He returned to the bed and before she could blink an eye, he had tugged her up and within seconds had whipped her sundress over her head, leaving her bare except for her panties.
He tossed the dress aside as his gaze scanned her body. It was as if he needed to recapture in his mind what his eyes hadn’t feasted on in four years. Granted, he’d tasted her pretty well Saturday evening, but now he was taking his time to look his fill. And she had no problem with that.
Already Kara could feel a deep tingling sensation between her legs. She hadn’t slept with another man since Virgil. When she’d thought he had betrayed her, she hadn’t wanted to become involved with another man. She’d dated on occasion but could never give her heart or body to anyone else.
“When did you start wearing thongs?” he asked her, intruding into her thoughts. She saw that his gaze was concentrating on the area between her legs and the little scrap of almost nothing lace covering her there.
“Why do you want to know? Do you have a problem with what I have on, Virgil?”
“No. Just curious.”
Virgil recalled that she preferred wearing hip-hugging briefs. The thong fit her long legs and curvy hips perfectly and he liked seeing her in it...mainly because it exposed more of her body. And speaking of exposure, she wasn’t wearing a bra. The last time he’d seen her breasts she hadn’t been wearing a bra, either. Had this become a habit?
He shifted his gaze back to her face. “Have you stopped wearing bras?”
“What gave you that idea?”
“This is the second time I’ve seen you without one.”
She smiled. “I don’t wear one...whenever it suits me.”
Hell, it definitely suited him. She had a pair of the lushest breasts any woman could own. Seeing her lying there, tempting and adorably hot, made him want to make love to her real bad. He had to fight hard for control. But then, hadn’t she dared him to prove just how much he wanted her?
And he knew just where to start. Reaching out, he lifted her hips and slid the thong down her legs. After tossing it aside, Virgil felt his guts twist into knots as his gaze raked over her entire body. Never had he seen a woman more beautifully made. His fingers trembled when he touched her skin. It felt soft and smooth, almost like velvet. He could recall the days, right after they’d broken up, when his body had gone through withdrawal just thinking how perfect she was and how much he’d wanted her.
He pushed those memories to the back of his mind. That was then. This was now and she was here. He was here and for whatever reason they were back together in this place. He forced the thought that it was a temporary arrangement to the back of his mind. Right now he didn’t care. All he could think about was that he was actually touching her again.
“Virgil?”
He lifted his head and met her gaze. “Yes?”
“What are you waiting on? Christmas?”
He couldn’t help but throw his head back and laugh. Only she could make him laugh at a time like this. She always had the ability to keep things lively in the bedroom. “That mouth of yours will get you in trouble,” he said, stepping back to start removing his clothes.
“Then I suggest you use that mouth of yours to keep me out of trouble.”
“Mmm, I like you naughty,” he said, sliding his pants down his legs and liking the look of appreciation in her eyes when she gazed at his erection. That look reminded him of times when she’d definitely been naughty.
Returning to the bed, he sat beside her, needing to touch her some more. As much as he wanted her, and no matter what she said, he would not be rushed into pleasuring her. For some reason, their first mating after all this time needed to be slow and painstakingly meticulous. It might annoy her at first, but in the end she would appreciate it.
He held her gaze as he began stroking between her legs with methodical detail, letting his fingers recall every inch of her, reacquainting his hands with the feel of her and needing to see the play of emotions crossing her face as he did so.
Virgil always thought she was the most passionate of women and pleasuring her had always been an honor as well as a privilege for him. He’d never felt that way with any other woman. Kara could arouse him to unprecedented heights. Even now her feminine scent was enveloping him, eliciting a need that all but crackled with the highest voltage of sexual energy.
He loved the sounds she made while he was getting her ready for what was to come. He wanted her to feel the heat, to desire it and need it as much as he did. His gaze was transfixed on her as he continued to stroke her and he wondered if she detected an air of shimmering sensuality surrounding them.
“Virgil...”
It had been a while since he’d heard his name whispered from her lips just that way. He’d missed hearing it. He leaned close to whisper, while keeping his fingers planted between her legs. “Tell me what you want, Kara.”
“You.”
Sexual tension thickened the blood in his veins and a rush of desire seized his groin. At that moment he couldn’t hold back any longer. He had to have her.
Grabbing his pants off the floor, he retrieved a condom packet from his wallet and quickly sheathed himself, knowing she was watching him. Easing back onto the bed, he slid his body in place over hers while gazing down at her.
Needing to touch her, he reached up and tangled his hands with hers by the sides of her face, fighting deep emtions that tried resurfacing. He simply refused to let them. “I’m about to prove just how much I want you, Kara,” he whispered when the hard ridge of his erection fit snugly at the entrance of her womanly core.
