Chapter 4
Jessie rang the ornate bell outside Joshua's downtown San Francisco condo. He'd mentioned he rarely went home during the week, preferring to stay in his penthouse apartment in the Falcon building to driving the forty minutes to his house outside of town.
She'd dressed with care in a short, moss-green ultra-suede skirt suit that did flattering things to what few curves she had, and high heels of the same color. She'd swept her hair away from her face with combs and left it to fall down her back in a tumble of natural curls. On her ears, she had her lucky four-leaf clovers. In her purse, her lucky divorce papers. She was all set.
Her heart thudded as she heard approaching footsteps. The front door opened. Joshua surveyed her without expression, his sexy mouth grim.
Jessie's heart sank to her toes, that is, until she noticed his eyes fixed on her mouth. For a moment, their gazes locked. Her temperature immediately spiked.
"You took your sweet time." He pushed the door open. Without seeing if she followed, he turned and strode across the wide marble entry. He disappeared into another room, leaving Jessie to close the door and follow him.
The living room was expansive, with a breathtaking night view of the city and the necklace of lights on the Golden Gate Bridge. During the day, the panorama would be just as spectacular. A black granite fireplace took up space between the wide windows, pewter andirons reflecting a blazing fire.
Papers and file folders were spread across a granite-and-chrome coffee table the size of a small room. A plate with an untouched sandwich had been pushed aside and replaced with a telephone and notepad. Joshua stood at a built-in bar across the room. He turned as she moved across the thick carpet. "White wine?"
"I'd rather have a Coke."
He added ice to a glass and poured her drink. They both seemed fascinated by the building foam.
"Thanks." Jessie took the glass he handed her, pleased by how cool her voice sounded. How very civilized we are.
Without invitation, she sat down, the glass pressed between her palms. The leather quickly warmed to her body temperature as the upholstery enveloped her. Too comfortable. She shifted to the edge of the plump cushions as Joshua lounged on the plush sofa opposite, watching her with disconcertingly hooded eyes.
Jessie's experienced eye took in the vast room. Everything was technically correct The paintings and sculptures were expensive and well showcased beneath discreet spotlights. The wine-colored carpet, bordered with alternating bands of cream and black, stretched across the enormous room to the windows. Stiffly formal tied-back drapes matched the carpet. No one could see into the windows twenty-two stories above the city. Three butter-soft black leather sofas made a U, facing the fireplace and the two windows with an incredible view of the downtown lights.
There was absolutely no life in the room.
"Conrad did a fantastic job, but whoever did your decorating must have been an android." Architecturally, Conrad had had carte blanch, unlimited funds and a client who had no interest in the project until it was finished. In other words, as far as Con was concerned, a perfect client. Unfortunately, Joshua must have given the designer the same blank check.
Jessie, however, preferred her clients' involvement with the project from start to finish. She wanted them to invest more than their money. When Jessie was done with a house, it was a home. Their home. Stamped with their personality.
Joshua's eyebrow rose at her android comment. "This is a business residence." He didn't glance around. His attention was one hundred percent on Jessie. "It suits me perfectly."
They were talking about interior design… weren't they? "I didn't mean to disturb you." She lifted her chin a notch, intending to do just that—disturb this man of ice until he melted. If she didn't do him bodily harm first She gave him a limpid glance from under her lashes
At first glance, his gaze could give her frostbite. This was why he was called The Glacier. His expression had not changed one iota since she'd walked into the room. With that icy glare, he'd unknowingly just declared war. She smiled inwardly, because Jessie knew that just beneath that hard, frigid exterior lay the real Joshua Falcon. And she was determined to chip away the solid ice to unearth the lava below. Not enough to get burned herself, of course. But enough to keep Joshua hot and bothered until she had what she wanted. Then he could freeze over again.
"You've disturbed me since I met you, Jessie," Joshua admitted dryly. "You better have come to tell me yes. If not, run like hell." His voice was low and rough.
His eyes met hers—Oh! Not so cool, after all—pale and hot, as he scanned her body as though she were naked. "I'm not waiting another second for you."
"No?" Her cheeks flushed as she struggled to regulate her breathing, and she covered the rapid pulse beating at the base of her throat with her hand. It was hard to remember that she was the one in control when he looked at her like that. The air between them heated another fifty degrees. Her nipples pressed against her bra, and her skin felt sunburned as her temperature rose.
Their gazes locked as he lifted his glass to his mouth. "Why are you here?" The muscles moved in his throat as he swallowed, his pale eyes unblinking as he watched her. That stare was as primal as being pinned in place by the hypnotic stare of a large, dark panther. I'm going to have you, it said. I'm going to devour you from heart to toes. I'm going to start right there at that frantic pulse in your throat and work my way down…
Foolish imagination. Wishful thinking.
Jessie heard the thudding beat of her heart in her ears. Down, girl. This was purely business and biological for Joshua. She had to remember that.
Well, so what? It was the same for her, wasn't it?
Then why was her heart beating much too rapidly? And why were her palms damp? And why were her nipples aching with longing? And why, God help her, could she feel moisture gathering between her legs?
"You gave me two weeks, Joshua," she answered mildly, and the timing is perfect. She crossed her legs, and noticed Joshua's hand tightened on his glass as his eyes followed the movement.
