by Marie Force
“I’m not into country, per se. I’m more of what they call a crossover artist. I got into a band while I was at UT, and one thing led to another. Next thing I knew, I was playing country and blue grass and all kinds of stuff I’d never been exposed to before. That’s when I started writing my own songs, and apparently they appeal to country artists. I think of myself as a musical mongrel. I do it all.”
“And you love it.”
“I really do. This last year has been a dream come true. I was signed by a small label, recorded a CD that’s due out before Christmas, followed by a tour opening for Buddy Longstreet and Taylor Jones. They’re—”
“The king and queen of country. Even I’ve heard of them.”
Evan smiled. “You should’ve seen my reaction when they asked me to open for them on their tour next summer.” He grimaced, which only made him more insanely handsome. How was that possible? “I was rather undignified.”
“That I’d like to see,” Grace said, sharing a laugh with him.
The moment was so charged with desire and awareness that Grace wondered if the whole restaurant could tell they were dying to rip each other’s clothes off. Since she’d never had the urge to strip a man naked while in public, she had no idea how one was supposed to behave while having such an urge. The direction of her thoughts threatened to send her into a new fit of giggles, so she took a small sip of wine.
Their waiter returned with their salads, and Grace managed to get through the encounter with nary a snicker.
“He’s totally terrified of you,” Evan said.
“I feel awful. It’s so rude to laugh at someone when they’re just trying to do their job.”
“You do not feel bad, and he was way overdoing his job with the balsamic reductions and the bastardized French.”
“You aren’t supposed to say those words,” Grace reminded him as she cut her salad into tiny bites.
“What words? Balsamic reduction?”
“Stop! I’ve already made enough of a scene.”
“What are some of your other trigger words?”
“Do you honestly think I’m going to give you that kind of ammunition?”
“Please? I promise not to use them against you in church.”
Grace rolled her eyes at him. “As if you ever step foot in church.”
“I’ve been known to step foot in church.”
“Only when Linda holds a gun to your head.”
“That may be true, but I might be persuaded to go to church with you just to see if I can make you laugh.”
“Trust me, you could. It doesn’t take much at all.”
“I may have to take that dare.”
His tone was so dirty-sounding that Grace wondered if they were still talking about church.
When their food arrived, he insisted on sharing some of his fish with her. She was careful not to overdo and refused dessert when he offered. He paid the bill and suggested a stroll on the beach in front of the restaurant.
Grace, who would’ve followed him into traffic at that moment, willingly agreed.
After they kicked off their shoes, Evan slipped an arm around her shoulders, bringing her in snug against him. With the sand coarse against her feet, the breeze light against her face, the moon rising in the sky and his scent surrounding her, Grace knew she’d never forget this. No matter what happened between them, this night would go down in history as the benchmark against which all other dates would be measured.
“What’s your favorite color?” he asked, clearly taking her comment about not knowing each other very well seriously.
Amused, she said, “Purple. Yours?”
“Depends on my mood. Some days I’m a red guy, and other days I favor blue. Siblings?”
“Two brothers, both younger. One is in high school and the other in college.”
“Are you close?”
“Not really. Not like you are with yours. I was like a second mother to them when they were little.”
“My brothers are my best friends, and my sister, who was a royal pain when we were growing up, turned out okay. It didn’t hurt that she married a guy we all love.”
“That was good of her.”
“We thought so, too.”
Evan stopped walking all of a sudden and turned to her. Keeping one hand on her shoulder, he brought his other hand to her face.
As she waited to see what he would do, Grace couldn’t seem to get air to her lungs.
And then he leaned in and kissed her so softly, so sweetly that she barely had time to react before it was over.
“I couldn’t wait another minute to do that,” he said, running his thumb over her bottom lip.
“Is there more where that came from?” Grace shocked herself with her own audacity. It was hardly like her to ask for what she wanted, especially from a man.
His eyes heated with desire that she still couldn’t believe was directed at her. “Plenty more. Do we know each other better now than we did earlier?”
Grace wanted him desperately. “Much better.”
As he took a step closer to her, his hands moved from her shoulders to her hips, bringing her in tight against him.
She finally ran her fingers through his dark hair and found it to be as silky and soft as it looked.
That seemed to make him a little crazy, and he leaned in to take her mouth in a devouring kiss that required her full attention just to keep up with him. His tongue coaxed its way past her lips, exploring and enticing her into cooperating, not that she required much enticing.
Years of reading romance novels and dreaming about this very moment had Grace well prepared to hide her inexperience. Like the heroines in her books, she brazenly sucked on his tongue, which drew a groan from deep inside him. Pleased with her efforts, she did it again.
He tore his lips free and turned his attention to her neck. “God, Grace, you’re making me so hot.” He cupped her ass and pressed his substantial erection against her belly. Remembering the width and length of him from her earlier explorations, she was suddenly desperate to see and feel him without clothes in the way.
