by Donna Hill
“Sorry.” He chuckled. “I guess I am kind of tired.”
“Why don’t I run you a bath, and order room service?”
“That sounds too good.” He crossed the room to stand in front of her. “But I can run my own bath. You just got out of the hospital.”
“And I feel fine. Really. If I didn’t they wouldn’t have let me out. I assure you. Dr. Phillips was almost as single-minded as me,” she said, her voice a combination of respect and reproach.
He brushed her pouty bottom lip with the pad of his thumb. “Why don’t you join me?”
Her heart thumped. Her body instantly responded to the invitation, flooding with warmth. “I like that idea very much,” she said, her voice growing thick.
Raymond jerked his head in the direction of the connecting bath. His half smile and the set of his eyes spoke volumes. He took her hands in his and slowly backed up toward the bathroom, completely captivated by the look of happiness in her eyes, but more important the need he saw hovering there. She needed him. And it was more than a physical need. He instinctively understood it. That’s all he’d every wanted was for Jacqueline to let down her guard just for a moment and need someone other than herself.
They stepped into the all-white bathroom, grinning the way they used to before things got off-kilter with them, when Jacqueline started hiding the truth from him.
She went to the cabinet and took out her bath salts that she always had specially shipped from a tiny village in Kenya. She’d stumbled upon the group of women in an old stone building who’d made and packaged the salts when she was on assignment about five years earlier. She fell in love with the fragrances and the exquisite way her skin felt after a bath. Her greatest fear was that one day she’d place an order only to discover that the women had packed up and moved away or died off. Whenever that wayward thought ran through her head, she’d considered investing in them and making it a real business. But then her hectic life would get in the way and it would be one more thing added to her list of “want to.”
Raymond turned on the water full blast in the huge soaker tub and Jacqueline liberally sprinkled in the fragrant salts. Quickly the room was filled with aromatic steam. Jacqueline sat on the edge of the tub and swirled the water around with her hand.
“I’m sorry,” she said softly then looked around at Raymond through the moorlike mist. “I should have never left without…” She shook her head. “I handled the whole thing like I didn’t have good sense.”
“And you really packed up your entire apartment and put everything in storage?” he asked incredulously, still mystified as to how she’d pulled it all off. But Jacqueline was nothing less than resourceful.
She made a sheepish face. “I know. Stupid.” She reached over and turned off the water. “All I could think about was that I didn’t want you to be hurt by seeing me…sick.” She swallowed. “It might…” her voice hitched…”it could get really bad, Ray.”
He came to her and sat on the side of the tub. He lifted her chin with the tip of his finger. “It won’t. And even if it does, I’m here every step of the way.” His eyes grazed hotly over her face. Just don’t shut me out, J.”
She blinked rapidly to keep the tears at bay. Her smile wobbled. “I’ll try.”
“Try really hard.” He grinned.
She reached for the buttons of his shirt and unfastened them one by one then eased the starched white linen over his muscled shoulders. For an instant, her breath stuttered when she saw the expanse of his chest and felt the warmth of his skin beneath her fingertips. The shirt was dropped to the floor. Then it was his turn.
His long fingers threaded through her hair at the nape of her neck sending thrilling shivers along the curve of her spine. He moved closer until his lips were no more than a breath away from hers.
Her lids fluttered closed as his mouth touched hers, at first tentative and exploratory then by degrees reclaiming what had always been his.
He pulled her body to him. She moaned softly against his moist mouth while he parted her lips with a sweet swipe of his tongue.
“I’ve missed you,” he groaned hotly against her exposed neck, pulling her loose-fitting peasant blouse over her shoulders to pool around her waist. “I’ve missed us.” His head dipped to plant hot kisses along the swell of her breasts.
As she felt the fire rekindle within her she understood that it wasn’t the physical act of making love that he missed. He missed her—the real her, the woman she’d always been with him and had run away from over the past months. And he missed the real intimacy that they’d always shared that she’d kept from him to make it easier for her to leave him. But no more. This was her man. He’d made that clear and it was only fair that she reciprocate.
Jacqueline slowly stood and pulled Raymond to his feet. She gazed up into his eyes. Her stomach fluttered to see his hunger for her hovering there.
“We are much too overdressed for a hot bath,” she said, her voice thick and slow.
“I’m all for doing something about that.” He reached around her, unfastened her bra and dropped it next to his shirt.
A wicked smile curved her mouth and she made quick work of freeing him from his slacks and boxers. She wrapped her hand around his rising organ and gently brushed her finger back and forth across the sensitive head until he was full, rock solid and at attention.
Not to be outdone and, more importantly, to keep himself from exploding in her soft grip, Ray pulled off the rest of Jacqueline’s clothing, tossed it aside and before she could utter a whimper, he’d scooped her up and placed her gently in the still hot and fragrant water. She pushed back to the far end of the tub to give him room to join her.
Jacqueline bent her knees while Raymond stretched his long legs out on either side of her then bent his knees as well before pulling her closer between his thighs. Her breasts bobbed teasingly above the waterline.