"Have you changed your mind?" She held her breath waiting for his answer. It was slow in coming.
"No. But I am curious as to why you've changed yours."
Jessie shrugged, and her nipples rubbed against the inside of her bra, sending a shudder rippling through her body. She swallowed hard and held his gaze with some difficulty. How had she ever thought his eyes were cold? They smoldered, hot and clear. She swallowed again and managed to say calmly enough, "It's a woman's prerogative."
"I'm still a… What did you so aptly call me the other day? A self-righteous bastard?"
"And a cold, arrogant jerk." Jessie filled in helpfully. "But I'm here anyway."
"Why?"
"I'm madly in love with you." Madly in love with the idea of walking out of here pregnant
"Don't be." His voice was ice cold, in marked contrast to his eyes and the pulse leaping at his strong tanned throat.
Jessie opened her eyes wide. "Okay, I'm not madly in love with you." And I plan to keep it that way, too. A woman would have to be insane to allow herself to become that vulnerable around him. And, Jessie knew, if she didn't have this powerful desire to have closure with her husband, if she didn't want to have his baby, if she had any sense at all, quite frankly, she'd be running as far and fast as she could. And she'd mail him the divorce papers from Timbuktu.
But she needed closure.
She wanted her baby.
Nobody was going to get hurt.
Joshua would have what he wanted.
She'd have what she needed.
And, God only knew, their attraction was undeniable.
"Have you ever been in love?" she asked, curious if anything had ever dented this man's heart.
"I love my business."
"That's not the same thing."
"It's all I need," he said shortly. "Can we get on with this?" He gave her a penetrating look, then rose to cross the room. Opening a drawer in the desk, he returned with a crumpled sheaf of papers. "Is this what you came for, Jessie?" His gaze fastened on her mouth, then slid, tactile as a caress, up to her eyes. "To sign this?"
Jessie kept her gaze steady by changing her focus so he was a blur. It was hot in here. She wished he'd open a window, or put the fire out… or touch her. Why did she have this sudden compunction to touch him? To taste those stern lips? To run her fingers through his neatly combed hair? She curled her fingers against her palms. What had he asked? Contract. "Actually, no."
"Then what the hell are you doing here?" Joshua abruptly came back into focus as he tossed the rolled-up contract onto the coffee table. It unfurled slowly.
Jessie drew a deep breath and said calmly, "I won't sign that contract, but I will sleep with you." Now. Immediately. Soon? Oh, please make it soon.
"I won't marry you."
Jessie raised her brows. "Who asked you to?" She made a moue of distaste. "I have no desire to get married. We can sleep together until I… " conceive my baby "… we tire of each other. A few days or weeks… " She shrugged. The movement rasped her hard nipples against the silky fabric of her bra. She couldn't control the shudder this time.
"A year."
"Too long-term for me."
"Long-term?" A muscle ticked in his jaw. "Twelve months?"
"That's far too long." Jessie's laugh was sophisticated and light, with just enough mockery. "Besides, we both know that kind of contract wouldn't hold up in a court of law anyway."
He let that ride, watching her with sparkling hot eyes. "Don't you at least want to know the terms Jessie sipped her drink, letting the sweet fizz slide down her throat as she watched him over the rim of her glass. "No." Anticipation sang in her veins, giving her a rush of warmth that made it hard to keep up the casual facade. Now that the hard part was out of the way she should feel more relaxed; instead her nerves were stretched to the snapping point. He wanted her just as much as ever.
Her mouth went dry despite the soda, and she swept her tongue over her lower lip. His gaze fastened on her mouth and his eyes grew heavy lidded. Jessie felt that look in every pulse point of her body.
"Why are you doing this, Jessie?"
"I told you I'm madly in lo—"
Joshua ran his fingers through his hair in utter exasperation. "You're not in love with me, for God sake!"
Almost drunk with desire, and giddy with triumph, Jessie was starting to enjoy herself. "Oh, yes. I forgot I'm definitely not in love with you." She choked back laughter as his fingers clenched on his knee. Carnal-induced adrenaline raced through her, her skin humming with it. She relished the stroke of fabric across her nipples, and craved Joshua's mouth there. Hot and wet…
"I have a dinner date in an hour," she told him casually. "Is there anything I should know before I go?"
His jaw clenched. Direct hit.
"The contract was supposed to be twelve months. January 1 to December 23. It's March. We've wasted time."
Hey, not my fault. Jessie looked at her glass instead of glaring at him. If he hadn't kept going out of town at the most crucial moments, this conversation would've been history. She could be home right now with her feet up, knitting something adorable.
"Darn, we've missed two months. No extension for good behavior?" Jessie asked with a little bite in her voice. She wished he'd stop talking and touch her. She might not be in love with him, but she was definitely in lust. Who knew lust could be this big? This overwhelming?
Her fingers dug into the soft leather and she crossed her legs again, then quickly uncrossed them. God, she'd never experienced anything like this in her life. Surely it wasn't natural. He hadn't even touched her and her body was on fire. She tried to focus. "What if you want to extend it?"
"I won't," he answered un*****ocally. "The agreement gives us each exclusive rights. No one else. So forget your dinner date tonight," he inserted in a hard voice.
