Intimate (8 page)

He couldn't have kept his hands to himself if his life depended on it.

For a moment he thought that, just maybe, it did.

He reached out, tentatively, with the small finger on his right hand and slipped the very tip into the loop. Kaz gasped a soft, almost wondering, sound. It didn't stop him.

He would have known. When she parted her slim legs just a bit more, there couldn't have been a more obvious invitation.

He glanced up. Kaz was focused on his fingers. He tugged lightly on the silver hoop again, and ran the pad of his thumb between her labia, watching her face, not his hand. She was hot and slippery, moisture spilling at his touch.

She raised her head, focused on him, and the eye contact was a visceral wrenching of his soul. So much need in her eyes, in the soft hitch to her breath, the even softer yet totally unexpected whimper that passed between her lips.

She came across as strong, so self-confident, and yet …

He parted her thighs gently with both hands, leaned forward, and used the tip of his tongue to tug at the loop. This time there was no ignoring the soft moan of pleasure, the sharp scent of her arousal, the harsh catch in her breath. Giving up all pretense of merely looking, Jake slipped his palms beneath her thighs and shifted her long legs over his upper arms.

He grasped her hips, pulled her close, and twirled his tongue around the warm, silver loop. She lay back, opening herself to him, and he used his mouth, his lips and tongue, and even his teeth, nibbling at her, licking deep, and then sucking the tiny ring between his lips and gently tugging.

She was hot and wet and tasted of spice and woman. He lost himself in her flavors and textures, returning time and again to the tiny silver ring. He used two of his fingers, slowly thrusting in and out of her warm, wet sheath until her muscles clenched around them in a spasm of need.

He stopped breathing when he felt her body quicken.

She arched her hips, pressing her slick folds close against his mouth, but he kept his eyes open, watching her, mesmerized as she tugged at the small rings in her nipples with both hands, tasting her as she climaxed against his mouth. He kept licking and nipping, his fingers still thrusting in and out, dragging against the tight clench of rippling muscles. Her legs tightened around his back and she cried out again, arching her body forward, curling up and over his head, sobbing.

“It's too much. Too much … I can't…”

“You can.” He stroked her gently with fingers and tongue, and within a few, short seconds she came once again. Licking slowly, softly, he brought her down. Calmed her with low words and gentle touches. Then he slowly stood and turned Kaz so that she was lying in the middle of her bed. The sheets were already drawn back. He lifted them to cover her feet, pulled the blankets up to cover her breasts.

She gazed up at him. He was so tall, so strong and yet beautiful, leaning over her as she lay there in the bed, her body finally still after an orgasm that had lasted forever. She'd never felt so replete, so completely enervated after sex, but she didn't think she'd ever come that hard in her life. Never before tonight.

But what of Jake? He'd made love to her with his mouth, with his hands. She'd felt so safe with him, but she knew he hadn't found any kind of release at all. It didn't seem right. Those thoughts were drifting slowly through her mind when he leaned over and kissed her, licking into her mouth. She sucked lightly on his tongue, loving the taste of him. Loving the deep groan that vibrated against her lips.

He kept kissing her, stroking her hair, murmuring soft words against her lips. She wanted to give him pleasure, but he kept kissing her so softly, touching her gently, his strokes over her hair soothing, relaxing her completely. She was vaguely aware of him tucking her in as if she were just a child.

He was such an amazing man. Gentle, kind, funny. He'd made her laugh, and good lord how he'd made her come. She rolled over, thinking of all they'd done in the few short hours since she'd met him, of the laughter they'd shared, of the intimacy of his mouth on her. All for her. Amazing. Recalling his touch, his gentleness, she drifted into that space between waking and sleeping. Drifting …

*   *   *

Jake stood beside the bed, watching Kaz as she fell asleep. He was hard and he wanted her, but not tonight. Tonight she needed her sleep, but that didn't mean he had to sleep alone.

Quietly he stripped down to his boxers, leaving his clothes on the unused bed. Then he turned off the lights, slid between the cool sheets, and gently pulled Kaz close to his chest. She rolled over and buried her nose against him, sighed, and snuggled trustingly into his arms.

