Suddenly Sexy (19 page)
Authors: Linda Francis Lee
Tags: #Women television journalists, #Man-woman relationships, #Single women, #Contemporary, #General, #Romance, #Adult, #Fiction, #Athletes, #Texas, #Love stories
Jesse poured some into the water. "It will help your sunburn."
Ah, back to the sunburn. Though she wasn't sure how a bath would help
after the ointment had already been applied. But who was she to argue?
she reasoned over the loud drumbeat of her pulse in her ears.
When he hooked his fingers beneath the very thin edges of her panties,
she let him, her eyes closing on
a soft exhale as he carefully pulled
them down.
He did nothing for a moment, and she opened her eyes to find him
kneeling before her like a splendid knight.
"You're beautiful," he said.
He was no longer the charming bad boy of golf. He was an amazing man
with desire written in his eyes. Then he leaned forward and pressed his
lips to the curls between her legs. Instinctively, she gasped.
"Never be embarrassed in front of me," he commanded as he rose, his
lips trailing up her body.
She allowed herself to relish every touch. When he stood before her,
she melted into him.
Hesitantly, she kissed him. She felt as much as heard the groan that
rumbled when she slid her hands along the chiseled contours of his
body, her palms savoring the well-defined muscles of his back. Then
around to the front, her fingers circling his nipples. For a few
incredible moments, he let her maintain control. She touched and
kissed, explored as she wanted.
Then suddenly this strong man had had enough. "Careful, Kate," he said,
his voice ragged. "If your
hands get any lower, you're going to find
yourself in my bed, on your back, with me sliding inside you."
She realized in that second that if he tried, she wouldn't say no. The
last remnant of her no-sex rule
was gone. Finally, completely. And
suddenly she felt wild and free.
He guided her into the tub, his hand holding her arm securely so she
couldn't slip in the oily water. The water was warm and soft against
her skin as she allowed him to lay her back. She sighed with pleasure
and closed her eyes, sinking down until the water lapped at her chin.
She looked up at him towering next to the bathtub, his chest bare, his
button-fly jeans riding low on his hips, the top button left undone.
She could see a glimpse of that place where his tan gave way to
untanned skin, the narrow trail of hair running down his abdomen
disappearing from sight.
"You're amazing," she murmured.
His smile crooked at one corner as he sat down on the floor next to
her. She watched him watching her, his fist resting on his bended knee,
his chin on his fist. Then his smile
disappeared and he dipped his
hand into the water.
Anticipation raced through her, mixed with a start of nerves. "Jesse?"
"Shhh," he whispered, his palm gliding through the water, then slowly
over one breast, then the other, bringing her nipples to taut peaks.
Clearly his intent wasn't for her to relax. Proof came when his hand
dipped lower, down along the curve of her belly, then lower still,
before he parted the curls between her thighs once again.
This time he didn't stop.
He touched her intimately, circling gently.
"Yes," he murmured, nudging her thighs apart a little more, before
sliding one lean, slightly calloused finger inside her, and she moaned.
The invasion was both hot and heady.
"You're tight. Relax," he commanded gently. "Spread your legs for me,
sweetheart."
She wanted to, though her mind instinctively whispered of wantonness.
He stroked her then, and her brain lost control, her body overriding
any concern.
She whimpered in a way that made him pause. Which only made her whimper
even more.
"Is this too much?" he asked, his finger gliding slowly.
"Yes," she groaned.
But when he started to pull out, she clutched his hand. Helpless to
fight this need, she didn't care about being proper. She wanted this,
needed it in some primal way that was beyond words.
His low chuckle was ripe with arrogant satisfaction, but she didn't
care about that, either. And when he slipped a second finger inside
her, hard and deep, she shuddered with her own
pounding pleasure.
She couldn't seem to help herself when she shamelessly arched her hips
to him. His touch taunted and teased, circling her.
Her body reached for what he wanted to give her.
"That's it, Kate."
Her body shimmering with passion, her eyes fluttered closed.
"That's it," he whispered, boldly stroking, pulling out until the tip
of his finger touched her most sensitive spot, circling, then sliding
deep once again.