"Fine." She wanted his hands on her bare skin, on her fever-hot breasts, on her aching nipples. She wanted his mouth… everywhere. She felt the flush of heat rise to her cheeks and swallowed a moan. What was he saying… ? "As long as you understand that I won't share you, either."
A wicked gleam flared in his eyes. "Jealous, Jessie?"
"No," she said firmly and drank the last of her soda before setting the empty glass on the table beside her chair. "Just fastidious. I want to be sure we understand each other clearly. I won't cheat on you, and I expect the same from you. One slip, and I'll consider the arrangement over."
Her gaze was steady, her heartbeat off the chart.
"I'll take care of birth control."
"I've already taken care of it," Jessie said calmly.
"Fine. I have a condo in the Sunset district I want you to move in there immediately."
"No, thank you. I have a perfectly nice cottage. And my studio is there. I'm not going to disrupt my whole life for just a few months." Once, Jessie thought longingly. Just once should do it.
The air around them shimmered with sexual arousal. He was leaning forward, his elbows on his knees as he watched her through hooded eyes. He had the sexiest mouth. She pressed two fingers to her lips. A muscle throbbed in his cheek.
"I won't sleep with you there. Not under Archie's and Conrad's overprotective eyes. You'll have to come to wherever I am."
Jessie saluted smartly. "Yes, sir." She held back a scream of frustration. Hurry up, for heaven's sake, I'm internally combusting here!
"I don't like actually sleeping with a woman in my bed. When the alarm goes off, Barlow will take you home."
"Wham-bam, thank you, ma'am?" Yes! Wham me. Bam me. Anytime in the next ten seconds would be fine.
"Your choice."
Jessie sighed. "What time will I have to get up to go home?"
"Three."
"In the morning."
"Your choice."
"You said that already. Fine—3:00 a.m."
"I'll concede the point of your staying at your cottage, as long as you're available when I need you."
"I sincerely doubt that you'll ever need anyone, Joshua." And at the rate we're going, I'll have to wait another month before we do anything, in which case I'll go stark raving mad.
"And don't get any romantic ideas about love," he said crisply. "This is merely a business transaction."
"It certainly looks that way. I've never met anyone who keeps his emotions so tightly under wraps. No wonder they call you The Glacier." Jessie wondered what he'd do if she grabbed him by the collar and pulled him onto the floor.
"You're not required to understand me. All I want is a mutually satisfying sexual arrangement."
Jessie wanted to throw up her hands. It was easy to believe the man was made of solid, mile-deep ice—if one didn't see his eyes, which were as hot as laser beams. His control was absolutely phenomenal. "I'd feel more… comfortable if you showed at least a little emotion about this. I know I'm not the only one whose hormones go into overdrive when we're together. Do you feel nothing emotionally at all?" Her feet were starring to get decidedly cold. Oh, Lord. What had she been thinking?
"I feel damn primitive about you."
"You don't show it." Jessie put a little taunt in the words.
"If I lost control, you wouldn't be able to walk for a week."
Jessie was determined he would not only not be able to walk for a week, she was now bound and determined she was going to push this coldhearted man right over the edge. She almost rubbed her hands in anticipation, but instead she kept her casual demeanor. "So, let me recap this so we both know where we stand. Fidelity for the duration. For both of us. We'll have sex at your place and the chauffeur will take me home at three in the morning. Does that about cover it?" Jessie asked, not giving a damn, because at the outside that would happen twice.
"As long as I don't have to wear corporate colors." She glanced around the burgundy, black and silver room.
"I buy your clothes."
"I'll buy my own clothes."
"Consider the wardrobe I furnish a uniform then."
"I don't suppose this job has a pension plan—401K maybe? How about medical, dental, profit sharing?"
"You're damn cool about this," Joshua snapped, torn between admiration and irritation. When had he lost control of this conversation? Forget all this damn talk ing. The arrangement was a fait accompli. God, he wanted to go over there, grab her and carry her off to the bedroom like a primitive caveman.
The material of her dress looked butter soft, but not as soft as her pale skin. He could clearly see the sharp points of her nipples through the fabric. He controlled the burning need to leap across the space separating them and feast on her breasts through the fabric. He wanted to rip away her clothes and taste her body. He needed to plunge deep inside her, and feel her hot, wet heat close around him.
He felt as hot and horny as he had at fifteen when he'd seen his first naked woman. He could control himself. God help him, he could. But it had never been this difficult. He was scared to move in case he lost it.
"Yes, I am, aren't I?" Jessie folded her hands loosely in her lap and looked at him with dark, steady eyes. She tapped her fingers on her purse. Her control sent his blood pressure soaring. He'd been restless and edgy the moment he'd opened the door and seen her there. So much for his being The Glacier. What the hell was it about this woman that brought out this latent, primitive need to ravish her? He had been sexually attracted to women before. It had taken very little willpower to control his urges around them.
"Are we done talking?" he demanded through clenched teeth.
"I guess… "
With a swift move that took her completely by surprise, Joshua rose, stalked the three steps between his seat and hers, grabbed her by her shoulders and dragged her from her seat. He crushed her little yelp of surprise beneath his mouth.
