by Elle Kennedy
“I’ll grab some cash and reimburse you,” she said.
He shook his head. “No way.”
“I said it would be my treat.”
“I chose to ignore you.” His deep voice brooked no argument as he entered her house.
“How very last century of you,” she said sweetly.
He smiled—God, she loved it when he did that. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
She led him into the living room, where they began laying out steaming hot cartons of food. Marley had already brought out plates and utensils, as well as a bottle of red wine and two glasses. She and Caleb got settled on the carpet, and she dug in immediately, too hungry to worry about the fact that she was stuffing her face when they’d barely said hello. She hadn’t eaten a thing all day, thanks to another hectic shift at the hospital without a break and then because of the nervous flutters in her stomach at the prospect of seeing Caleb again.
She felt so drawn to the man, even though she still didn’t know much about him, save for the fact that he was devastatingly handsome and kissed like a dream. Maybe tonight he’d finally open up to her a little.
“This is delicious,” she moaned, popping another bite of sesame chicken into her mouth.
Caleb bit into an egg roll. “I haven’t had Chinese food since I left New York. Back there, I live on this stuff.”
“Is that where you call home?”
“I usually go where the job takes me,” he answered.
She furrowed her brows. “You mean, for research?”
“No, I only started writing recently.” He took another bite of the egg roll, then focused on the task of spooning chicken fried rice onto his plate. “I was doing construction before that, and the company I worked for did jobs all over the country.”
“So you took time off to write?”
He nodded.
Marley picked up her wineglass, studying Caleb as she took a sip. He seemed completely uninterested in talking about himself. Patrick, on the other hand, had been all about his own ego, constantly regaling her with stories where he played the starring role. None of them true, of course.
Which did she prefer? A man who talked up a storm and only told lies? Or one who refused to talk at all? Still, she wasn’t a quitter, and she was determined to pry some details out of Caleb.
“Does your family live on the East Coast?” she asked.
His face became shuttered. “I don’t have any family. My mother died when I was five, and I never knew my dad.”
She leaned closer, studied his face. “No aunts, uncles, grandparents?”
“Nope.” His tone was casual, but she saw a flicker of pain in the depths of his eyes. He took a sip of wine, then said, “I was in foster care my whole childhood.”
“Caleb, I—” Marley’s words caught in her throat. “That must have been hard. What about close friends?”
Caleb’s features creased with pain. “One. But he died a few months ago.”
Her heart squeezed, just as it did in the hospital whenever she encountered a particularly sad case. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly.
A lull fell over the room. Marley tried to focus on the food in front of her, but it was hard to ignore the flicker of sorrow on Caleb’s face. She wondered how his friend had died, but didn’t broach the subject. And he didn’t share the details, making it obvious it wasn’t a conversational path he wanted to venture down.
But his grief…she couldn’t turn away from it. Couldn’t ignore it, either. It was her fatal flaw. She saw someone in pain and felt compelled to help them. Setting down her fork, she slid closer to him, surprising them both when she lifted her hand to his face and traced the strong line of his jaw with her fingers.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured again. “I know what it’s like to lose someone close to you. When my mom died, it nearly tore my heart out.”
Caleb covered her hand with his, but didn’t move it away, just kept it pressed to his cheek. Slowly he turned his head to meet her gaze, and what she saw there stole the breath right out of her lungs. Heat. Lots and lots of heat, mixed in with that cloud of grief. His eyes dropped to her mouth.
He wanted to kiss her. His intentions were so clear they might as well be scrawled across a billboard in downtown San Diego. Yet he didn’t make a single move. His cheek was hot beneath her palm, his hand just as warm as it covered her knuckles.
“Are you okay?” Her voice wavered.
A muscle in his jaw twitched. “No,” he said roughly. “I never seem to be okay when you’re around.”
She didn’t know what to make of the cryptic comment, and he didn’t give her time to try and decipher it. He lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers.
