The Ties That Bond (3 page)

“Okay,” she whispered. She took a careful step back, her arms slipping from around his neck.

Jack took a step back, too, and managed to almost fall right into the open fridge. “Ouch!” He cracked his head against the top rim of the opening, stopping himself from falling into it completely.

Rhonda took more steps backward, one hand flying to her mouth, giggling.

Jack felt heat warm his cheeks. “Now don’t be laughing at me. It’s your fault I’m off kilter.”

“What did I do?” She grinned at him, her eyes sparkling.

He groaned and turned to reach for a jar of pickles. He placed the jar on the table, opening it for her. “I’m sorry I assaulted you like that. Wait—I’m not sorry—” He shook his head, exasperated. “You get what I mean, right?”

Rhonda crossed her arms and tilted her head coyly. “First, you didn’t assault me. For goodness’s sake, remember where we are. And second, I should hope you’re not sorry. If you’re sorry about kissing me, you’re going to make me think I’ve lost my sex appeal.”

“Hold it right now.” Jack waved both hands in the air. “Don’t even go there. You are the sexiest woman this side of heaven that I’ve seen in a long while. If I didn’t think you were attractive, I wouldn’t have been so bold as to kiss you like that. Especially when you didn’t expect it.” He reached out and grabbed one of the lapels of her robe, tugging it. “Can we both just admit we’re hot for each other and leave it at that?”

The corners of her mouth turned up in a wicked little smile. “All right, but tell me—where do we go from here?”

Jack’s throat felt tight, his tongue thick. Where did they go from this point? It was obvious they were going to end up having sex at some point this weekend. It was unavoidable, plain and simple. The heat between them had grown to an inferno, and they’d have to try to put it out sooner or later.

But Jack didn’t want it to end there. For some reason he couldn’t quite put his finger on, he wanted to tread lightly with Rhonda. Even with all her sensual bravado, he could sense there was something fragile inside, almost as if there was a mercury switch buried deep within her. Tip her too much one way or the other and the silvery liquid would flow too far and set off some sort of chain reaction that would lead to an explosion. He didn’t want that.

Looking deeply into her eyes, Jack’s heart lurched with feeling. “I’m not sure where we go from here or where we’ll eventually end up, but what do you say we enjoy the time we have together this weekend?”

Her expression softened slightly. “Agreed.”

Rhonda bit into her turkey sandwich, her stomach growling and anxious to be filled. She was ravenous, the massage and hot tub, not to mention her revived libido, causing her body to crave calories as if it knew she’d soon be expending them. She chewed and swallowed, then bit into her dill pickle, flavor bursting in her mouth while the fresh crunch filled her ears.

Jack mirrored her actions from the other side of the kitchen table, silently devouring his food, his eyes trained on her mouth.

Watching him watch her made her wet. She inserted the pickle into her mouth and closed her lips tightly around its girth then, using her fingers, twisted it while she sucked the salty, sour juice from it noisily.

Jack froze midbite, his eyes glued to her hungry mouth. The expression on his face was even more delicious than the food.

She bit off the end of the pickle and chewed, crunching loudly. Swallowing, she wondered just how involved he became when he attended bonding camp. She wanted to know more about this man and what better time than now, when it was just the two of them. “Tell me about yourself, Jack,” she said, after taking a swig of lemonade.

He finished his glass of lemonade, his sandwich and pickle already gone. “What do you want to know?” he asked, setting his now-empty glass down. He laced his fingers together and rested his hands on the table in front of him. “I’m not all that interesting.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.” She parked one elbow on the table and propped her chin on that hand. “Do you realize, other than the steamy kiss, you and I are acting a bit like old fogies here?”

His brows drew together in a frown. “I’ve never thought of myself that way. What do you mean?”

“Oh, the sandwiches, the glass of lemonade.” She waved her hand over her empty plate. “We should be having wine and cheese.”

Jack blinked. “I don’t see anything wrong with what we had. And surely you don’t feel like an old fogey.”

“I’m no young chicken.”