Breathing in her scent, Jake held her close, absorbing her warmth, remembering her taste. Still aroused, he welcomed the sense of need, the warm desire pulsing in his groin. It made him feel close to Kaz, a woman he knew intimately, and yet hardly at all.

He had no doubt that would change over the next few days. For now, though?

Now, giving her pleasure had been a high all on its own. She felt absolutely perfect in his arms. More perfect than anyone he could recall. He tried to remember if there'd ever been another, and woman after woman passed through his thoughts until he fell asleep on old memories.

When he awoke before five the next morning, Kaz still held the place of honor among them all.

 

CHAPTER 5

“C'mon, sleepyhead. Time to rise and shine.”

Slowly Kaz opened one eye and glared at the man leaning over her bed. “I knew that port was a bad idea.” She groaned and rolled over on her belly, hiding her face in the pillow, mumbling into the soft down. “But damn, it was good.”

“I agree, but it's almost five. We need to be on the site before six in order to get good morning light, and it's at least a fifteen minutes' drive to the vineyard. How much time do you need?”

“More than I've got.” She rolled over and was at the point of tossing the covers back when she realized she was naked between the sheets. “Where's my…?”

She clamped her mouth shut as the memory washed over her. His mouth between her legs, his tongue tugging at the loop on her clit, her climax.

Make that multiple climaxes.

Flushing hot and cold all over, she sat up with the sheet and blanket pulled almost to her chin. “Well. This is awkward,” she said.

Smiling, Jake handed her the blue maxi dress and turned away. He grabbed a couple of his bags of camera gear and headed for the door. “I'm going to take my stuff down to the car, and we can make a quick stop for coffee and something light to eat on the way.” With one hand on the door, he turned to her and asked, “Is that okay with you?”

“Um … yes. It's fine.”

And then he was gone. Kaz scrambled out of bed and raced for the shower. She felt wonderful—energized as if she'd already had her coffee, though it had to be Jake. Jake and the memories that slammed full-blown into her brain as she rinsed off under the hot spray, washed and rinsed her hair with the products supplied by the hotel, and finger-combed the shaggy cut.

Drying off quickly, she put on a loose pair of silky black hip-hugging yoga pants, a snug tank top, and a warm sweatshirt, and then slipped her feet into comfortable old flip-flops. The clothes she'd brought specifically for the shoot were in a separate tote, one she'd left in Jake's SUV.

She thought of the morning ahead, imagined posing for Jake. Not for Jacob Lowell, photographer, but for Jake, the one who had shocked Kaz with the power of her sexual response. The one who had made her feel so much, on so many levels.

She'd never before posed for anyone she'd been intimate with, and it didn't get a whole lot more intimate than what she and the sexy Mr. Lowell had been up to.

Or at least what he'd been up to.

Unless he'd taken care of himself after she fell asleep, Jake hadn't gotten off at all. She sucked in a quick breath. How would he see her today? As a tease? As a woman he wanted, one he was well aware responded to him on way too many levels?

A shiver raced along her spine. She could do this. Definitely. After last night, she figured she could do just about anything.

She went to the balcony, opened the door, and stepped outside. It was still fairly dark this early in the morning, with a light fog misting around the outdoor lamps, but it wasn't cold. She shut the door and tossed the rest of her belongings into her overnight bag, setting aside the tote with her makeup. That bag went next to her handbag on the end of the bed.

A knock on the door startled her. “I'm dressed,” she said, but then she had to bite back the giggles. He'd seen everything there was to see last night. It was a little late for modesty.

Jake stepped into the room, looking pleased that she was ready to go. “Leave anything you don't need here,” he said. “I got the room again for tonight. Reservations at the B and B start tomorrow night.”

“What do I need?” She held up her makeup bag. “I left the tote with my clothes for the shoot in the car. Anything else you can think of?”

“You've still got the scarf?”

She pulled it out of her bag and handed it to him.

“I've got everything then, but yeah, take your makeup.” He stared at her a moment. “Are you wearing makeup now?”

“No. Wasn't sure what look you wanted.”