Marley’s entire body trembled. He tasted like soy sauce and wine and something distinctly male. And he kissed as if he actually gave a damn about kissing. Other men went through the motions, shoved their tongues into your mouth and made the appropriate groaning sounds, all the while wondering how they could move on to the more entertaining part of the evening.
Caleb, on the other hand, took his time. His lips and tongue toyed with her. He licked and nipped, as though he was sampling a mouthwatering dessert, a flavor he wanted to explore. Marley stroked his cheek, her hand tingling at the feel of his shadowy stubble chafing against her palm. Feeling bold, she slid her tongue into his mouth then retreated to sweep it across his bottom lip. She took the surprisingly soft flesh between her teeth and bit down gently, eliciting a low moan from deep in his throat.
He broke the kiss, tilting her head with one big hand so he could press his mouth to her neck. “You’re a very dangerous woman,” he rasped against her feverish skin.
She laughed. “Me? I’m the furthest thing from dangerous.”
He left a trail of wet, open-mouthed kisses along her neck, his tongue traveling back to her lips, parting them and delving into her mouth again. This time, when he deepened the kiss, he brought his hands into play. They drifted down to her breasts, cupping the aching mounds through the fabric of her T-shirt, his thumbs flicking the nipples poking against her bra. Little sparks ignited in her belly, blazing a path up to her breasts, making them swell and tingle.
“No,” he disagreed, pulling back so that his warm breath fanned across her lips. “You are dangerous.”
With reluctance practically oozing from his pores, he dropped his hands from her chest and slid away from her, his broad back connecting with the edge of the sofa. “Which is why I need to focus on this delicious meal before I do something stupid.” To punctuate the remark, he picked up his fork and speared it into the nearest carton, bringing out a tangle of spicy noodles.
“How about we skip dinner and go straight to dessert instead?”
The brazen suggestion flew out of her mouth before she could stop it. Once she’d said it, though, she knew she didn’t want to take it back. Her breasts were heavy, achy. The tender spot between her legs quivered with need. Looking at Caleb, in the blue shirt that clung to his washboard abs, the dark hair falling on his forehead, the lust swimming in his eyes, she knew he was the only one who could soothe the ache.
The fork fell out of his hands and clattered onto his plate. He swallowed hard. “That’s probably not a good idea.”
“Why not?” She gave a wry smile. “Isn’t sex always a good idea, according to guys?”
He coughed at the word sex. “Most believe that,” he admitted. “But we’ve only just met, Marley.”
He was right. She’d known him less than a week. But already she felt a connection to him. When he looked at her, she felt light-headed and vulnerable and so totally aroused. What would be so wrong about falling into bed with this man? She was old enough to know that sex didn’t equal love and marriage. Sometimes it could just be about two people who were wildly attracted to each other, taking pleasure in what the other had to offer.
“Do you always date for at least six months before you sleep with someone?”
“No,” he said. “B
ut you’re different.”
“How so?”
“I don’t know.” His features furrowed with a hint of despair. “You just are.”
She looked at him, and there it was again, that streak of white-hot chemistry, threatening to consume her whole. She wanted this. No, she needed it. Needed to feel wanted and appreciated. Needed to lose herself in this one passionate moment and forget about the stress and headaches of the last three months.
She rose to her feet. “Are you attracted to me?”
“You know I am.” No hesitation on his part. She liked that. She also liked the way his eyes grew heavy-lidded, smoky with unconcealed desire.
“So let’s do something about it.”
Marley lowered her hands to the hem of her T-shirt. She brushed her fingers over the fabric, then lifted it just an inch, to reveal her midriff.
Caleb’s breath hitched. “What are you doing?”
She raised her shirt another inch higher. “What do you think I’m doing?”
He gulped. “Marley…”
“For God’s sake, Caleb, are you going to make me beg for it?”
Without waiting for an answer, she slid the shirt up her chest, over her head and threw it aside.
OH, LORD.
Caleb swallowed a few times, desperate to bring moisture to the arid desert his mouth had become. He couldn’t tear his eyes off her. All that smooth, golden skin. The luscious, full breasts covered by a lacy white bra with a little pink bow. Christ, that bow. So proper and innocent and downright sexy. It drove him wild.