It started as a kiss of mastery and domination. He wanted her to know that he was the one in control. She was his, damn her. But the moment Jessie realized what he was doing, her body relaxed against his. Her arms came up around his neck, one hand threading through his hair.
Her action softened the kiss. God, her mouth felt so damn good. He forgot just what it was he was trying to prove. She tasted sweet, her lips soft, her tongue aggressive. The suede fabric beckoned his hands. She smelled of fresh air and Joy. Enticing, and so female. She felt so incredibly good in his arms. He buried one hand in the silken mass of her hair, alive beneath his questing fingers. His other hand caressed the slender dip of her waist, the slight curve of her hip, the enticing firmness of her behind, pulling her more tightly against his agonizingly aroused body.
Joshua sighed against her mouth as her tongue came out and, as delicate as a cat, traced his lips. His hands tightened against her back. "The deal is made," he whispered hoarsely against her throat as his fingers found the concealed buttons of her suit jacket and started undoing them with fervent haste.
"There's one more thing," he growled against the fragrant curve of her throat. Her hands were driving him wild as she struggled to rip his shirt from his pants. He gently bit and she made a jerky little moaning sound that drove him wild.
"W-what?" Jessie's voice was a mere thread of sound, then faded completely as her hands encountered the naked skin of his chest. One hand slid up his back, trailing her short nails down the deep groove of his spine. The other hand slipped lower. Down his belly, her nails cool against his hot skin. She managed to unzip his pants. Her pale skin was flushed, her eyes heavy lidded and as dark as chocolate as she held his gaze.
"Don't ever… My God, Jessie," he groaned as her fingers cupped his sex. "Don't ever… ah, woman!… don't ever look at another man. I'd kill him."
"Fine," Jessie replied weakly as she helped him tear the buttons off her jacket.
"Twelve thousand dollars a month."
Her mouth inched over his face back to his lips. "Ten… thousand. You… said… ten… " She used her tongue to open his lips while her jacket fell unheeded to the carpet behind her.
Joshua cupped her bottom, pulling her hard into the cradle of his thighs and firmly against his erection. Unable to stay away from her succulent mouth, he kissed her again. "Twelve," he groaned, and she bit lightly at his lower lip.
Her knees buckled as he stripped off her skirt.
"I… don't… need your… " His fingers slipped beneath her panty hose. "Money." The nylon slithered down her legs and she swayed against him. "I—" she punctuated each word with a nibbling kiss wherever she could reach "—have… my… w-work." The words came out against his navel.
Joshua groaned. "Fine." His fingers tangled in her hair. "Fine," he said again, distracted as her fingers dragged down his shorts, deliberately skimming his rock-hard erection on the way down. Too gentle. Too fleeting. "Oh, God. That's just fine."
They dropped to the floor in a tangled heap of clothes and limbs, him on top of her. Joshua pulled her face up to his for a searing kiss that rocked them both. "You're going to kill me."
Jessie kicked herself free of the skirt and panty hose tangled around her ankles and tugged his shirt over his broad shoulders. Now he was gloriously naked, too. "Can't," she said fiercely, her hands skimming his wide, hair-roughened chest "I'm… not… finished… with… you… yet!"
His laugh was muffled by the fascinating silky texture of her right breast, small and perfect. He brushed his lips over one tight nipple, then opened his mouth and closed his teeth around the hard point and sucked it into the hot wet cavern of his mouth. Jessie's back arched off the floor.
She twisted her head to nip his shoulder. He tasted of soap and salt. The scent of him went to her head like fine wine. The carpet scratched her naked back, but she didn't care. It was far more fascinating to feel Joshua's chest hairs scraping the sensitive nerves of her breasts and belly.
"Is there… any… thing… ah!… else?" Her lips parted, and she inhaled deeply, her eyes almost closed as she felt the damp heat of his mouth laving her breast. Suck, lick. Suck… A sharp, sweet sensation shot to her groin. She panted for breath. His fingers felt slightly rough, hot, on her skin as he caressed her other breast with his hand, while devouring her with his mouth, teeth and tongue.
"Not… that… I… can… think of… at… the moment. God, you taste sweet." He shifted his head to pay tribute to her other breast. His soft, dark hair tickled her skin as he shifted, and Jessie got goose bumps. She slid her fingers through his hair, feeling the heat of his scalp through the cool, silky strands as she held his head to her breast.
Jessie sighed with pleasure as Joshua licked a path between her breasts. Hot and slick, his tongue traced a sensuous path down the center of her body, making her burn and shiver by turns.
He looked up the length of her body. "Touch your breasts, Jessie. Close your eyes. Play with those pretty nipples, and pretend your hands are mine."
Jessie squeezed her eyes shut and cupped her aching breasts in her palms. Her nipples felt exquisitely hard. She pressed down. God, it felt good. Relieved a little of the urgency. She felt Joshua's smile against her tummy, and took her nipples between her fingers, squeezing and rolling as Joshua's hot mouth slid down her body. His hands trailed a burning path down her sides, a beat slower than his lips.
Jessie's body quaked, and she groaned softly as his mouth brushed the nest of curls at the juncture of her thighs. She felt a brief moment of panic and clutched a handful of his hair. But what he was doing was so incredible that her fingers sifted through the silky strands, anchoring his head in place instead.
