Sunny Says (13 page)

Her breath caught, and she
quickly averted her gaze. One thing for sure—he could hold his own with any of
the men romping on the tiles.

When he slid in behind her, his
legs on either side of hers, she was so startled that her wine sloshed over the
rim. “What are you doing?”

“I promised to wash your back.”

He picked up a large sponge,
dipped it, and squeezed a leisurely streamer of trickles along her shoulders.
Then the sponge swept sensuously in slow circles from nape to waist, spawning
writhing little ripples up her spine.

Her head dropped back as she
savored the strokes.

He nuzzled the side of her neck.
“Feel good?” he asked.

“Mmmm.”

His tongue flicked the tip of
her earlobe, then trailed downward and across the top of her shoulder. “I’d like
to bathe you all over like a cat.”

“A cat?”

“Mmmm. With my tongue. All over.”

The smoldering tone of his words
flashed warmth through her body. “Doesn’t sound very hygienic.”

He chuckled and snaked his free
hand around to cup her breast. Her belly contracted and her nipples hardened.
He slid the sponge down along the top of her thigh to her knee, then slowly
upward along her inner thigh with a maddeningly seductive stroke. As it reached
the juncture of her legs, she stiffened.

“Relax,” he murmured against her
ear.

“Easy for you to say.”

“Has it been a long time for
you?”

She nodded.

“I’ll take care of you.”

The sponge continued its erotic
intimacy, evoking unbelievable sensations that set her blood racing. At some
point, his fingers replaced the sponge, stroking, stroking until she was
mindless with sensual awareness.

Her fingers curled around the
wineglass, tighter . . . tighter . . . tighter, until she thought it would
burst in her hands. When she thought she could stand no more, great spasms of
pleasure convulsed her, shattered her senses, and sent her soaring.

As the waves diminished, the
glass tipped in her lax hands and wine spilled into the water. She fell back
against him, boneless, deliciously sated.

“Relaxed now?” he asked.

“Like an overcooked noodle.”

He laughed softly and took the
glass from her hand. “Ready for the next experiment?”

Languishing against his chest,
she sighed. “Give me an hour or two.”

“I can’t wait that long, love.”

“Oh,” she said, realizing her
selfishness, “I’m sorry. I forgot that you . . . you . . .”

“Don’t concern yourself. We have
the rest of the night.”

He pulled the plug and set her
wineglass aside. When he’d rinsed the bubbles from their bodies, he dried her
slowly, stopping to kiss and caress as he completed his task. By the time he’d
finished, she was aroused again. And his similar state was obvious.

He swept her into his arms,
carried her to his room, and placed her on his bed. She looked at the ceiling
and giggled. “I’m not sure I can do this with her watching.”

“The last vestige of my youth. I’d
forgotten it was there.” He stood on the bed, ripped the old poster down, then
wadded it and threw it in the trash. Stretching out beside her, he kissed her
languidly and ran his hands over her body. “She isn’t the one that I’ve lain
here night after night fantasizing about. She’s an also-ran compared to you,
and I’d rather have the real thing.”

His kisses became more fervid,
his tongue an instrument of sweet torture. “Touch me,” he said. And when she
did, he became a wild man, taking her to heights of longing she didn’t know
were possible.

At the moment when she couldn’t
stand the tension a moment longer, he reached for a packet and knelt between
her knees to roll on protection.

His gaze, so intense that it
heated her skin and robbed her of thought, traveled over her, setting off flash
fires as it went. His hands slid up her thighs until his thumbs tangled in her
delta of curls. “Never have I felt about a woman as I feel about you. I want to
bring you joy, and I want to see it happen.”

He entered her slowly and when
she was full, he stroked and caressed her, murmuring love words and praises for
her body until she caught the thrusting rhythm. Her legs circled his hips, and
they joined the primitive dance together. Eyes locked, they grew hot and slick,
moving and moaning, savoring and struggling until they were sucked into the
raging winds of a cyclone and spiraled into a turbulent climax.

When the last tumultuous
pulsation had passed, Kale rolled to one side and pulled her into his arms. “Talk
to me, love. How do you feel?”

She. signed and snuggled against
his damp body. “Like Dorothy just after she discovered the Land of Oz. You must
be the wizard.”

“No, I’m the tin woodman. I’ve
just found my heart.”

*    *    *

The telephone awakened them at
eight o’clock
the
next morning.

“Tell them to go away,” Sunny
mumbled, covering her head with a pillow.

Kale spoke into the receiver for
a few moments, then lifted the pillow and kissed her cheek. “You’re not going
to sleep the day away, are you?”

Squinting up at him with bleary
eyes, she said, “I certainly didn’t get any sleep last night. Anyway, I don’t
think I can move. I’m discovering that you have to be in training for”—she
waved her hand feebly, then let it plop back on the bed— “Italian calisthenics.”

“How about a nice warm bath?”

She moaned and gave him a you’ve-got-to-be-kidding
look. “That’s the way this thing got started.”

“Are you really sore,
sweetheart?”

“Let’s put it this way: I wouldn’t
want to go horseback riding today.”

He pulled the sheet away and
kissed her bare bottom. “I’m sorry.”

“That’s not where I hurt.”

He gave her a wicked grin. “I
can kiss there too.”

“Kale Hoaglin! It’s broad
daylight!”

He laughed and flipped the sheet
back over her. “Okay, okay, my inhibited Miss Sunshine.” He kissed her
shoulder. “Go back to sleep. I’m going to pick up Ravinia’s convertible.”

“Did they find it already?”

“Yes. Not too far from where we
had dinner. The officer who called said that some kids probably took it
joyriding. At least it’s intact. I’m going to make coffee and get dressed. If
you’re up before I get back, I’ll leave a mixture by the bathtub that should
help.”