"Lift your knees for me," he instructed, his voice low and passionate.
When she looked at him again, his expression was filled with a wealth
of emotion. "Open to me, Kate."
Her heart pounded, then slowly, dragging in her breath, she did as he
had instructed. She lifted her knees until her feet were planted on the
bottom of the tub, offering more of herself. He studied her face for
one last, long second, then he nudged her legs even farther apart,
leaning forward and kissing her wet knee. "Yes, sweetheart, just like
that."
A shiver of heat ran through her as he pulled the drain plug, allowing
the water to escape, then he slid his hand down the inside of her thigh
to the core of her. His palm briefly cupped her before he ran his palm
up her other thigh, the water draining, draining, the waterline slowly,
maddeningly, lowering against her body.
It felt like the water licked at her. Then his hand, sliding lower and
lower, parted her, and he slipped his finger deep once again.
Composure and common sense were lost, and all she wanted was more of
what he was giving. When
she thought she couldn't feel anything better,
he slipped a second finger inside her. She squirmed,
seeking something
that she knew of but had never experienced.
His fingers delved deeper, stroking long and slow, his thumb expertly
finding the tender nub. Needing to hold on to something, she brought
her hands up, clasping the porcelain sides, and she refused to think
about how she tilted her hips to give him more of her.
"Yes," he murmured, stroking faster, bringing her closer and closer to
something that she wanted.
His tone was so tender, every ounce of dominant male arrogance replaced
by awe. She felt a true sense of sexiness that went far beyond her
earlier attempts.
She felt the need to buck. She was vaguely aware that her head rolled
from side to side, vaguely heard how his breathing was thick with his
own desire. She wanted to reach out to him, touch him, but when she
would have he held her secure with his touch.
"You're almost there," he whispered. "Reach."
And she did, thrusting her pelvis against his sliding fingers. And when
his thumb and forefingers closed ever so gently on her clitoris, her
world exploded, shuddering through her like a lightning bolt. Blue and
electric. Intense and all-consuming.
He cupped his palm to her mound, helping her to manage the shock of
sensation, her entire body tense.
It wasn't until her orgasm spun itself out that every ounce of tension
evaporated. The next thing she knew, Jesse had her out of the tub,
cradled against his chest, as he carried her out of the bathroom and
laid her like a precious gift on the bed.
She saw his primal satisfaction that he could make her feel such
intensity. She had never let go completely before. But now she was with
the man she had dreamed of for a lifetime. She didn't care about right
or wrong. She understood that she could touch, feel, revel, and he
wouldn't think less of her. Suddenly she understood that this man would
allow her to let go of inhibition and she would not have to feel guilty
afterward.
That's when she knew what she wantedâto make him feel the same
spiraling need he made her experience again and again when he touched
her. He always kept himself under a cast-iron controlâpotent and
all-consuming. Even after his bold proclamation that they would make
love, he had maintained a safe distance between them. And she was tired
of it.
Surprising him, she rolled to her feet to stand before him. His gaze
turned wary, as if he sensed the shift in her.
"What is it?" he asked.
She didn't answer. With her heart pounding hard, she reached low and
undid the remaining buttons on
his jeans.
"Kate, what are you doing?"
Kate knew that she had never needed a man before, but she understood
now that she needed to share her love for this one. She had tried
before, but he had always turned her away. She wasn't going to let him
turn her away again. Because she did love himânot because he was the
boy she had cherished while growing up. But because he had grown into a
man who was good and kind, only he kept that goodness hidden beneath a
facade of wild boy charm.
He had scoffed when she said he was trying as a father, but only a good
man would have put everything aside to do what was right. And he had
been that sort of man from the day he arrived and saved her
from
looking like a fool during the cooking show.
Again and again, he saved her. Now she would do whatever it took to
save him in return.
She would kiss him, she would cherish his amazing strength. He had said
they would make love. She realized he was correct. And she also
realized that it didn't make her like her mother.
But before they could share that ultimate bond, she had to find a way
to break through the barriers he
had erected around himself. She had to
make him feel.