“Can we go back to the hotel now?” Old Grace would’ve worried about that question making her sound cheap or easy. New Grace didn’t care how it made her sound. She wanted him. While she was under no illusions about what might happen between them tomorrow, she was determined to end this perfect night perfectly.
“Are you sure, Grace?” His lips were warm and soft against her ear, sending goose bumps and tingles down her spine.
“Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, I’m sure.”
Chapter 13
Taking her hand, Evan led Grace from the beach through a pathway she never would’ve found on her own that brought them out to the main drag. When she started to put her shoes back on, he told her not to bother.
Knowing he was in a rush only made her more anxious to reach their destination.
They ran across the street and into a side door at the Beachcomber. She had to scramble to keep up with him as his long legs took the three flights of stairs in record time. By the time they reached her room, Grace was out of breath for more reasons than one.
Evan took the key from her and had them inside in under two seconds. Pushing the door closed, he pressed her against it and thrilled her with passionate kisses that chased away all the worries and doubts about what he might think of her body. He made it very clear with his lips and tongue and hands that everything about her appealed to him. Thankful for the dim glow of a streetlight that gave them just enough illumination, Grace decided not to worry about being naked in front of him. He wouldn’t be able to see much anyway.
She worked on the buttons to his shirt and pushed her hands inside, greedy to touch muscles and crisp chest hair and nipples that hardened under her hands. When she ran her thumbs over them, he faltered.
He tugged at the zipper to her dress, and when it didn’t give way fast enough for his liking, he abandoned it and went for the hem, dragging it up and over h
er hips. His fingertips left a trail of fire on her legs and belly as he pushed her dress up. Finally, he tugged it over her head, leaving her standing before him in the black bra and skimpy panties Stephanie had chosen for her.
“You’re a goddess,” he whispered reverently as he left a trail of kisses from her neck to her collarbone to the valley between her breasts to the plump portion that spilled over the demi-cups. “So sweet, so soft.”
Grace was having trouble standing as he explored her with his hands and lips. With her arms linked around his neck, she played with his hair and gave herself over to him. She wanted to touch him everywhere but couldn’t handle doing that while he was caressing her.
He took her hand and half walked, half dragged her to the bed. On the way, he tugged off his shirt and dropped his pants, leaving him in silky boxers that bulged significantly at the front. Standing next to the bed, he put his arms around her.
She returned the embrace, breathing in the sandalwood scent she’d forever associate with him and reveling in the soft caress of his chest hair against her over-sensitized skin.
His erection resting against her stomach was an ever-present reminder of where this was leading, which filled her with a healthy dose of anxiety to go with the desire.
“Why did you just get tense?” he asked as he freed her from the bra.
Grace’s first impulse was to cover her breasts as they sprang free, but she kept her hands at her sides while he took a good long look.
“You’re gorgeous everywhere, Grace.” He cupped her with big hands that were never anything but gentle. “Don’t be nervous,” he said between kisses. “Just relax.”
The notion that she could possibly relax while standing all but naked in Evan McCarthy’s arms was so far beyond preposterous that she had no choice but to giggle.
He stopped what he was doing, raised his head and stared at her. “What?”
Before her mirth could spin out of control, she shook her head and placed her hands on his chest, hoping the feel of his smooth skin under her palms would stifle the need to laugh, for there was absolutely nothing funny about Evan McCarthy’s splendid chest.
“You have to tell me, or I’ll think you find me…insignificant.”
“Now you’re trying to make me laugh, and I won’t let you.”
His grave expression almost undid her. “I could make you laugh if I really wanted to.”
“We both know you could, but if I get started, it’ll take forever to stop.” She stroked his chest in a circular motion. “Wouldn’t you rather make me do something else?” This was uttered in the most seductive tone she could muster, and it was, without a doubt, the most scandalous thing she’d ever said in her entire life. In fact, it was so wildly out of character, she wondered for a second if she’d only thought it.
If the smile that stretched across his face was any indication, she’d actually said it, and he wholeheartedly approved of where her thoughts were leading.
He pulled down the covers, helped her get comfortable on the bed and stretched out next to her.
Grace reached for him, bringing his mouth back to hers. Their kisses were deep and sensual. Seeking a better angle, Evan came down on top of her, their limbs entwining, her breasts pressed to his chest as their tongues mated in a dance that made her burn for more of him.
She ran her hands over his back, her fingertips exploring the ridges of his spine. When she reached the waistband of his boxers, she experienced a moment of doubt. Would he think her too forward if she were to slip her fingers under the elastic?
“Touch me, Grace,” he whispered, making her wonder if her thoughts were obvious to him. “Nothing you do will be wrong.”
She appreciated that he seemed to get she was nervous and was doing all he could to set her mind at ease. As his lips left a trail of fire on her neck, she tucked her hands into his boxers.
Evan gasped as she explored his muscular backside. “Shit,” he muttered. “You’re making me nuts.”
Encouraged, Grace moved her hands to the front.