“You’re no chicken—period,” he said, with a bit more conviction than she thought he needed. “You can’t be much over thirty,” he added.

Rhonda laughed. “Thank you for the compliment, but I’m thirty-eight.”

He sat back in his chair and scratched his chin with one hand. “I would never have guessed you to be over thirty-two at the most. You must lead a charmed life.”

“I lead a very structured life, actually. But let’s talk about you. Since we’re on the subject, how old are you?” Rhonda was not ready to reveal all the details about her life just yet. Better to switch the focus back to him. Past experience had shown her that men normally enjoyed talking about themselves. She hoped Jack wasn’t any different.

He dropped his hand from his chin. “I just turned thirty-five.” He shifted in his seat, getting comfortable. “Let me see now. I’m the middle child. I have an older brother and a younger brother. I married my high-school sweetheart, and she divorced me while I was in boot camp. Army, by the way,” he said, giving her a wink. “I like children, but I don’t have any. At this point in my life, I don’t see children in my future.” He looked down at his lap for a brief moment then met her gaze again. “Both my parents are dead, I talk to my brothers as often as I can, and I love my job.” He shrugged. “That’s my life in a nutshell.”

Rhonda didn’t fail to notice the intensity in his eyes when he spoke about children. It was fairly obvious to her that he was regretting not having any, but he also admitted he didn’t see children in his future. He was only thirty-five. What would stop him from having them if he wanted? “It sounds like you’re pretty content with your life,” she said, testing him.

“There might be a few things I’d change, but basically, yeah, I’m satisfied.”

“That’s good.” She scooted her chair back and stood. “It’s getting late. I think I’ll toddle off to my room.” She pushed her chair back in beneath the table.

“Are you sure?” Jack stood. “I’d love to spend some more time with you.”

Smoky tendrils of heat coiled inside her, wrapping around her heart. She honestly wasn’t ready for the evening to end either, but she had wanted to give him a way out. “You can walk me to my room if you like,” she said.

A smile burst onto his lips, and he rounded the table. “My lady,” he said, offering his elbow.

Rhonda giggled at his chivalry. “Thank you, sir.” She slipped her hand through his arm.

They left the kitchen, and Rhonda steered him in the direction of the south wing. “I think I’ve said this before, but I wonder if anyone is coming up here for the weekend.”

“I don’t think there’s a bonding camp scheduled,” he said. “At least I know I’m not supposed to pick anyone up.”

Rhonda shook her head. “I know there’s no bonding camp. I’m the one who schedules everyone to attend, and I didn’t schedule one for this weekend. That’s why I drove up. I knew there wasn’t going to be a whole lot of people here.”

They arrived at her room. “Here I am,” she said, releasing his arm. “Thank you for the companionship this evening.”

“Let me ask you something,” he said, scratching his chin again.

“Shoot.”

“Since you came up here, knowing there wasn’t going to be a bonding camp, I’m assuming you want to spend your nights alone?” He raised one eyebrow.

She tilted her chin down just slightly and looked up at him through her lashes. “Alone? Not necessarily. Did you have something in mind?” Her nipples tightened at the thought of him spending the night in her room.

He reached out and ran his fingertip down her cheek then traced her lower lip before letting his hand drop. “Are you as free with sharing yourself as most people at the firm are?”

She drew in a breath, feeling it waft all the way through her lungs before she blew it back out slowly. “I am—to a point.”

Jack took a step forward, closing the distance between them. “Well, would you share yourself with me?” He leaned down and brushed a soft, sweet kiss over her lips. “Say yes,” he whispered, his breath warm against her mouth.

“Yes,” she said, her voice cracking.

When she tilted her head back up, his mouth descended on hers, crushing her lips in a ravenous kiss.

Rhonda melted beneath the power of it, surrendering without a fight when he wrapped one arm around her waist and urged her backward through the doorway into her room. He tasted of turkey and dill, a warm flavor that only served to whet her appetite for
him
this time, not food. She clutched at his shoulders, her body alive with electricity as she tried not to stumble while he moved her farther into the room.