As if she couldn’t wait any longer, she lifted her hips and he slid inside her. He kept going until he was totally embedded and couldn’t go any farther. In the past, with him planted so deep inside of her and staring deep into her eyes, he would tell her how much he loved her, and he would feel the very existence of those words deep in his soul. But he was convinced all he was feeling now was the stirring sensations of heated lust combined with sexual excitement curling around in his stomach. There was no way he could love her again. He was convinced of it. But tonight he intended for the sex between them to be good.
* * *
Nothing, Kara thought, could ever equate to the feeling of being taken by Virgil. Nothing could compare to the feel of his engorged erection sliding inside of her all the way to the hilt. And then there were the sinfully erotic movements of his hips as he began thrusting hard. The steady rhythm rocked through her veins. She could even feel a throb of desire in the hands holding hers hostage near her head.
And when Virgil increased the pace, making his thrusts even more powerful, she couldn’t stop herself from moaning his name. The intensity of their lovemaking was tripping her pulse, sending her heart rate off kilter and setting every inch of her skin on fire. And the look in his eyes held raw, sexual heat.
Then she felt it. The beginning of a thrumming sensation started low in her belly, compressing her inner muscles, making them clench him tight and begin milking him all the way into her womb.
That’s when he lowered his head and kissed her, using his tongue to make swirling strokes inside her mouth. She pulled her hands free to grab hold of his shoulders, needing to feel her fingers digging into his muscles. An explosion erupted inside her that shook her, had her bucking her body upward at the same time he shouted her name and slammed downward in one deep, powerful thrust.
He kept kissing her, taking the kiss deeper while thrusting inside of her, running his hands all over her as if he needed to touch her, make sure she was real and not a figment of his imagination. And she kissed him back, needing him as much as he seemed to need her.
He was back in her bed. It would be up to her to make sure passion prevailed over caution, desire superseded Virgil’s unforgiving nature and love conquered all.
* * *
&nb
sp; What the hell happened?
Virgil slumped down beside Kara, totally spent, feeling raw, his muscles unable to function, and his emotions totally exposed. Why did making love to her always leave him with a feeling he couldn’t explain? And how, after all this time and everything that had transpired between them, could he feel that way?
He thought that he could make love to her, desire her, yet keep a part of himself detached. But Kara had a way of making him give all or nothing. He’d given his all, and with each and every thrust into her going deep into familiar territory, emotions he’d tried holding at bay—the same ones he’d convinced himself were nonexistent where she was concerned—had overtaken him. In the end, he’d been powerless to fight it. Why?
He quickly concluded the reason had everything to do with being back inside of her after all this time. That coupled with the fact that over the past few weeks he’d been horny as hell. Yes, that had to be the reason why he’d lost it, and why even now he was getting aroused all over again.
Although he was no longer lying on top of her, their limbs were still entwined and his arms were thrown over her waist while they faced each other. She was breathing deeply and her eyes were open, but instead of looking at him she was staring beyond him at a painting on her wall.
So far she hadn’t said anything. He couldn’t help wondering what she was thinking. Did she regret letting him make love to her? Or, like him, was she thinking what they’d shared had been so mind-blowingly perfect, it had left them both at a loss for words?
He continued to lie there and gaze at her. She had to know he was staring yet she wouldn’t look at him. That was fine since he needed to get his mind back on track, although that wouldn’t be an easy thing to do. Not when he was thinking about how good it was to lie here beside her like this. He’d always enjoyed this, the aftermath, when they would lie naked in each other’s arms and savor what they’d done together. They would talk, more times than not, and confess their love for each other. Telling her the first time that he loved her had been hard because he hadn’t spoken those words to any woman before. But after he did it, and knowing she was so deserving of his love, the words had flowed easily and had come frequently...especially whenever they made love. For him it had been important that she know he was not confusing love with lust and that he knew the difference.
Tonight had brought back memories of how it felt being inside her, feeling her inner muscles squeeze to clench him and then proceed to milk him dry. She had a way of doing that perfectly, getting every single drop out of him. He had to force back the growl in his throat just thinking about it.
Virgil literally held his breath when Kara shifted her gaze to look at him. He was certain he wasn’t mistaken about the look of total sexual fulfillment he saw in her eyes.
He held tight to her gaze and asked, “You okay?”
Instead of answering him, she reached out and caressed the side of his face and smiled softly. Then she finally said, “Yes. I’m okay. I had to take a minute to get myself together. What we did just now felt simply amazing.”
Virgil would have to agree with her and was about to tell her so when she leaned in and placed her mouth over his. He needed this kiss just as much as she apparently did. Possibly even more. And when her tongue entered his mouth he greedily captured it with his own. Their tongues mated for the longest time before she finally lifted her mouth from his.
He was totally aroused all over again and from the way her hands began stroking him, so was she. “I want you again,” he whispered, straddling her body and gazing down into her face.
“And more than anything, Virgil, I want you to want me” was her soft response.