She realized in that second that Jesse was all about making other
people feel. Making other people smile and laugh. But he didn't allow
the same for himself. He didn't allow himself to let go. Didn't allow
himself to give his heart.
He had been through a string of lovers without ever giving more than
pleasure.
Her eyes implored him when she started tugging at his jeans.
"I'd be careful if I were you, Kate. You're playing with fire."
She only tugged harder until he had little choice but to step free of
the denim or push her away. She saw the war that ragedâthe
vulnerability that flashed in his eyes. But he did step free, the
simple action not
so simple, one brick in his wall chipped away.
He stood before her like a man sculpted from granite, hard and solid,
no doubts left that he wanted her. She didn't care that she was naked,
damp from the bath. She felt alive as
she never had before.
"Kiss me," she whispered.
She didn't wait. She reached up. A breath shuddering through him, he
leaned down, giving in, and brushed his lips over hers, once, twice,
before he pulled her to him.
Both of them naked, their kiss turned hard and rough, hot and wet. She
couldn't get close enough.
When she grew impatient, he didn't laugh or
grin. He groaned like a man lost before they fell onto the
bed and he
captured her hands above her head.
"I want you, Kate," he murmured, sucking one nipple deep in his mouth.
"I want to make love to you."
"And we will, just as you said," she promised, her body arching to him
for more.
He nipped and kissed and laved her nipples with his tongue. Her body
yearned again. But this time it wasn't about her.
"But not yet," she added.
She felt the entire length of his body tense with confusion. She rolled
off the bed. He followed, but
didn't get farther than the edge of the
mattress before she stopped him with her hand against his chest.
"What are you doing, Kate?" There was a tremor in his voice.
"I'm going to make you feel," she whispered.
Wariness flared in him, proving to her that she was right. This strong
man didn't allow himself to feel.
But she wasn't about to give up.
She pressed her hand to his chest, leaning into him. He sat, his gaze
still formidable. But heat mixed
with danger when she kneeled before
him.
"Kate," he said, his tone warning.
"What, Jesse?"
"You seem obsessed with proving that you've grown up. Let me assure you
that there's nothing left to prove."
He sounded so stern, so forbidding, and she bit her lower lip with a
sudden spurt of nerves. But something more powerful than that urged her
on, pushing at her fears.
Hoping he couldn't tell how she trembled, she boldly ran her palms up
his naked thighs. His body shuddered, his erection straining, his pulse
visible in his neck as he tried to keep control of himself.
Without a word, willing him with her eyes, she tugged at his knees. But
he didn't budge, his breath growing ragged.
"Spread your legs." Just as he had said to her.
When he didn't move, his every muscle taut, she whispered, "I want
this."
Jesse felt his body's need, along with the need not to give up control.
He had never felt so on fire for a woman in his life. But he didn't
want to taint the one person he knew who was nothing but pure goodness.
Making love to her was one thing. Letting her go down on him was
another.
Taking from Kate seemed impossible. But when she leaned forward and
began kissing a path up his
thigh, he didn't know how to maintain his
defenses.
After long ticking seconds, he spread his legs with a desperate groan.
She moved between his thighs and looked at him one last time, her gaze
filled with an emotion so genuine that he felt tears burn in his eyes
as she finally, inevitably lowered her head, gently taking his hardness
in her mouth.
Instantly, sensation like he had never experienced before exploded
through his body. She moved on him, her hot, wet, slick mouth gliding
over him with an innocent desire that made his blood pound relentlessly.
Jesse wasn't sure how long he could take the sweetness of her. She took
him back in time to innocence and purity. Even as her lips circled him,
her inexpert motions bespoke that innocence, sending a shiver
of
unadulterated need coursing through him.
His head fell back, and though he told himself to move her away, his
hands only guided her, taught her what his body wanted, what it started
to demand.
Sensation built, control became harder to maintain. He arched over her
back, running his palms down
her spine to her hips.
A deep moan rumbled in his chest. Kate heard it, he could tell, because
she grew even more bold.
She reached low, cupping his balls, taking his length deeper in her
mouth, hot and wild, wet and sweet.
