Derek’s head as he stood in the middle of his kitchen making breakfas
t. Jillian, upstairs in the shower, would be down any minute.
Did he really want her to leave?
The debate with himself made him realize that getting involved with her wasn’t the smartest thing he’d ever done. Last night, after listening to her argument about wanted a child, he hadn’t been thinking with the right part of his anatomy. He’d wanted her for so long, and then there she was, willing to give herself to him.
How could he have said no?
He did want a child, someday.
And yes, she would make a good mother.
But if pregnant, would she care who supplied the sperm? Weren’t they just two people having fun?
Right.
Wrong. If she was pregnant, she’d be carrying his child.
Even if she did agree to let him play an active part in their child’s life, there were no guarantees she wouldn’t change her mind.
This baby would be his and he’d support it in whatever way he could.
But they had no long-term commitment between them.
Was that what he wanted?
Derek paused then dropped the bread in the toaster.
Something clicked. If Jillian had his baby, they would be in contact for every birthday, Christmas, and every other holiday for the next eighteen years.
Granted, he worked outside of the States most of the time. But what happened when he wasn’t? What then?
She could be carrying his child, right now. As much as the idea thrilled him, he reconsidered his thoughts on the situation.
“That bacon smells wonderful. How soon until breakfast is ready?” She dropped onto a stool, positioned by the bar between the dining room and kitchen. “I’m starving.”
“Shouldn’t be long. All I have left to do is scramble the eggs. You can set the table. The plates are in the cabinet over there.” He broke an egg into his mixing bowl.
“Who decorated your condo?”
Derek glanced around at the bright white kitchen cabinets and canary yellow walls. The kitchen, dining room and living room formed an L shape. In the middle of dining room sat a white tile table. Small yellow flowers decorated the chairs. The living room had wicker furniture with green cushions with yellow-and-white throw pillows. Each room carried a color from its neighbor to create a bright airy feel.
He hated it.
“Kelly, with Jason’s help. They picked out the color scheme and did all the painting. I’m usually not here so it didn’t matter one way or the other to me.”
“Are you still spending most of your time out of the States?”
“Yes, usually the Middle East. The company I work for provides accommodations there.”
“Why?”
“I handle the security for oil executives traveling overseas. I make sure they get there and back safely and then manage on-site security for their stay.”
She played with her silverware. “How did you get started doing that?”
“After college, I decided I wanted to see the world so I joined the army, and was stationed in the Middle East. While there, I met several businessmen traveling in the area and they told me to look them up when I got out. The rest is history.”
He offered her the plate of eggs and pulled out a chair. “Dig in.”
She shoved some eggs onto her plate, added some toast and grabbed a few slices of bacon.
“Jillian, when will you know if you’re pregnant?” Derek broke the silence between them.
“A few weeks. I’m in the middle of my cycle and should start at the end of the month.”
He couldn’t read her but he didn’t like her cheerful attitude. Did she want to get rid of him?
“Who are you going to say is the baby’s father?” He forced a bite of eggs into his mouth and fought to swallow his food.
She glanced at her plate. “I hadn’t planned on telling anyone. Do you want me to tell someone?”
“No. Yes, I mean, I won’t deny it, if you want to tell someone.” He laid his hand over hers. “You’ll let me know?”
“Sure, but how?” Jillian turned her hand into his.
“I’ll give you my email address. You do have access to the Web. Don’t you?” Uncertain, he waited.
“Yes, but do you want me to broadcast the fact I’m pregnant across the Net?” She appeared unsure about the prospect of sending the message. “I don’t trust the security of the Internet.”
“All you have to do is send me a one word note. Yes or no. I’ll know what you are referring to.”
“I guess you’re right.” She freed her hand from his and took another bite of her eggs.
He finished his breakfast, leaned back in his chair and studied her. What did he find so attractive about her? Her hair still wet, she appeared at home at the table with him. The fragrant smell of soap from her shower radiated from her body.
He recalled caressing her soft, silky skin and knew he could spend a lifetime enjoying making love to her. He responded to the thought.
“What do you want to do today?” Maybe she had changed her mind and they could spend the day upstairs in bed making love.
“Shopping, remember?” She peeked up from her plate, her eyes glittering with amusement. “I know you have other ideas, but I do have some things I want to pick up.”
