Whirlwind (16 page)

I started at his response.
You’ve never…
I gasped.
He thought I was a virgin!

“No, no,
no!
I mean…I’ve done
this
…but not…UGH!”

Mortified, I banged my head against his chest.

He held me close and stroked my hair but didn’t say anything. I tried again. It was much easier to think when I wasn’t looking into his infinite eyes.

“What I
meant
,”
I said into his shirt, “was that I’ve never had sex with someone on the
first
date.” This wasn’t even a real date—we’d only laid eyes on each other a few hours ago. And a few hours from now, this date…encounter…affair…
whatever
would be over.

“Neither have I.” He kissed the top of my head.

I looked up at him, feeling some of my confidence return. “I never wanted to…before now.” I reached up and traced his lips with the tip of my finger before resting my head on his shoulder and hugging him.

“Me neither.”

We held each other silently in the firelight, and I finally started to relax. Just as I lifted my head to find his lips with mine, the doorbell rang, muffled by the bedroom door. Now I understood—a knock would have gone unnoticed.

“Great,” Jason groaned, then released me. “Stay here for a minute,” he said, kissing me lightly.

He headed to the front room and peered through the peephole. I stood by the bedroom door, and it dawned on me why he wanted me to stay behind. What if it was Tricia—or one of the other girls who’d been drooling over him?

No, we were past that—weren’t we?
Wasn’t I?

I continued to argue with myself, trying to contain my completely juvenile jealousy while Jason spoke to the intruder. After a few words, he put his left hand in his pocket and opened the door wide.

I was surprised to see a waiter in a vest and tie roll in a cart with an ice bucket and a covered dish. He pushed it out of my view, and after some rustling and a
woof
I recognized as the fireplace being lit, he asked, “How’s this?”

“That’s perfect. Thank you,” Jason replied. He walked the waiter to the door, passing him a tip on the way.

Curious, I stepped out of the bedroom.

Jason’s face lit up when he turned and saw me. “A gift for you, Mrs. McAlister,” he said, pointing toward the couches.

“
Ummm
…”
What did he just call me?

It’s a joke. Get a grip!
I followed his finger to the coffee table.

In the center, two glasses of champagne, each with a strawberry bubbling away inside, caught the firelight. Next to them another flame danced: a
tealight
, tucked under a ramekin of melted chocolate. Skewers, napkins, and a tray of assorted items—to dip in the chocolate, I realized—rounded out the spread.

Jason caressed my back, encouraging me toward the couch. “You said you preferred chocolate,” he snickered.

We sat, and I finally found my voice. “What’s all this?”

“As part of the honeymoon…experience…the hotel provides chocolate fondue and champagne to the bride and groom. They assumed the happy couple would be here…” He picked up my hand and brought it to his lips. “And they were right.”

“Ah, that’s why the Mrs. McAlister.”
Duh
.

He grinned mischievously and handed me a flute of champagne. He raised his and toasted, “To the bride and groom.”

“To the bride and groom,” I repeated, and we touched glasses with a smile and drank. Remembering our last shared toast across a crowded room, I slipped my shoes off and cuddled up next to Jason. I took another sip of champagne, content to watch the fire through the bubbles.

We sat in comfortable silence until the aroma of chocolate wafted over, tempting me. I slowly slid onto the floor.

Fondue fork in hand, I inspected the tray of fruit and sweets. “Hungry?”

Jason planted his elbows on his knees and surveyed the food. “
Mmmm
, definitely.”

“What would you like to try first?” I asked. The mirth vanished from his eyes, replaced by a fiery gleam.
“From the tray,” Naughty Melissa added. I rested the end of the fork on my lower lip.

Jason’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He kicked off his shoes and joined me on the floor. “In that case, strawberries are
my
favorite,” he said.

“All right.” I skewered a large strawberry and dunked it in the chocolate.

His eyes followed it as I twirled the fork, letting the excess chocolate drip back into the bowl. His mouth opened when I lifted the berry between us.

Peering directly into his eyes, I brought it to
my
lips and took a bite.

“Hey!” he exclaimed, putting on an incredibly sexy pout. I shook my head. With my free hand I grabbed his shirt and pulled. His irritation turned to astonishment as our lips came together, sealed by warm chocolate. I opened my mouth and passed the juicy bite to him, bathing our tongues in sweetness. The kiss ended with one last taste of chocolate from his lips.

His expression didn’t change when I reached for a napkin and wiped a drop of chocolate off his chin. He slowly chewed the bite of strawberry, the shock finally leaving his face. I blotted my own lips, and he slid an arm around me.

“You’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever met,” he whispered, gazing at me from under full, dark eyelashes.

“Oh, I don’t know about that.” To prove my point, I stuffed the rest of the huge strawberry in my mouth and struggled to chew it.

Jason rolled his eyes, and I barely got the napkin to my face before my laugh turned into choking.

“Are you all right?”

Nodding, I managed to swallow the last of the strawberry. “Still think I’m sexy?” I asked with a cough. A long sip of champagne helped clear my throat.

Jason waited until I finished drinking, then wrapped both arms around me and pulled me toward him. I thought he was going to put me on his lap, but his legs opened and I found myself tucked between them with my back against his chest.