“Hey,” he whispered in a teasing tone, his dark eyes filled with lust and love.
“Hey yourself.” Her face flushed hot as she was suddenly shy around this man she’d known in the most intimate of ways.
He tenderly stroked her knee and then her leg. He reached for the lathering sponge on the side of the tub, squeezed a bit of shower gel on it and slowly began to massage and circularly work the lather up and down her legs and thighs. He teased her sex with featherlike swipes of the sponge, awakening the sensitive bud that bloomed amidst the closely cropped hair.
Jacqueline’s heart pounded. She felt the blood hot and pulsing through her veins. Every caress of Raymond’s was like another log being tossed into the fire. Soft whimpers floated atop the rising heat of the water.
“Turn around,” Raymond said, his voice thick with need.
Jacqueline maneuvered her body so that her back was facing his front and she was nestled between his muscled thighs. She felt the hard rise of his phallus pressed against her back and a shiver ran through her.
“Lean back,” he whispered in her ear.
She rested her head against his chest and let her eyes drift closed.
Raymond alternately dismissed the use of the sponge and used his hands instead to explore her body. Placing the gel in his palms he moved in slow motion up and down her body, cupping her breast, lathering her nipples until they were pointy, hard and begging for his mouth to wrap around them. He massaged the insides of her thighs until they began to tremble in the water. Her soft moans grew more frequent while the teasing of her clitoris went from passive to possessive. His fingers played with the folds, tenderly rubbed the swollen bud between his fingers until her entire body began to spasm.
“Spread your legs,” he urged.
Jacqueline could barely do as he asked with the thrill of what he was doing to her beat hard and fast. She managed to lift one leg and place it on the side of the tub and then the other, leaving the ep
icenter of desire wide open and vulnerable. Raymond took immediate advantage, sliding one then two fingers inside the hot cove that pulsed with a life of its own.
She cried out as a burst of pure ecstasy shot through her. She dug her hands into her thighs to keep them open to allow her to continue to receive the pleasure that Raymond was putting on her.
He rained kissed on the back of her neck, along her ear, while one hand kneaded and caressed the swell of her breasts and the other slid in and out her heat.
And then a rushing pulse of water hit her clit when Raymond turned on the jets of the tub. The feeling was electric, shooting through her like a bolt of lighting.
Her entire body jerked in response.
By manipulating the knob, Ray increased and decreased the pulse of water, turning Jacqueline into one solid mass of sensation. His fingers continued to work their magic and the water escalated his efforts.
Hot tears of bliss sprung from the corners of her eyes as her hips instinctively rose and fell to meet the rhythm of the water and the concerto of Raymond’s fingers.
The air grew hotter, thicker. The pace rose. Raymond continued to murmur what loving her like this was doing to him. How good she felt. How much he wanted to feel her come before he put himself deep inside of her.
She shook with pleasure when Ray sent that last hot burst of water rushing between her legs and tossed her on a dizzying spiral of inexplicable rapture. Her insides gripped and released with such power that for a moment everything burst into bright lights then went black. Jolts of electricity shot up and down her limbs until she was limp and disconnected from where she was.
Raymond slowly turned off the jets, reducing the pulse by degrees, until it was only his fingers that were giving her pleasure. When he felt the last of her climax subside he extracted his fingers but claimed and calmed her by tenderly covering her hot box with his large hand, soothing it with the gentleness of his touch.
Jacqueline collapsed back against him. Her legs dropped down into the water, splashing them both. She was too weak to laugh.
“Oh. My. God,” she finally said on a breath.
Raymond stroked her damp hair away from her face. He kissed the top of her head.
“I have never come like that before in my life.”
He grinned. “I know.”
She craned her head around so that she could glimpse him and saw the wicked sparkle in his eyes. Playfully, she swatted his arm. “You could have given me a heart attack.”
He chuckled. “I seriously doubt that, but what a way to go.” He gave her breasts a playful squeeze.
Jacqueline languidly rested against Raymond’s chest, lulled by the steady beat of his heart and the soothing warmth of the water. Her body still hummed like a tuning fork that continued to vibrate inside of her. It was a delicious feeling that she didn’t want to end. And it wouldn’t. While Raymond slowly caressed her breasts she felt his desire grow.
Tantalizingly, she wiggled her hips against him and was rewarded with his ragged moan. He gripped her tighter.
The tub was slippery for what she had in mind but she was willing to try anything once. She lifted the level on the drain and the water began to recede, but before it could empty fully, she turned the water on so that they were only partially in the water as it continued to empty and fill. She turned on the jets and the hot warm water stirred around them.
She turned to straddle him. The water rushed over her clit and she shivered.
In anticipation, Raymond’s eyes darkened to almost black. He looped his arms around her waist, lowered his head and pulled a waiting nipple into his mouth. Jacqueline cried out.
She managed to get onto her knees and after a few wiggles and adjustments, lowered herself onto his throbbing member.