He pushed to the back of his mind the possibility that she meant anything by what she’d said. Instead he turned his entire focus, his full concentration on making love to her again.
Chapter 16
It looks as if Virgil Bougard is trying to turn over a new leaf. About time. He was seen this weekend with his sleeves rolled up at his company’s back-to-school charity event. I might be wrong but it looked like he was enjoying himself while giving out those book bags to all those kids. Can we credit his on-again love affair with Kara Goshay for his change of attitude? Stay tuned.
Kara tossed the newspaper aside to take another sip of her coffee. Thanks to Flo’s article in the paper that morning, the strategy to improve Virgil’s image was definitely off to a good start. And the photograph of him surrounded by some of the kids who’d attended the book-bag giveaway was priceless. He didn’t look like an ordinary executive but, rather, like one who cared. And a part of her truly believed he did. Just like a part of her believed what they’d shared in her bed last week had meant something to him...although from the look of things, he’d run scared again.
Getting out of her chair, she took another sip of her coffee as she walked over to the window in her office and gazed out, remembering that night. After making love two more times they’d dressed and gone downstairs to eat the dinner she’d prepared. By then it was after midnight, but she doubted either of them cared. They had worked up a voracious appetite and the lasagna, tossed salad and strawberry cheesecake had hit the spot. He had offered to help clean up the kitchen but she declined his offer. However, he had refused to leave without helping her clear off the table. That was when he’d mentioned he would be out of town for a few days. Without saying when they would see each other again or whether he’d changed his mind about her moving in with him, he had kissed her goodbye and left.
That had been nearly a week ago, and she hadn’t heard from him till an hour ago. Out of the blue he’d called to ask her out to dinner. When she’d informed him that tonight wouldn’t be good for her because she was in the process of moving out of her condo, he’d said nothing for a minute before saying he would touch base with her later this week. He hadn’t even asked where she would be moving to.
Since there was no doubt in her mind that making love with her had meant more to him than just a roll between the sheets, she believed he was fighting it. She couldn’t force from her mind how he’d looked down at her, deep into her eyes, when he’d positioned his body over hers. Although Virgil refused to utter the words of love he’d once said, she had felt his resolve breaking with every stroke into her body. Why did he have to be so stubborn, unforgiving and determined not to put his heart on the line again?
She had taken tomorrow off to get settled into the hotel where she would be staying for the next two weeks. There was a lot on her plate and she hoped she would be too busy to think about Virgil.
* * *
When Virgil pulled into Kara’s driveway he saw several lights were still on, including the one in her upstairs bedroom. He had intentionally not contacted her for almost a week, feeling the need to put distance between them. Making love to her had affected him more than he’d figured it would and he’d needed time away from her to screw his head back on right.
But that hadn’t stopped him from going to bed each night thinking of her, wanting her and desiring her in a way he could never desire any other woman. It had taken him all those restless and sleepless nights to figure out that even after four years, Kara wasn’t out of his system like he thought and making love to her last week had only complicated matters.
He hadn’t wanted to remember how good things used to be when they’d been together but he couldn’t help doing so. Nor did he want to think about how, after playing several games of tennis with Donovan Steele, he had rushed home to come here. He couldn’t hold out any longer. He wanted to see her again. He needed to see her again. He wanted to kiss her. Taste her all over. Make love to her again.
He’d suggested they have an affair and although they’d made love, she hadn’t consented to his terms. Instead she’d asked a favor of him, one he’d quickly turned down. Now he wasn’t sure where they stood and he needed to find out.
No matter what her ultimate decision would be about the affair, they would still have to be seen together in public for a few more weeks. He, more than anyone, would feel the sting of having to be around her and pretend romantic interest in a woman he wanted to take to bed.
At least he’d spoken to his mother earlier today and convinced her to drop the crazy idea of introducing Kara to Dr. Lynwood. Although he could tell his mother had not seen his point, since nothing serious would ever develop between him and Kara again, she’d agreed to leave it alone.
He had left his parents’ home somewhat satisfied and had convinced himself all the way to the tennis courts that his visit with his mother had nothing to do with any jealousy he’d felt. He just didn’t want to think about Kara with any other man after him. He knew it didn’t make sense but since Kara had reentered his life nothing he did seemed to make much sense anymore.
Like the decision he’d made that morning...
It had taken him a while to come around, but he had convinced himself of the merits of having her at his place. That would be a logical move, especially since the two of them were pretending to be exclusive lovers. And he would get what he wanted. Lover’s rights. He would go to bed with her and wake up with her. In other words, they would have access to sex whenever they wanted it. And with Kara he had a tendency to want it all the time. He would just have to be diligent in making sure he didn’t start thinking with the wrong head. Not the one aching in his jeans at this very moment, but the one attached to his neck. He had to remember that whatever he and Kara shared was short-term and nothing more.
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