He knew that if he didn't do something, he was going to come. And he
didn't want that. Not now. So he tried to pull her away.
Ah, back to the sunburn. Though she wasn't sure how a bath would help
after the ointment had already been applied. But who was she to argue?
she reasoned over the loud drumbeat of her pulse in her ears.
When he hooked his fingers beneath the very thin edges of her panties,
she let him, her eyes closing on
a soft exhale as he carefully pulled
them down.
He did nothing for a moment, and she opened her eyes to find him
kneeling before her like a splendid knight.
"You're beautiful," he said.
He was no longer the charming bad boy of golf. He was an amazing man
with desire written in his eyes. Then he leaned forward and pressed his
lips to the curls between her legs. Instinctively, she gasped.
"Never be embarrassed in front of me," he commanded as he rose, his
lips trailing up her body.
She allowed herself to relish every touch. When he stood before her,
she melted into him.
Hesitantly, she kissed him. She felt as much as heard the groan that
rumbled when she slid her hands along the chiseled contours of his
body, her palms savoring the well-defined muscles of his back. Then
around to the front, her fingers circling his nipples. For a few
incredible moments, he let her maintain control. She touched and
kissed, explored as she wanted.
Then suddenly this strong man had had enough. "Careful, Kate," he said,
his voice ragged. "If your
hands get any lower, you're going to find
yourself in my bed, on your back, with me sliding inside you."
She realized in that second that if he tried, she wouldn't say no. The
last remnant of her no-sex rule
was gone. Finally, completely. And
suddenly she felt wild and free.
He guided her into the tub, his hand holding her arm securely so she
couldn't slip in the oily water. The water was warm and soft against
her skin as she allowed him to lay her back. She sighed with pleasure
and closed her eyes, sinking down until the water lapped at her chin.
She looked up at him towering next to the bathtub, his chest bare, his
button-fly jeans riding low on his hips, the top button left undone.
She could see a glimpse of that place where his tan gave way to
untanned skin, the narrow trail of hair running down his abdomen
disappearing from sight.
"You're amazing," she murmured.
His smile crooked at one corner as he sat down on the floor next to
her. She watched him watching her, his fist resting on his bended knee,
his chin on his fist. Then his smile
disappeared and he dipped his
hand into the water.
Anticipation raced through her, mixed with a start of nerves. "Jesse?"
"Shhh," he whispered, his palm gliding through the water, then slowly
over one breast, then the other, bringing her nipples to taut peaks.
Clearly his intent wasn't for her to relax. Proof came when his hand
dipped lower, down along the curve of her belly, then lower still,
before he parted the curls between her thighs once again.
This time he didn't stop.
He touched her intimately, circling gently.
"Yes," he murmured, nudging her thighs apart a little more, before
sliding one lean, slightly calloused finger inside her, and she moaned.
The invasion was both hot and heady.
"You're tight. Relax," he commanded gently. "Spread your legs for me,
sweetheart."
She wanted to, though her mind instinctively whispered of wantonness.
He stroked her then, and her brain lost control, her body overriding
any concern.
She whimpered in a way that made him pause. Which only made her whimper
even more.
"Is this too much?" he asked, his finger gliding slowly.
"Yes," she groaned.
But when he started to pull out, she clutched his hand. Helpless to
fight this need, she didn't care about being proper. She wanted this,
needed it in some primal way that was beyond words.
His low chuckle was ripe with arrogant satisfaction, but she didn't
care about that, either. And when he slipped a second finger inside
her, hard and deep, she shuddered with her own
pounding pleasure.
She couldn't seem to help herself when she shamelessly arched her hips
to him. His touch taunted and teased, circling her.
Her body reached for what he wanted to give her.
"That's it, Kate."
Her body shimmering with passion, her eyes fluttered closed.
"That's it," he whispered, boldly stroking, pulling out until the tip
of his finger touched her most sensitive spot, circling, then sliding
deep once again.
"Lift your knees for me," he instructed, his voice low and passionate.
When she looked at him again, his expression was filled with a wealth
of emotion. "Open to me, Kate."