She drove him wild.
“Say something,” she murmured.
He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Every muscle in his body was taut, tight as a drum and wrought with tension that could only be eased by the thrust of his cock inside Marley Kincaid’s sweet paradise. Oh, yeah, paradise was the word to describe her, all right. He could practically see her holding out the forbidden apple to him, her perfect skin and flat belly and out-of-this-world breasts taunting him to take a bite.
He stumbled to his feet and pressed his damp palms to his sides. Marley obviously took the action as a sign of assent because she moved closer, and closer, until they were mere inches apart. He knew he shouldn’t be doing this. He was hunting her ex, for Pete’s sake. So why couldn’t he walk away?
His hand, of its own accord, touched her mouth, tracing the curve of her bottom lip. Her lips were red and swollen, the lips of a woman who’d just been thoroughly kissed.
Caleb smothered a wild curse. He’d been fantasizing about this woman for more than a week. He craved her.
But he couldn’t have her. He gritted his teeth.
Her lips parted as she leaned into his touch. “Don’t shut down on me,” she said, as if reading his mind. “I know you want this, too.”
He drew in a breath. Tried valiantly to resist the pure temptation she posed. Gathered up the courage to tell her he didn’t want it, that it would be a mistake.
But then she touched him.
Just the feather-light brush of her fingers across his cheek and he was a goner. He kissed her, pouring all his frustration and pent-up lust into the kiss, pushing his tongue deep into her mouth until she was gasping with delight.
“Close the drapes,” he choked out, pulling back.
She glanced at him in surprise. “What?”
“The drapes. They’re wide open. Any of your neighbors could see us.” One neighbor in particular. He wondered if AJ was watching. If he was shaking his head in disapproval.
“Shoot, you’re right.” She darted over to the window and shut the heavy drapes, officially closing out the world.
Closing out reality.
That’s what he ought to be clinging to, reality, but it was too late now. The fantasy had taken over, and Caleb knew he could no longer walk away. He needed her too badly. Marley Kincaid had gotten under his skin from the second they’d met. He had to have her. He felt like an addict, and this insanely beautiful blonde was his fix. The only cure to the uncontrollable desire running rampant through his blood.
Marley sauntered back to him, her firm breasts swaying at each step. Lord, that bra scarcely covered her nipples. He could see the edge of her areolas. Dusky pink. Just as he’d imagined.
She stood inches away from him, her blond waves cascading down her bare shoulders. A moan lodged in the back of his throat. Before he could stop himself, he slid his fingers down her neck to caress her collarbone. Her skin was hot to the touch. Her sweet strawberry scent seized his senses and wrapped him in a hazy cloud of desire.
Marley stepped closer, pushed her barely covered breasts against him and whispered, “Your touch drives me crazy.”
His pulse began to race. The fog in his brain deepened, making it impossible to form a coherent thought. His cock throbbed relentlessly, so stiff he could hardly move. He trailed his index finger up Marley’s arm, stroking her shoulder, running his knuckles along the curve of her neck. She shivered.
“You have the softest skin I’ve ever felt,” he murmured, then lowered his head to kiss the hollow at the base of her throat.
He looked up to see desire reflected in her deep-brown eyes, punctuated by her sharp intake of breath. “You’re teasing me,” she squeezed out.
He pressed his lips to her jaw, tongue darting out for a brief taste. “Do you want me to stop?” he asked in a rough voice.
“No.”
Trying to ignore the heat flooding his groin, he moved his lips over hers. Softly, a mere hint of a kiss. She sighed into his mouth, rubbing her body against him like a contented little cat.
Capturing her bottom lip with his teeth, he swirled his tongue over it, then moved to lick her earlobe. He kissed the tender lobe, then her cheek, her jaw, her shoulder—everything but her lips, which were plump and moist and begging for attention.
She licked them, whispering, “Please,” and finally he gave her what she wanted. What he wanted.