His strong hands cupped her hips, and her body trembled as his tongue parted her. She shifted, murmuring with intense arousal as he sucked and licked her clit, his shoulders keeping her legs apart. Her head thrashed on the floor. She needed more. Less. More, damn it. She grabbed handfuls of his hair as he plunged his tongue deep.
The pleasure was sharp and riveting and left her breathless. His fingers would leave bruises on her hips tomorrow, but she didn't care. She couldn't quite catch her breath. Couldn't quite get her mind to work.
A low throbbing began in her belly, then spiraled hot and delicious when he moved his hand around from her bottom to slide to the inside of her thigh. His finger filled her. Her muscles convulsed around it. A second finger joined the first, Jessie moaned low at the sensation of fullness. His damp mouth returned to her clit, and tongue and fingers worked together in a magical, maddening dance that had her breathless and poised on the brink.
His fingers rotated, he sucked harder, and Jessie let out a wild cry as she came in a hard, sharp spasm that lasted an eternity. Her fingers fisted in his hair, and for a moment everything went black.
When she managed to open her eyes, she saw his face above her. She raised a leaden arm and looped it around his neck, drawing him up. His body was heavy, damp with exertions.
The slide of his body against hers made her pulse leap higher and faster. He kissed her, and she tasted herself on his lips. His tongue bladed into her mouth, hot and slick, demanding and insistent. Jessie had never been kissed like this. Never been the focus of anyone's attention to this degree. It was intoxicating. He was intoxicating. She slid her tongue against his, mimicking his movements.
He braced his elbows on the floor on either side of her, but his lower body, and thick pulsing shaft, lay heavy and welcome between her legs.
Snap out of it! Jessie cautioned herself, horrified at her response to him. She hadn't wanted to enjoy his lovemaking quite that much. "More," she demanded, when she was finally capable of speech. She shifted her hips.
"More?"
Terrified by the depth of emotion she'd just experienced, Jessie's heart started pounding for an entirely different reason as she started to panic. She couldn't afford to form any sort of emotional attachment to Joshua Falcon.
She couldn't. Wouldn't. Must not.
She was here for one thing. And one thing only. Oral sex wasn't going to cut it.
Please don't bind me to you. Just have sex with me, and keep it impersonal. Please. Ha, fat chance! As her mother used to say, "Be careful what you wish for. You might get it." Jessie was getting far more than she'd bargained for when she'd taunted the devil into making love to her.
"Finish it," Jessie begged. She had to have sex and get out She wanted to run far, far away "Patience." Joshua smoothed her hair back from her damp brow, his eyes softer than she had ever seen them. "I want to look at you. You're so beautiful. Beautiful and so damned responsive. The perfect mistress."
Yes, Jessie thought, an odd twinge pinching her heart That's what I am, a mistress. A business arrangement. Give me what I want, and I'll give you what you want. A fair trade…
Oh, God. Please don't take more than my body.
Jessie tugged at his shoulders until his heavy, welcoming weight covered hers. She reached down and closed her fingers around the hard length of his penis. It felt thick and long, silky and… alive. "I want you deep inside me," she begged, not at all sure that her body could accommodate him now that she felt the size of him. Oh, God. What if it didn't fit?
"It'll fit just fine. Trust me," Joshua murmured against her throat, and Jessie realized she must've said her thought out loud.
With a hoarse cry, he slid into her slick heat Jessie gasped as he filled her, stretched her slowly. Oh, so slowly… "Oh, yes… give… me… baby," she panted hoarsely.
He plunged deep.
Jessie hissed out a surprised breath at the sharp sting, froze, then tried to arch away. For a moment the pain was so intense she gave a keening cry, her nails digging into his bare back. He didn't stop, and she was fiercely glad. "More. More. More," she chanted as she adjusted to his width and length. "I want you. I want you. I want you."
His large hands clamped on her hips, and he gave her a feral smile, filled with triumph. "You have me." He began to move again, his thrusts sliding her body on his shaft in a slick, thrilling roller-coaster climb of sensation.
His thrusts grew stronger, deeper, harder. Jessie wrapped her legs around his pistoning hips, and dug her heels into his lean flanks, feeling the bunch and clench of his muscles.
The sensation was too intense to bear. Jessie's head thrashed on the carpet. Her body felt too tight to remain whole. "I can't… "
"You want more?" he demanded, jaw tight with the strain, dark hair sticking to his sweaty forehead. His pale gaze ate her whole.
Jessie tried to focus her eyes. "No. Yes."
He slid in deeper. "Yes?"
She moaned.
He slid out almost all the way. "No?"
She wrapped her arms more tightly around his shoulders and held his hips in place with her legs. "Bastard."
"True. But is that a yes, or a no?" He thrust deep.
"Yes, yes, yes," she panted. Her hips met each plunge, her body straining for release. Her long hair tangled across her damp face and chest. She ran her hands down the slick, hard plane of Joshua's back, feeling the flex and twist of his muscles beneath the satin of his skin. She dug her short nails into his hips. "Now," she begged, hoarse and breathless, body on fire. "Please. I can't take any more."