Her heart pounded, then slowly, dragging in her breath, she did as he
had instructed. She lifted her knees until her feet were planted on the
bottom of the tub, offering more of herself. He studied her face for
one last, long second, then he nudged her legs even farther apart,
leaning forward and kissing her wet knee. "Yes, sweetheart, just like
that."
A shiver of heat ran through her as he pulled the drain plug, allowing
the water to escape, then he slid his hand down the inside of her thigh
to the core of her. His palm briefly cupped her before he ran his palm
up her other thigh, the water draining, draining, the waterline slowly,
maddeningly, lowering against her body.
It felt like the water licked at her. Then his hand, sliding lower and
lower, parted her, and he slipped his finger deep once again.
Composure and common sense were lost, and all she wanted was more of
what he was giving. When
she thought she couldn't feel anything better,
he slipped a second finger inside her. She squirmed,
seeking something
that she knew of but had never experienced.
His fingers delved deeper, stroking long and slow, his thumb expertly
finding the tender nub. Needing to hold on to something, she brought
her hands up, clasping the porcelain sides, and she refused to think
about how she tilted her hips to give him more of her.
"Yes," he murmured, stroking faster, bringing her closer and closer to
something that she wanted.
His tone was so tender, every ounce of dominant male arrogance replaced
by awe. She felt a true sense of sexiness that went far beyond her
earlier attempts.
She felt the need to buck. She was vaguely aware that her head rolled
from side to side, vaguely heard how his breathing was thick with his
own desire. She wanted to reach out to him, touch him, but when she
would have he held her secure with his touch.
"You're almost there," he whispered. "Reach."
And she did, thrusting her pelvis against his sliding fingers. And when
his thumb and forefingers closed ever so gently on her clitoris, her
world exploded, shuddering through her like a lightning bolt. Blue and
electric. Intense and all-consuming.
He cupped his palm to her mound, helping her to manage the shock of
sensation, her entire body tense.
It wasn't until her orgasm spun itself out that every ounce of tension
evaporated. The next thing she knew, Jesse had her out of the tub,
cradled against his chest, as he carried her out of the bathroom and
laid her like a precious gift on the bed.
She saw his primal satisfaction that he could make her feel such
intensity. She had never let go completely before. But now she was with
the man she had dreamed of for a lifetime. She didn't care about right
or wrong. She understood that she could touch, feel, revel, and he
wouldn't think less of her. Suddenly she understood that this man would
allow her to let go of inhibition and she would not have to feel guilty
afterward.
That's when she knew what she wantedâto make him feel the same
spiraling need he made her experience again and again when he touched
her. He always kept himself under a cast-iron controlâpotent and
all-consuming. Even after his bold proclamation that they would make
love, he had maintained a safe distance between them. And she was tired
of it.
Surprising him, she rolled to her feet to stand before him. His gaze
turned wary, as if he sensed the shift in her.
"What is it?" he asked.
She didn't answer. With her heart pounding hard, she reached low and
undid the remaining buttons on
his jeans.
"Kate, what are you doing?"
Kate knew that she had never needed a man before, but she understood
now that she needed to share her love for this one. She had tried
before, but he had always turned her away. She wasn't going to let him
turn her away again. Because she did love himânot because he was the
boy she had cherished while growing up. But because he had grown into a
man who was good and kind, only he kept that goodness hidden beneath a
facade of wild boy charm.
He had scoffed when she said he was trying as a father, but only a good
man would have put everything aside to do what was right. And he had
been that sort of man from the day he arrived and saved her
from
looking like a fool during the cooking show.
Again and again, he saved her. Now she would do whatever it took to
save him in return.
She would kiss him, she would cherish his amazing strength. He had said
they would make love. She realized he was correct. And she also
realized that it didn't make her like her mother.
But before they could share that ultimate bond, she had to find a way
to break through the barriers he
had erected around himself. She had to
make him feel.
She realized in that second that Jesse was all about making other
people feel. Making other people smile and laugh. But he didn't allow
the same for himself. He didn't allow himself to let go. Didn't allow
himself to give his heart.