The air stuck in her throat. Her eyes widened then squeezed shut as the incredible sensation of him filling her combined with the pressure of the water buoying around them.
The rushing water added to the thrill as it pulsed around and between them, making them work for every thrust, every stroke.
Raymond had held off for as long as he could. His arms tightened around Jacqueline. The roar of his long-awaited climax seized his calves, jolted up his thighs and erupted in such a powerful burst he hollered in pleasure, thrusting up deep and fast, needing to bury himself inside her. He palmed her firm behind in his large hands and worked her against him until he could feel her insides grip him, sucking out the last of him and sending her on a soaring release that hand her fingers tugging at his hair, her head thrown back in bliss and her body giving way to utter satisfaction.
Jacqueline collapsed against him and dropped her head to his chest.
Their breathing erupted in staccato bursts, tumbling over each other then turning to bubbling laughter at the pure joy that they felt in being together again—really together.
Raymond stoked her hair away from her face and then cupped her cheeks in his hands. His warm gaze moved slowly over her features as if memorizing every detail.
“I love you, J,” he whispered and swallowed hard.
Her world shifted.
“There, I said it.”
She watched the pulse beat a crazy rhythm at the base of his throat and her own heart was racing so quickly she could barely breathe.
“I fell in love with you in Cairo,” she said on a breath and the release, saying the words, was liberating.
Raymond’s eyes widened. “What?”
She grinned shyly and nodded.
“You never said anything.”
“Neither did you,” she countered.
He lifted his chin. “I thought it would make you run.”
“It might have,” she admitted, knowing how much stock she’d put on her freedom and laying claim to someone emotionally was counter to her mantra. She could have lost him and she would have had no one to blame but herself.
“And now?” Hope hung on those two words.
“I think you’re stuck with me.”
He pulled her to him and captured her mouth with a searing kiss that left her breathless, aroused and needing him again.
“I love you,” she murmured against his lips as he began to caress her again.
“I’m going to show you how much I love you,” he said, and then somehow managed to stand with her in his arms and carry her into the adjoining bedroom.
Chapter 14
“When are we leaving for New York?” Raymond spooned closer to Jacqueline. He brushed the hair away from the back of her neck and softly kissed her there.
She craned her head around to get a glimpse of him. “We?”
“Yes. When are we leaving for New York?”
She turned away. “I plan on leaving day after tomorrow.”
He pushed up on his elbow and turned her onto her back so that he could look right at her. “Tomorrow? When were you going to tell me?”
She lowered her gaze, unable to meet the accusation that stared back at her.
“You weren’t going to tell me!” He sat up. “Were you planning on leaving me another note?”
She flinched at the sting of his words. “No,” she finally said. “I was going to tell you tonight.”
He snorted a nasty laugh. “Really.” He leaned back against the padded headboard then ran his hands across his face in frustration. “I don’t understand you.”
She folded her arms beneath her breasts like a petulant child. “You weren’t supposed to be here!” she snapped. “You weren’t supposed to tell me how you felt about me and screw up my head.” She threw her hands up in the hair and sniffed. “Now everything is a mess.”
“Oh, so somehow in that crazy, stubborn head of yours this is my fault.”
She pressed her lips into a tight, unbreakable line.
Raymo
nd glared at her, completely stunned by her behavior. Then it hit him. Why should he be surprised? This is Jacqueline Lawson. Jacqueline is always her own woman. She never relies on anyone. Even now when she is scared out of her head.
He drew in a long sobering breath. “It’s okay to be scared.” He saw her flinch. “I’m here. And it’s okay to let me know that you’re scared.”
Her gaze skipped up to his, darted away then returned. She slowly shook her head in denial.
“I can only imagine how hard it was growing up in a testosterone-drenched environment where excellence and endurance were demanded, and letting them see you sweat was not an option.” He stroked her chin with the tip of his finger. “I know you had to make your own way. And I know much of the time you believed that you were doing it alone so you did everything you could to protect yourself. But, J, you’re not like your father. You’re not like your brothers. You don’t have to be. It’s all right to let someone love you and for you to love them back.” He paused, taken by the tears that slid down her cheeks. “You’re my everything, baby,” he said on a ragged breath. “Don’t every doubt that. We will get through this.”
Her shoulders shook and she pressed her face against his chest, letting the sobs of relief drain from her. He held her close, gently rocking her in his arms, uttering soothing sounds into her hair. “I don’t know how to do this,” she said between her tears.
“We’ll do it together. We will.” He kissed her cheek.
She sniffed back her tears and wiped her eyes with the knuckle of her finger. Drawing in a deep breath she stole a look at him. “I’m not easy.”
“Really?” he teased. “I had no idea.”
A laugh bubbled up. “You’re right…about my brothers. I never felt that I could compete.” She released a long breath. “I was my parent’s afterthought.”
“That was then.”
“I know. Unfortunately it’s one of the things that stuck with me over the years.” She curled into his arms.