“I
know
you’re sexy,” he murmured, tickling my neck. He moved my hair to the side with one hand. The other rested tantalizingly against my waist. “And amazingly beautiful,” he breathed. With one finger he traced the collar of my blouse, reminding me how I had teased him earlier.

Me, beautiful?
I frowned at the fire. “You might want to see someone about your eyesight.” Considering the crowd we’d been in tonight, “pretty” would be a more than adequate compliment.

I sighed as his finger made it to the front of my blouse and descended to the first button.

“Melissa,
you’re
the one who needs a vision adjustment. How can I persuade you?”

His finger reached the button and circled it. At the same time he teased my ear with his lips, lightly exhaling, sending cool chills down my back. “Shall I continue?” he asked, mirroring my words from earlier.

My pulse rocketed as his hand hovered expectantly over my chest. “Please do.”

With one quick flick the button flew open, and his finger progressed down to the next one. My fingers tensed, latching onto his knees. He wasn’t just undressing me with his hands; he was undoing me with his words.

“You’re lovely, Melissa. Your eyes are so clear and deep. They swallow me up. Then there are your lips. Sweet as candy, but as addictive as any drug.”

He reached the next button and with another flick released it. He slipped his hand under my arm, lightly brushing his fingers across my chest as he sought out the next one. I inhaled sharply as he traced the edge of my ear once with his tongue.

“During the wedding, you would lick your lips every so often. Talk about arousing…if I hadn’t turned around when I did….” He let the words hang while he traced the open edge of my blouse and the skin underneath. “What were you thinking about?”

I had trouble comprehending his question as his fingers moved lower and undid the next button. With little to keep my blouse closed, my bra came into view, and
he
inhaled audibly.

“That was when I figured out who you were,” I whispered as another button came free.
One more…
“And that I’d made a complete fool of myself with the emails I’d sent.” My voice cracked when he grazed my earlobe with his teeth.

“
Mmmm
, you teased me even then. I was quite envious of Mitch—having such a…
creative
friend. When he said you’d be here, I hoped to finally meet you.”

His lips began a trail of kisses down my neck while he worked on the last button. His voice was smooth, each word more persuasive than the last.

“When we were introduced, I couldn’t believe the gorgeous woman in front of me was the same smart, sexy woman from my inbox. You’re so much more than I ever imagined.”

His fingers captured the edges of my blouse and slowly pulled it open. I turned my face away from his, suddenly self-conscious. Practical to the core, my underwear was less than exciting. His breath tickled my shoulder, and I imagined him frowning at my plain black bra. I’d never seen the need for lace until now.

“No, I’m not,” I argued. “See, I’m just plain, practical Melissa.” I tried to close my blouse.

“You still aren’t listening to me,” he said with a seductive firmness. His hands blocked mine, baring more of my skin in the process. “You’re beautiful no matter what you wear. Your skin alone is so perfect.”

He slid one hand across my belly, letting his pinky slip under another button—the one holding my slacks closed. “And the more I see, the more I like it.”

My breaths came in bursts as his other hand swept across the exposed skin above my bra. He paused and held me very close, his palm over my heart. I thought it might jump out of my chest into his hand.

“I still think your vision is flawed,” I said breathlessly, not arguing so much as encouraging him to continue. None of the men I’d dated had ever detailed how I appeared to them. Jason’s voice was as stimulating as his touch—but of course he saw right through me.

“Hmm, you don’t sound quite so sure anymore,” he mocked playfully. “You do know that actions speak louder than words.” He shifted his hands so that each cupped a breast. My body responded immediately, rising to his touch. “Cold?” he snickered, lightly circling my well-defined nipples.

I scooted off his lap, and he held up his hands, panicked. “Melissa, I’m—I didn’t mean—” he said, scrambling for words.

Before he could finish apologizing, I spun around and let my blouse fall to the floor. His mouth hung open as I settled into his lap—facing him.

“You’ve teased enough,” Naughty Melissa scolded.

Without another word, our lips met, the heat of the kiss rivaling the flames behind me. Deeper and deeper my tongue reached into him, and with each sweep my hips bucked against his. His body responded, and through all the layers of fabric, I felt him rising to meet me. My bare back tingled while his fingers stroked my shoulders, encouraging the straps of my bra to slip down.

Too many clothes!
My hands moved to his shirt and found the small stud I’d played with so long ago. In no time his shirt was open, and I explored his muscular chest, fingering every contour from his collar bone to his navel. His skin was so smooth and taut, and as my fingers crossed his sculpted abs, he giggled! I slowed my hands over his heart, reveling at how the rhythm matched my own excited pulse. Our lips still hadn’t parted, which distracted me from removing his shirt.

It took three tries to slide his shirt off without breaking the kiss. His hands left my back for the eternity of a second, but then his bare arms encircled me. Having so much of his skin against mine was euphoric—and yet not nearly enough. One piece of clothing kept us apart…from the waist up, anyway.

Jason brought our kiss to an end and gingerly pushed me back. He held me just far enough away to look down at the black fabric covering my wide-awake breasts. With the dexterity of a surgeon, he unhooked my bra and watched with hungry eyes as it joined the growing pile of clothes on the floor.