He raised himself up to give her room to maneuver. This was about the point where it had all gone bad with Trey, before she’d had a chance to touch him like this. Now she was grateful that Evan’s penis would be the first one she ever held in her hand. As she ran her fingers over his length, his breathing became choppy and irregular.
“Does it hurt?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Feels too good.” Bringing his hand down to cover hers, he showed her how to stroke him.
“Like that?” she asked as she mimicked movements that were far rougher than she would’ve attempted without his guidance. His skin there was surprisingly soft, and Grace marveled at how he grew harder and bigger.
“Yes. Grace, God…”
When his hand landed on top of hers again, it was to stop her. His belly muscles rippled, and his jaw clenched with tension. “You’re going to finish me off before we get to the best part.”
“Are you good for only once?” she asked, again amazed by how uninhibited she was with him.
“Hell, no.”
That he sounded downright insulted made her giggle.
“Is that funny?” His hips surged, pushing his cock hard against her hand.
“No,” she said, certain her quivering lips were a dead giveaway that she found him highly amusing when he was indignant. She recommitted her efforts to careful, hard strokes that made him moan and groan.
Giving himself over to her, he shifted off her and flopped onto his back.
Grace bit her lip, trying to decide just how brazen she was prepared to be. When she remembered his insistence that this night wasn’t leading anywhere, she figured this could be the best chance she’d have to try out all the things she’d read about in her romance novels on him.
She released her hold on his erection long enough to help him out of the boxer shorts. The light filtering in from the street was just enough to see the full length and width of him. As she again tried to imagine how that would ever fit down there, she nearly lost her nerve.
Determined to bring him as much pleasure as she possibly could, she wrapped her hand around him. Settling on her knees, she bent her head to run her tongue over the wide crown.
When that resulted in more tortured moans and groans from him, Grace did it again.
“Take it in,” he said in a harsh tone she hadn’t heard from him before. His hand pressing on the back of her head told her exactly what he wanted.
While she worried about gagging or choking or other embarrassing possibilities, she did as he asked, wrapping her lips around his thick erection and taking as much as she could into her mouth. The best she could do, it seemed, was only about half, but he didn’t seem to mind, especially when she added some tongue action that had his hips rising from the bed to gain a better angle.
“This too,” he said, covering her hand with his and showing her how to stroke him while she took him in and out of her mouth. “Goddamn,” he said. “Ahh, that’s good. So good.”
Grace decided that was among the best compliments she’d ever received. In fact most of her best compliments had come from him.
The hand he’d buried in her hair fisted and pulled, gently but hard enough to get her attention.
He jerked himself free of her mouth and erupted.
Grace watched, fascinated, as he came all over his own belly. She dipped a finger into the milky fluid and ran it over his quivering muscles.
“Sorry,” he said between deep breaths.
“For what?”
“I wanted to focus on you, but the minute you put your hands on me… Sorry.”
Amused and delighted to have had drawn such a powerful reaction from him, Grace smiled and leaned in to kiss him.
“Let me clean up, and then it’s your turn.”
His words sent a shiver of anticipation through her entire body, making her nipples hard and needy and the rest of her hot and bothered.
Watching him stroll into the bath
room, Grace took in the splendid sight of his muscular butt. She fell back on the pillows, seeking to calm her wildly beating heart. Pleasuring him had been the most exciting thing she’d ever done, and she couldn’t wait to see what happened next.
Evan returned to the bed and crawled right up on top of her, taking her mouth in a heated kiss that had her motor running at full speed in no time at all. She cradled his lean hips between her legs with only a thin strip of satin between them. His reawakened cock moved seductively back and forth, simulating intercourse, and Grace held back what would’ve been a most unladylike sound.
“It’s okay,” he said, again tuning into her in a way that should’ve freaked her out. Rather it was comforting to know he was paying such close attention to her signals. “We’ll do it all, baby. We’ve got all night.”
He’d said exactly the right thing. They were in no rush. They could take their time to fully experience each other. He wasn’t Trey. He wasn’t going to rush off and leave her alone and unfulfilled.
“That’s it,” Evan said, as he raised her arms above her head and pinned them to the pillow. “Relax and let me show you…”
He kissed from her lips to her jaw to her chest, working his way toward her breasts. Cupping them in his big hands, he teased her nipples with tentative brushes of his tongue over her taut peaks. Grace would’ve jerked right off the bed were it not for the weight of his lower body holding her still.
It took all she had to keep her hands where he’d put them, especially when he finally tugged her nipple into the heat of his mouth. As he sucked hard, Grace discovered a direct connection from her breast to her womb. Aching for more, she pushed her hips against his cock, letting him know what she wanted.
“We’ll get to that,” he said as he shifted his attention to her other breast.
The sounds that came from Grace as he licked and sucked and teased would’ve mortified her if she’d been in her right mind. At the moment, she couldn’t have cared less, and apparently neither did he. The more she reacted, the harder he sucked. When his teeth scraped against her nipple, she cried out.
He tended the abused nipple with gentle strokes of his tongue. “Sorry.”