He claimed her mouth, and a rush of warmth assaulted him, pumping through his veins and making his pulse quicken. She tasted like heaven. As he possessed her lips, his hands cupped her mouthwatering breasts. He squeezed, then dipped his fingers under her lacy bra. Toyed with her nipples, pinched them, made them hard and stiff and watched as her eyelids closed and a moan of pleasure slid out of her throat.
“Please,” she pleaded. “More.”
Her hips moved restlessly, her pelvis sliding over the aching bulge in his pants. “More, Caleb, I need more.”
He knew exactly what she meant. He needed more, too. So much more than he’d ever dreamed himself capable of wanting.
Swallowing, he reached between them and hooked his thumbs under the waistband of her pants. It was too late to stop this. Any of this. He was too far gone. And he knew that at this point, there was nothing he could do but hang on for the ride.
7
MARLEY’S ENTIRE BODY was on fire as Caleb peeled her pants off her legs and whipped them aside. That same fire smoldered in his blue eyes, the heat of it penetrating her bare skin. Something else flickered in his eyes, too. Wonder, maybe, and a hint of hesitation.
She reached out for him but he stepped back. “No,” came his hoarse voice. “Just stand there for a second. Let me look at you.”
Marley’s arms dropped to her sides. Her cheeks warmed, but she didn’t feel embarrassed. Caleb’s gaze roamed every inch of her body, and each time he lingered, she grew hotter. Wetter. Nobody had ever looked at her like this before. As if she were the most beautiful thing in the world. And he was pretty damn beautiful at the moment, too. His eyelids were heavy, his handsome features creased with blatant sensuality. His breathing sounded labored. So was hers. In fact, if he didn’t touch her soon, she feared she’d stop breathing altogether.
As if he’d read her mind, he moved closer and with the softest of touches, grazed her collarbone with his thumb. “You’re stunning,” he murmured.
“You’re exaggerating.”
He shook his he
ad, dead serious. “And you’re underestimating yourself.” He looked vaguely embarrassed. “I’ve fantasized about you since the day we met.”
She swallowed. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” His fingers skimmed down her arm, then traveled toward her breasts, which tingled the second his strong hands came near.
He cupped her breasts and squeezed gently, eliciting a soft moan from her throat. Then he ran a finger under the edge of her bra and teased one rigid nipple. “Do you like this?” he asked quietly.
Pleasure coursed through her body, so strong she couldn’t find her vocal cords. So she just nodded, her head lolling to the side as he continued teasing her.
Caleb reached for the front clasp of her bra and popped it open to expose her aching breasts. He sucked in his breath, the passion in his eyes darkening to midnight blue. “Tell me what you like, and what you don’t.” His voice was soft, his face slightly rueful. “I don’t want to be too rough with you. I’m not always gentle.”
He sounded genuine and awkward and she couldn’t help but smile. God, who was this man? In her experience, men didn’t usually take the time to find out what she liked. They just did what they liked.
She leaned her bare breasts into his waiting palms and said, “I like everything you do to me, Caleb.”
A fleeting smile lifted the corner of his mouth, and then he lowered his head and pressed his lips to one throbbing breast, making her gasp. The heat of his mouth enclosed her nipple, his tongue darting out and swirling over the aching bud. And then he started to suck, so hard she nearly keeled over from the overwhelming wave of pleasure that crashed into her.
Caleb steadied her, rested one big hand on her hip while the other squeezed and fondled her chest. He shifted his head and tongued her other nipple. Sighed against her flesh as if he’d just discovered a treasure he hadn’t believed existed. By the time the hand he’d placed on her hip slid to the juncture of her thighs, she was so wet and so hot and so ready she exploded almost immediately.
Marley cried out in a mixture of surprise and ecstasy as an orgasm that rivaled a category-5 hurricane slammed into her. Streaks of pleasure burned a trail through her body, growing more intense when Caleb rubbed his palm over her sex. She buried her face against his broad chest, shuddering violently, shamelessly writhing against his hand and taking every last iota of pleasure he could give her.