He had been through a string of lovers without ever giving more than
pleasure.
Her eyes implored him when she started tugging at his jeans.
"I'd be careful if I were you, Kate. You're playing with fire."
She only tugged harder until he had little choice but to step free of
the denim or push her away. She saw the war that ragedâthe
vulnerability that flashed in his eyes. But he did step free, the
simple action not
so simple, one brick in his wall chipped away.
He stood before her like a man sculpted from granite, hard and solid,
no doubts left that he wanted her. She didn't care that she was naked,
damp from the bath. She felt alive as
she never had before.
"Kiss me," she whispered.
She didn't wait. She reached up. A breath shuddering through him, he
leaned down, giving in, and brushed his lips over hers, once, twice,
before he pulled her to him.
Both of them naked, their kiss turned hard and rough, hot and wet. She
couldn't get close enough.
When she grew impatient, he didn't laugh or
grin. He groaned like a man lost before they fell onto the
bed and he
captured her hands above her head.
"I want you, Kate," he murmured, sucking one nipple deep in his mouth.
"I want to make love to you."
"And we will, just as you said," she promised, her body arching to him
for more.
He nipped and kissed and laved her nipples with his tongue. Her body
yearned again. But this time it wasn't about her.
"But not yet," she added.
She felt the entire length of his body tense with confusion. She rolled
off the bed. He followed, but
didn't get farther than the edge of the
mattress before she stopped him with her hand against his chest.
"What are you doing, Kate?" There was a tremor in his voice.
"I'm going to make you feel," she whispered.
Wariness flared in him, proving to her that she was right. This strong
man didn't allow himself to feel.
But she wasn't about to give up.
She pressed her hand to his chest, leaning into him. He sat, his gaze
still formidable. But heat mixed
with danger when she kneeled before
him.
"Kate," he said, his tone warning.
"What, Jesse?"
"You seem obsessed with proving that you've grown up. Let me assure you
that there's nothing left to prove."
He sounded so stern, so forbidding, and she bit her lower lip with a
sudden spurt of nerves. But something more powerful than that urged her
on, pushing at her fears.
Hoping he couldn't tell how she trembled, she boldly ran her palms up
his naked thighs. His body shuddered, his erection straining, his pulse
visible in his neck as he tried to keep control of himself.
Without a word, willing him with her eyes, she tugged at his knees. But
he didn't budge, his breath growing ragged.
"Spread your legs." Just as he had said to her.
When he didn't move, his every muscle taut, she whispered, "I want
this."
Jesse felt his body's need, along with the need not to give up control.
He had never felt so on fire for a woman in his life. But he didn't
want to taint the one person he knew who was nothing but pure goodness.
Making love to her was one thing. Letting her go down on him was
another.
Taking from Kate seemed impossible. But when she leaned forward and
began kissing a path up his
thigh, he didn't know how to maintain his
defenses.
After long ticking seconds, he spread his legs with a desperate groan.
She moved between his thighs and looked at him one last time, her gaze
filled with an emotion so genuine that he felt tears burn in his eyes
as she finally, inevitably lowered her head, gently taking his hardness
in her mouth.
Instantly, sensation like he had never experienced before exploded
through his body. She moved on him, her hot, wet, slick mouth gliding
over him with an innocent desire that made his blood pound relentlessly.
Jesse wasn't sure how long he could take the sweetness of her. She took
him back in time to innocence and purity. Even as her lips circled him,
her inexpert motions bespoke that innocence, sending a shiver
of
unadulterated need coursing through him.
His head fell back, and though he told himself to move her away, his
hands only guided her, taught her what his body wanted, what it started
to demand.
Sensation built, control became harder to maintain. He arched over her
back, running his palms down
her spine to her hips.
A deep moan rumbled in his chest. Kate heard it, he could tell, because
she grew even more bold.
She reached low, cupping his balls, taking his length deeper in her
mouth, hot and wild, wet and sweet.
He knew that if he didn't do something, he was going to come. And he
didn't want that. Not now. So he tried to pull her away.
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