"No." He kept moving. Changing the rhythm, changing the speed, changing the depth of his thrusts until she was about to come. Then he'd back off slightly until the moment passed, leaving her body screaming for release.
"Now. Now. Now," Jessie gasped, breathless and dizzy.
"Now?"
"Yes, damn it! Now!" she said hitching her hips and clamping her heels down to bring him in harder. One more deep thrust, she thought, just one more…
He slid a hand between their sweat-slick bodies and touched her, rubbing a finger in her moisture.
"Joshua!" Jessie's body immediately convulsed, and she cried out as she climaxed hard and fast.
Joshua continued his deep pounding rhythm until his cry echoed hers.
He collapsed against her, turning their joined bodies so they lay side by side on the plush carpet. Then he cradled her trembling body to his, his hands making broad tender sweeps down her naked back. His breath was harsh in her ear as she melted under his touch.
"Is it always tike that?" Jessie was caught unaware by a yawn, and snuggled into the safe harbor of his arms. His laughter vibrated through her. Her eyes were too heavy to open as he brushed a kiss across her hair.
"No, usually it's not quite as hard and fast. Sometimes it's long and slow." Amazingly he felt himself swell inside her again. Joshua moved his hips slowly, enjoying the sleepy warmth of her.
"Give it to me, baby?" he asked, amused, and her eyes narrowed before she shrugged and glanced away.
She closed her expressive eyes and relaxed beneath him. "I watch a lot of movies, what can I say?"
"The dialogue is vast and varied." He assured her dryly, "We'll have time to explore every nuance of post-coital conversation." He glanced down to see the steady rise and fall of her beautiful breasts and realized with amusement that, contract or not, she was his new mistress, and she was fast asleep.
Using a gentle touch, he traced the perfect symmetry of her face, still flushed and damp from their love making. With gentle mockery, he whispered softly, "Nice of you to forewarn me you were a virgin, Jessie."
Jessie wasn't used to answering to anyone. Especially someone who had sent her home at an ungodly hour the morning after with his stony-faced chauffeur, then called her the next day as if nothing earth-shattering had happened. Her car had been delivered back to the cottage by invisible pixies in the middle of the night.
Joshua had called to tell her he would be in New York for two days. He'd left two messages on her answering machine while she'd been out seeing clients. She'd wanted to ask him if sex with her had been so bad he had to flee the state. She hoped to God that their love-making had taken. She didn't think she could go through it again. The intensity of climax with him had been almost terrifying. It had left her shattered and shaky and not quite as confident about her own control of me situation.
Jessie pulled her car into the narrow road leading up to the gatehouse. She'd been single-mindedly concentrating on a hot, steamy bath for the last hundred miles.
It was midnight, and she was absolutely exhausted. She'd gone to see a client in Redding, three hours away, leaving early enough to beat the commute traffic in San Francisco and arriving at the client's small ranch just in time for breakfast.
After she and Karen King had talked drapes and case goods, the two women had wandered outside to see the show horses Karen and her husband bred. Their animals had won competitions from Canada to Brazil. Peter's den was filled with trophies and ribbons.
The last time she'd been out here, Karen had put her up on a placid cow pony and she'd laughingly complained. She'd expected a nice, civilized ride this time, too. But Karen, knowing her preference for a challenge, had put her up on Billy. By the time she realized that she and the horse had completely different ideas, it was too late. She had the bruises to prove it.
Jessie was surprised to find Joshua parked outside her cottage—hadn't even noticed his car at first. She'd forgotten to leave the porch light on. The bitter cold hit her as she got out of her car. The wind snapped the bare branches overhead, and moaned around her solid little stone cottage.
The windows of his Jag were steamed and so, apparently, was he.
"Where the hell have you been?" he demanded, slamming out of his car and following her to the front door.
Jessie unlocked the door but didn't push it open. "I beg your pardon?" She had a feeling he was going to be the last straw of her day. Joshua stretched over her, pushing the door ajar and following her inside where it was blessedly warm.
"You heard what I said." He started unbuttoning her kelly-green wool coat as soon as the door slammed shut behind them.
"Yes, but I didn't believe my ears," she said crossly, too tired to move. He was awfully quick with those buttons. The back of his fingers brushed her breasts and her nipples stood up to attention. "Did you need me today?"
"What's wrong with… " he started, obviously perplexed by her waspish attitude. Until he saw the condition of her jeans and sweater as he drew off her coat. His pale eyes narrowed. The jeans had been old to start with. They had merely attained an extra patina of real hard work this afternoon. The poor sweater was another matter. Ripped and mangled, it was going to be fed into the trash as soon as she had the energy to do it.
"Who did this to you?" Joshua demanded with deadly calm, carefully drawing the tattered sweater over her head. Jessie couldn't hold back the wince as the sleeve pressed against her arm.
For the last several hours, on the drive home, Jessie had fantasized about a long soak in a hot bath, not an interrogation. She looked up at his hard face, curious to see his reaction. "Billy," she said sadly.
"Billy?" Joshua repeated coldly as he paused in his perusal of her Technicolor ribs.
Jessie sighed. "Bucking Billy. The cad. The horse," she emphasized, only because she was too tired to clobber him. "He has no idea how to show a lady a good—"
"Billy is a horse?"