Jillian stacked her dishes on the bar, and then reached for his plate. Instead of handing it to her, he captured her hand and guided her onto his lap.
Slowly, he lowered his mouth to hers. He felt parched without her lips to refresh his soul. Licking her lips with his tongue, he plunged into the sweet warmth and fed on her, renewing his memory of her kisses.
His hands roamed over her shoulders, back, waist until he felt her shiver with desire. Only then, did he raise his head. “Sure you wouldn’t rather go upstairs?”
She smiled, shifted out of his arms, and stood. “You know if I do, we’ll never leave here.”
Taking his hand, she tugged him from the chair and pushed him toward the door. “Why don’t we get going? The sooner we leave, the sooner we can get back.”
At the door, he waited for her to pass and stole a quick kiss. “I needed a few of those to hold me over.”
“Always glad to help a man in need.” She walked on.
He grabbed her from behind, and drew her back against his chest. “Well in that case, let me tell about this one spot...”
“Derek!”
Laughingly, he kissed her on the neck and released her. “Whose vehicle do you want to take? Yours or mine?”
“Would you mind driving? You know your way around better than I do.” He led the way to his truck, and opened the passenger door. He waited for her to climb in, then handed her the seat belt.
As he walked around the truck, he remembered how tight her baby blue sweater lay across her bust-line, how her jeans hugged her hips. His patience already being tested, he fought the desire to opt out of this trip. “Where do you want to go?”
“Why don’t we head to Valley View?”
“Your wish is my command.”
He turned the key and observed Jillian scanning the interior. She’s trying to guess its age. It would be hard, because his 1978 midnight blue Chevrolet truck was in pristine condition. Stroking the black dashboard, he answered her unspoken questions. “This was my father’s truck. He and I spent months fixing it up. After his and Mother’s accident, I couldn’t bring myself to part with it.”
He backed out of the garage. “We sold off most of their stuff. But this was the one item that I chose to keep.” He hit the garage door remote. “Jason thinks I’m nuts for using it. He says if I want to keep it, I should put it in storage. But that defeats the purpose of having it.”
“Is it a collector’s item?”
“Doesn’t matter. That’s not the reason I drive it.”
“Why do you?”
“Because it reminds me of my dad.” Derek stared at the road, unwilling to share the feelings reflected in his eyes.
“Sounds like a good enough reason to me. That
’s why I’m planning to keep the store.”
Hurt bled into her voice and he recognized the pain of grieving in her rigid posture. Her father hadn’t been dead very long and she was still suffering.
He covered her hand on the seat. “It takes a while to get over it.” He offered a warm smile. “Doesn’t it?”
Her eyes filled with tears. “Yes, it does.”
His heart broke. Holding her became a major priority, at a stoplight, he hit the latch to free her seat belt, tugged her across the seat, then drew her into his arms, and reattached the buckle.
Jillian buried her head in his shoulder. Her tears fell on his shirt. He recalled the grief he suffered when his parents died. No words could ease the pain. Instead, he held her close and let her cry.
He couldn’t remember the last time he had comforted someone. Surprisingly, it felt good. The last several years, he hadn’t let himself get close enough to anyone to care about their problems, much less offer a consoling shoulder. His relationship with her was defiantly a new experience.
She wiped away her tears. “Sorry about that.”
“No problem.” Derek smiled into her tear-stained face. “We’re almost at the mall. Where do you want to go first?”
“It doesn’t matter. I want to visit every store.”
Grimacing, he drove into the turn lane for the shopping center.
“Not a quick trip?”
“No, I don’t get to shopping much at home, so I want to see everything there is to see here.”
Derek groaned. The idea of spending hours surrounded by strangers didn’t appeal to him, but if that’s what she wanted... He drove the truck into a parking slot and cut the engine, then turned to hug her close. Her luscious lips tempted him. “I’m never going to make it.”
His body was already demanding release from having her sit next to him. How could he survive a whole afternoon of shopping?
The steamy mist in her eyes kicked his blood pressure into overdrive. He covered her lips, taking the kiss swiftly into dangerous water. Her wild, wet tongue avoided his capture and fired wicked sensations of delirium into his blood.