The door slammed behind him. Rhonda gasped, jerking away at the sound.

“It’s okay. That was me,” he said, his voice like a low rumbling growl.

Rhonda shuddered and licked her lips. In the dim light of the bedside lamp, Jack looked like pure man. She could see the state of his arousal even in the loose-fitting swim trunks. His eyes were blazing and intense, his nostrils flaring as he took deep breaths that caused his well-sculpted chest to rise and fall.

Her pussy creamed, her heart thudding beneath her breastbone. With trembling fingers, she loosened the sash of her robe then opened it to reveal her nakedness.

She saw the muscles of his jaw clench, his eyes travelling over her skin in a blazing path. Rhonda felt exhilarated, pure energy crackling through her. The way he responded to her movements and her naked body was like a drug, one she wanted to overdose on. In slow, seductive motions, she slid the robe off her shoulders then let it slip down her arms, falling into a puddle of white terry cloth at her feet. Arching her back slightly, her breasts felt full and tight, her nipples hard little buds.

Jack reached up and raked both hands through his hair, drawing in a deep breath. “Damn,” he ground out, dropping both hands to the waistband of his trunks. “You are absolutely beautiful.”

It was like a butterfly opened its wings in her mind. A glorious feeling filled her, and she wasn’t sure why, but this man could make her feel things she’d never felt before even though they had just met. She watched as he slid his swim trunks down over his hips, then on down his legs, kicking them to the side when they reached his ankles. She’d seen him naked in the hot tub, but it wasn’t like this. He was fully aroused, his cock pointing straight at her like an arrow. She caught her bottom lip between her teeth. Was she going to be able to take all that?

Jack stepped forward, cupping her chin in his hand. “Rhonda, you’re sure about this?”

“Oh, please,” she said, clenching her hands into fists to keep from spontaneously combusting. “Take me, Jack. Take me now.”

Like a whirlwind, he exploded into motion.

Rhonda let out a tiny yelp when her feet left the floor. Jack picked her up and, in one smooth move, laid her on the bed. Her legs dangled off the side, the edge of the bed behind her knees. Before she knew what was happening, Jack dropped to a crouch, parked one hand on each of her knees and spread her legs. Then his tongue was doing wondrous things in the cleft of her pussy, hard and wet as he swiped it over her folds. When his mouth closed over her clit and he began to suck and flick the tender nubbin with his tongue, Rhonda’s world exploded, and she bucked her hips as she came. She grabbed a fistful of the coverlet she lay on, almost biting through her bottom lip, her pussy spasming as she creamed. Jack was unrelenting, sucking up every drop until she almost doubled over from the sweet pleasure-pain he was administering.

Finally, he’d drank his fill, but he wasn’t finished with her yet. Rhonda gasped for air, her cunt still quivering. Jack climbed onto the bed with her, scooting her farther onto it at the same time. He didn’t give her time to think before he’d positioned himself between her legs, his hands braced on either side of her head.

“I want you,” he said, his voice raspy. “I want to be so deep inside of you I won’t be able to tell where I end and you begin.”

Rhonda swallowed hard, emotion clogging her throat. She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair, feeling the dampness of his exertion woven into the silky strands. “God, I want you, too, Jack. I want to feel you buried inside me, my body accepting you as another piece of myself.”

He groaned and dipped his head, kissing her softly. With a shift of his hips, he pressed his cock into her pussy, sliding in so easily it was like a key in a lock.

And his key opened the door to her very soul.

Moving in tandem, their bodies undulated in a sensual dance, coupling and uncoupling, the soft sighs and grinding groans of pure pleasure filing the room. The scent of sex wafted around them, and when Rhonda ran her tongue in one long swipe down the side of his neck, he tasted of salt and man.

Their bodies slid against each other, sweat and sensual juices slickening them but still generating an inferno of heat. When their world threatened to explode into a cataclysm of fire, they found orgasm together, the flood of their sensual cream soothing them into a river of pleasure.