Jessie gave him a dirty look. It was weak, but still, she hoped, conveyed her feelings on the subject "Didn't we make a verbal agreement the other night?"
"Yes," Joshua ground out.
"Well then, why would you think I'd be the first to break it?" You big jerk!
"Excuse me," he said stiffly. "I forgot your propensity for danger."
The most dangerous thing Jessie could think of right now was their proximity to the kitchen with its myriad sharp instruments. She sighed. Murdering him now would make life so complicated. Besides, she'd need energy for that. She heaved another put-upon sigh.
Joshua gave her an odd look. "Have you seen a doctor?" He did both a visual and tactile search, his hands cool and unbelievably gentle as they skimmed her body. His eyes were hot and hard. "Do you need to see a doctor?"
"No and no." She needed more than his impersonal fingers on her skin. Jessie looked up at him. "I don't know the procedure here. What am I supposed to do when I want you to hold me? Do I have to wait for sex?" She saw his lips twitch. "Because, believe me, as much as I loved what we did on Saturday night, I have to tell you I don't think… "
"Oh, I think I can handle a little light touching without resorting to my basic animal instinct to throw you down and have my wicked way with you."
His touch was gentle as he wrapped his arms around her, but Jessie had never felt anything as wonderful in her life. His firm lips brushed hers. Too lightly, too slowly.
Jessie deepened the kiss herself. What she lacked in experience, she made up for with enthusiasm. Her tongue explored his mouth, and he groaned, holding her more tightly. Jessie moaned. In pain. He quickly let her go.
"I heal quickly," she promised.
"I hope so," Joshua said dryly as he carefully swung her up in his arms and headed for the stairs. Jessie gave a muffled squeak as she went from vertical to horizontal.
"Why do you think I stayed away from you for three days?"
Jessie rested her aching head against his chest. Because you're so darned perverse? "I thought you'd lost interest," she said so quietly that when he didn't answer right away she thought he hadn't heard her.
"I left town before I was reduced to mauling you on the floor again."
"You didn't maul me." Jessie was indignant. How like a man to take all the credit.
Joshua turned on the landing, heading for the bath-room. "If I'd known what you'd get up to while I was gone I'd have—"
Jessie stiffened. "Yes?"
"I'd have said, be careful." He'd backtracked. Smart man. Jessie relaxed against his broad chest. She'd never been carried anywhere in her life. It felt wonderful.
He leaned over, turning the handles, and water gushed into the claw-footed tub. "Damn. You're black and blue all over. Why can't you have a nice, quiet little hobby like… needlepoint?" He sighed.
"That doesn't say a whole heck of a lot about my charms," Jessie said, imagining what her battered body must look like, yet too exhausted to move as he undressed her as if she were three years old. The bathroom rapidly tilled with steam. "The water's going to overflow."
"I'm not making love to a woman who can barely stand." He turned off the taps when the tub filled to the perfect depth. The man could be annoyingly precise.
"I could lie down," Jessie offered. "The bath mat's soft and fluffy."
Joshua shook his head in amusement. "I'll take a rain check. Tell me about Bucking Billy. In."
She stuck a finger into the water. "Too hot." He turned on the cold. Jessie stood there, letting him look at her bruised, battered, goose-bumpy body, thinking perhaps she'd fallen on her head. Because having Joshua look at her like this was more arousing than embarrassing.
"Unfortunately Billy had seen my likes before. He was no gentleman. I managed to stay on for three seconds. It felt like three years. He couldn't resist a challenge, either."
Joshua frowned. He was very close, and she noted how the steamy bathroom intensified the scent of his cologne. Her pulsed started throbbing. She hoped he'd kiss her. She hoped she had the energy to pucker up when he did. The timing was still right, maybe she could work up the energy…
At some point he'd shut off the water. "Bucking Billy won." Jessie wanted to enjoy the hot, steamy water, unfortunately, she was just too darn tired to move. She gave Joshua a pleading look, and he took her hand and assisted her into the high-sided tub.
"Ow-ow-ow," Jessie wailed as hot water met abraded skin. She didn't feel the least like being brave tonight.
"Needlepoint," he said grimly, picking up the washcloth slung over the spout. Jessie slid inch by inch under the water, and watched him froth the terry with peach-scented bubbles.
"Boooring."
Joshua ran the soapy cloth over her chest. She glanced down. Her hard nipples poked out of the water. She glanced up. Joshua had noticed. Would he do anything about it?
"Close your eyes."
Jessie looked up at him. "Why?"
"I'm going to wash your face. Close, you stubborn woman."
Jessie closed her eyes. The peach-scented cloth drifted across her cheeks, over her nose, climbed her forehead, then brushed down to her throat.
"Wait," he warned before she opened her eyes.
Jessie kept her eyes closed. It felt nice this way. Warm water lapped at her skin as Joshua carefully rinsed her face. She didn't bother opening her eyes again.
She could feel each one of his strong fingers beneath the soapy terry cloth as he washed her throat, then slid down to sweep across her collarbones.
He swore, obviously coming across more bruises. "I hope they sent this nag to the glue factory."