“What kind of mixture?” she
mumbled, still drowsy.

“A cup of Epsom salts and a cup
of baking soda. Soak in it for a few minutes, then allow your body to air-dry.
It does wonders.”

“You certainly seem to know a
lot about such things.”

He chuckled. “It’s the formula I
use for jet lag. I’ve never tried it for anything else.”

Sunny tried to go back to sleep,
but the bed smelled of Kale and their lovemaking. Memories of their night
together brought the heat of a blush. She didn’t understand how he could call
her inhibited after the things they’d done. Was there more?

She dozed, roused periodically
by sounds from the shower and drawers being opened and closed. True sleep was
impossible. Too much buzzed in her head. Her emotions tangled with her common
sense until everything was a mishmash.

Sexual involvement, especially
of the magnitude she’d shared with Kale, had turned her world upside down. He
had awakened something within her that she hadn’t been aware of before, and she
felt eons older and wiser. The concerns she’d had about a relationship with him
before had only increased. Their paths were set in different directions, and
she couldn’t perceive the possibility of any sort of long-term commitment
between them. Or was there a way?

She finally decided to put aside
the whole issue and simply enjoy the moment. No matter what happened between
them from now on, she knew that she would never be the same again.

A few minutes after Kale left,
she dragged herself to the bathroom and tried his remedy. The concoction must
have worked, because shortly after she’d dressed and had coffee, she felt
great.

*    *    *”

These didn’t come from the swimming
pool, did they?” Estella asked as Sunny and Kale presented her with a big
bouquet of red roses.

Sunny laughed. “I’m afraid those
were a lost cause. The pool man fished them out and dumped them. Have you seen
young Eddie today?”

Estella grinned from ear to ear.
“Sure have. The nurses have brought him in for feedings. Isn’t he gorgeous? I
can hardly wait to get home with him. That is, if my mother will let me handle
him. I talked to my parents this morning, and Mama is anxious to get her hands
on her first grandchild. They’re driving down tomorrow to take me back to
San Antonio
with them.”

“Oh, Estella,” Sunny said,
throwing her arms around her friend, “I’m going to miss you so much.”

“It’s not as if it’s forever, roomie.
I’m going to be there for only a few weeks, then Ed will be home and I’ll be
back at work. Besides,” Estella said, cutting her eyes to Kale, “I get the
feeling that you won’t be too lonely in that big house.”

Sunny felt her face blaze, and
Estella chuckled. Was their new relationship that evident? “Still, I’ll miss
you.”

“I’ll miss you too. I couldn’t
ask for a better friend.” Estella squeezed her hand. “I want to thank you two
again for being there last night. I don’t know what would have happened if . .
. Would you consider being Eddie’s godparents? It seems appropriate.”

Touched, Sunny smiled. “I’d be
honored, roomie.”

“You betcha,” Kale said, kissing
Estella’s cheek.

Estella dabbed at her eyes. “Look
at me, I’m turning into a water faucet. Where are you two going this afternoon?”

“To the movie we missed last
night, then I have an interview with a pair of Scorpions,” Sunny answered.

“We have an interview,” Kale
interjected.

“Scorpions?”

“Members of another gang. Kale
insists on going along.”

After chatting for a few minutes
more, they said their good-byes to Estella and went to the theater to see a
comedy-adventure that had been highly touted.

While they waited in line, Sunny
noticed several people staring at them—at Kale in particular. She was used to
people recognizing her, so she smiled and nodded, but when a very attractive
redhead elbowed her equally attractive female companion, rolled her eyes, and
made a fluttering gesture against her chest, Sunny bit her lip to keep from
grinning. She felt an immense sense of pride. Indeed, he looked very handsome
in his usual garb of khaki slacks and oxford-cloth shirt—pink again—with the
sleeves rolled up over his tanned and finely muscled forearms. His rugged
appeal surrounded him like a palpable aura, and she was as susceptible as the
rest of the female population. Maybe more so. She was delighted that he seemed
oblivious to everyone but her.

At the snack bar, they ordered
soft drinks and a giant bucket of buttered popcorn. Sunny insisted that no
movie experience was complete without a box of Junior Mints. Kale laughed and
bought two.

Laden with their purchases, they
found a quiet corner in the small cinema house, which was one of six in the
mall complex. They fed each other popcorn from the bucket and candies from the
boxes, teasing with lips and teeth and fingers and tongues. When the last
kernel was gone, they held hands, their entwined fingers still slightly
buttery, and laughed harder than the other patrons at the funny spots in the
film. Laughter sprang easily from Sunny. She’d never felt so vibrantly alive,
with her emotions so close to the surface. Everything seemed magnified. And
wonderful.

When the final credits rolled,
Kale turned to her, smiled, and gave her a quick kiss. “Too bad they don’t have
balconies anymore,” he said against her ear, stopping to circle the inner shell
with the tip of his tongue. “We could have gone upstairs and smooched.”

She giggled. “With the way you
tend to get carried away, the manager probably would have thrown us out.”

“Who gets carried away? You’re
the one who makes all those funny little noises.”

“Kale!”

He chuckled. “They’re
delightful, sexy little noises. Why don’t we go home and experiment some more?”
He splayed his hand across her thigh and his fingers slipped slowly upward. “I’d
like to . . .”

The things he whispered in her
ear sent a flush of heat racing over her. She almost slid off the seat. When
the house lights came on, she was mortified. She grabbed his hand and pushed it
away. “Kale! We’re in a public place.”

“And quite alone.”

Sunny looked around, thankful
that the theater had emptied. Self-conscious in any case, she stood and brushed
at the popcorn remnants clinging to her white cotton slacks. “Have you
forgotten that we have an appointment in less than an hour?”