His sexy smile curled her toes. “You look pretty darned good right now.” Then he tilted her chin with his fingertips, as if he was checking the different angles of her face, but he leaned close and kissed her before she realized what he was planning.

“You ready?”

She nodded, licking her lips. It was truly gratifying, the way his dark eyes tracked the sweep of her tongue across her upper lip.

After a moment he blinked, almost as if he'd lost track of what he was supposed to be doing.

That was sort of gratifying, too. She picked up her small tote and handbag, and slung them over her shoulder. She loved how sexy he made her feel. Sexy and feminine.

Perfect for the job ahead.

“Let's go.” He held the door open and stayed beside her as they walked to the elevator. The lobby was empty this early in the morning. Neither of them spoke as they reached the ground floor, exited, and went out the back door to the parking lot.

Jake unlocked the car and held the door for Kaz. She got in, tossed her bags on the floor, and buckled her seat belt as Jake took his seat behind the wheel. He turned and gazed at her a moment, his expression lost in shadow.

Then he leaned over and kissed her once again, a slow, lazy kiss that had her leaning into him, tugging against the safety belt to wrap her fingers around the back of his neck. His lips were firm and he tasted of minty toothpaste and memories of last night, and when he ended the kiss, Kaz sighed.

And then she blushed, because Jake must have heard her. She opened her eyes and looked directly into his. He stared at her for a long moment. Then he blinked and the spell seemed to snap, like a rubber band pulled past the breaking point.

“I've wanted to do that all morning.” He smiled, drawing the edge of his finger across her cheek. “I wasn't sure if it would be as good as it was last night.”

She tilted her head. “Well? Was it?”

Slowly he shook his head. “Nope.”

She touched her fingers to her lips. They felt swollen and tender, and she thought it had felt pretty damned good to her, but Jake was still staring at her. She cocked one eyebrow in his direction.

“Not at all.” Slowly he shook his head. “This was way better.” The smile was back. “Damn.”

With that enigmatic comment, he turned the key in the ignition and backed out of the parking space. The sky was showing the first hints of light through the morning mist as they headed out on the two-lane road to the vineyard.

*   *   *

They made a quick stop for coffee and a couple of muffins on the way out of town. Kaz sipped from her cardboard cup and nibbled on the blueberry muffin, but even the beauty of dawn over the vineyards couldn't stop her from catching quick glances at the man sitting beside her.

She actually enjoyed watching him drive—there was confidence in everything Jake did, whether driving this winding two-lane road taking them out of town, or making love to her with so much skill her body still shivered at the memory.

What he'd done. What she wanted him to do more of.

The muscles between her legs clenched and she looked away. There wasn't much traffic this early in the morning. Field hands headed to work, and they passed a tractor hauling some sort of equipment that neither she nor Jake could identify.

“I dunno,” he said. “Time machine maybe? It looks like something out of one of my old comic books.”

“Comics?” She almost snorted her coffee. Typical man. She's remembering his tongue teasing the ring in her clit and he's thinking comic books.

He didn't say much—just drove the big SUV with one hand on the wheel, his left elbow propped on the window frame. They passed row after row of grapevines, stretching across the valley floor and crawling up the low hills on either side, even growing around stands of redwood trees filling some of the narrow canyons. They'd driven out of the fog within the first five or so miles, and now only tendrils of mist drifted through the rows of vines shadowing the small canyons and lying against the hillsides. Wildflowers grew along the roadside and in among the vines, masses of white daisies and tiny yellow flowers that glowed like gold dust in the growing light. She let her thoughts drift, caught entirely in the beauty around them.

*   *   *

Jake glanced at Kaz when they turned onto a narrow road and crossed the creek. She was watching the scenery, and all he wanted to do was watch her. He'd been hard when he woke beside her this morning, harder still when he'd stood next to the bed and watched her sleep in that brief moment before he'd had to awaken her. She'd been so beautiful, lying there on her back with one arm resting on the pillow above her head, the other bent across her chest, her fingers curled against her sleep-flushed cheek. He'd wanted to crawl back into bed with her, forget the shoot, forget anything but making love to her.