Jessie's lids weighed a million pounds each. She had throbbing parts and colored parts and scraped parts, and they were all telling her to shut down and sleep. "He's a nice horse."
"Yeah, right." His hand shifted to her nipples. Ah. Her nipples perked right up at the attention. Other body parts started coming to life, too. She shifted without opening her eyes, water lapped the edge of the tub. She didn't hear any water splashing the floor, so Joshua must've absorbed the overflow. Her lips twitched. "Are your pants wet?"
"Yes." He sounded amused.
Jessie blinked her eyes open. He was very close. His pupils had dark blue around the edges. "You could get naked, and come in here with me." It sounded a lot more needy than she liked. "Never mind. I'm not up to any fun and games tonight anyway—oh, that feels great." The washcloth was gone and his slick bare hand was doing cleanup duty on her, apparently, very dirty nipples.
"Like that, do you?"
"Hmmm," she moaned. Her lax body slid farmer down into the hot water. Joshua's steadying hand braced at the back of her head was the only thing preventing her from drowning. The fall from Billy, combined with the long drive back in the dark, had drained all her resources. She felt punch-drunk and silly and overwhelmingly glad Joshua was here with her.
"This is the second time I've been naked," Jessie mumbled sleepily. Joshua chuckled as his soaping hands smoothed across her breasts and did an intoxicating slip and slide over her nipples. She wanted to purr.
"In your whole life?" He sounded so amused, she opened one eye.
"In your whole life." She yawned. "You've only seen me naked once before. Mmm, that feels wonderful." She spat out a soap bubble as he scooped water over her skin. Runnels of hot soapy water tickled her breasts.
"I'm going to be seeing you naked a million more times, Jessie," he promised. "Preferably without these." Underwater, his finger traced a bruise on her ribs. It was a sweet sensation.
"He took me literally, darn it."
"Who?"
"God. When I was a kid I prayed my boobs wouldn't get as big as my mother's. She was huge." Jessie yawned as Joshua chuckled. "I should have waited a few more years until I was a little bit bigger before asking."
"You're perfect just the way you are," he said huskily, his breath fanning her damp face. "Any more would be excessive."
There was something she'd wanted to tell him, but the steamy combination of the water and the unbearably gentle touch of Joshua's hands made her forget what it was. She'd wanted to say…
She was asleep.
Joshua watched her face as he finished bathing her He'd showered with women before. He'd bathed with women before. But they'd always been wide-awake and responsive. Washing Jessie as she slept was a novelty. Her cheeks had pinked up from the steamy heat Her ridiculously long, black lashes lay still and spiky on her damp cheeks. Her sweet mouth curved with a faint smile.
Joshua bent his head and brushed his mouth over hers. Her lips were moist and softer than anything he'd ever touched. Sleeping Beauty, he thought fancifully.
Her sweet breasts seemed to float on the water, the nipples soft and as petal pink as her lips. He brushed a finger across one velvety nub. It tightened in response. "Damn it, Jessie—"
Never before had he wanted a woman so much. So why did it feel so good simply to watch her sleep?
She looked her usual bright and perky self the next morning as she walked into the kitchen, haphazardly rolling up the sleeve of a man-style white shirt she'd tucked into her jeans.
Her eyes widened when she saw him sitting at her kitchen table. "Well, good morning," Jessie said cheerfully, clearly surprised to see him. She was no more amazed than he'd been. He couldn't remember the last time he'd spent the night beside a woman, not making love. And despite three cups of coffee this morning, he was still trying to figure it out.
"Let me," he said standing up and crossing the room, just wanting to touch her. She extended her arm, and he brushed the sleeve down before neatly folding it up to her purple elbow. Jessie's eyes twinkled as she extended the other arm. Her skin felt warm from her shower and she smelled of shampoo.
She'd put her damp hair up in a lopsided ponytail, which had dripped a damp spot on her shoulder. He noted her total lack of makeup. Any other woman would have rushed to the pots to cover the bruises. For just a second he contemplated Jessie's clear skin and candid brown eyes. There was not a shred of artifice about this woman.
"How do you feel?" He traced her cheek with a stroke of his thumb. She smiled.
"Terrific."
"Terrific?" Joshua handed her a cup of coffee. She gingerly sat down, easing her body into the ladder-back chair. The pine table wobbled, despite the matchbook under one leg.
"How can you feel anything but god-awful? You're black and blue and must hurt like hell."
"Oh, this is good." Jessie almost inhaled her coffee. "Of course it hurts. But I still feel terrific. The bruises and stuff are just a blip on the screen. I had so much fun yesterday, it was worth it." She splashed more caffeine into the purple mug with a red ladybug on it, before she got up to hang on the open refrigerator door like a kid after school. "Wanna share cold pizza?"
Joshua glanced at his Rolex. "It's 7:15 a.m."
Jessie grinned over her shoulder. "And that means… ?"
"Usually people eat cereal in the mornings."
"I eat cereal at night." Jessie took out a large rather greasy box, sliding it onto the table between them. There was one slice left. She looked up at him, her eyes dancing. "How do you feel about leftover spaghetti?"
26-08-08, 01:23 AM
Chapter 4
جديد مواضيع قسم الارشيف
العرض العادي
