Amber Beach (26 page)

She responded without hesitation or thought, matching him hunger for hunger, thrust for thrust, her hands kneading his body with a liberty that would have shocked her if she were thinking at all. But she wasn’t. She was just feeling, and what she was feeling made her melt and run in his hands like
liquid silk.

When he finally tore his mouth free of hers, she was on her back, her thighs were wrapped around the rough fabric of his jeans, and she was making husky noises in her throat. Hot, sexy, reckless, she rubbed against him until the satin fire of her heat sank through his jeans and into him.

Even as Jake raked his fingers through his pocket, seeking a condom, he knew he should slow down, give Honor a chance to change her mind. But he didn’t want to. He didn’t even know if he could. He needed her too much.

Just when he was on the point of finding out how much self-control he had left, she arched, dragging herself over his erection. He stopped thinking at all. He barely managed to slow down long enough to put on the condom before he sank into the heat between her thighs. She fit him better than the high-tech condom, hotter, sleeker. He groaned and pushed into her until she could take no more of him.

But he wanted to go even deeper. She was tight and wet and he would go crazy if he couldn’t bury himself completely
in her.

Honor made a low sound and tried to ease the stretching feeling of having Jake inside her body. Sex had never been particularly comfortable for her. It was one of the reasons she had tried it only a few times.

“Jake?”

“Easy, honey. Take a deep breath and let it out.”

“I can’t. You haven’t left me any room!”

“Sure there is.” He bit her lower lip tenderly. Her breath
jerked in, then unraveled in a broken sigh when he ran his tongue over her lip like a cat licking cream. “See?” he asked.

She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to see. She knew only that he filled her in a way that made her restless. But it wasn’t really uncomfortable. Not anymore. Nothing like her memories, where discomfort and disappointment in sex finally became boredom and impatience to get the whole thing over with.

“Go ahead”, she said. “It’s okay now.”

“Okay isn’t nearly good enough.”

Jake shifted just enough to get his hand between their bodies. He circled around the tight, sensitive lips holding him until she shivered and sultry heat licked over his fingers. He captured the sleek love knot and rubbed until her breath broke
again and
passion welled up slick and hot between them.

“Lock your legs around me
again”,
he said, his voice almost rough.

“But…”

Honor’s voice broke as his fingers plucked, sending the most incredible sensations splintering through her. Her hips jerked and jerked
again,
seeking him hungrily, sliding over him, taking all of him and wanting every bit of it.

He fought against losing control as he sank deeply into her. He told himself to slow down, to take her with him over the edge, but it was already too late. His whole body corded as he came with a violence that made him shout through his clenched teeth.

Arms tight around Jake’s back, Honor held him close, his body locked to hers. The shudders that racked him set off silvery shivers deep inside her, like light stirring before dawn. The feeling was as new as her pleasure in holding a man buried deep inside her. She found that she liked Jake’s weight, his powerful body completely relaxed against hers, his broken
breathing gradually evening out, his skin sleek and sweaty
beneath her hands.

Without understanding why, she turned her head, tasted his salty shoulder, and bit him not quite gently. She felt the ripple of response that went through him. Relaxation changed into tension. He burrowed against her neck and returned the love bite with slow deliberation.

The odd, glittery feelings swirled through Honor again. She shifted restlessly. He bit her again, harder. Heat splintered through her. With a soft cry she arched, giving herself to the startling pleasure of his mouth against her neck. He sucked on her hot skin and rocked slowly between her legs. With every motion he made, the quicksilver sensations increased in her until she couldn’t breathe.

“Jake?” she whispered, not even realizing that she spoke. “I know. I’ll take care of it.”

Before she could ask what he meant, he lifted himself off her and reached for his jeans again.

“No”, she said, grabbing hold of his arm, afraid that he thought she wanted him to stop.

“You want to put it on me this time, is that it?” Honor didn’t know what she wanted. It took her a few moments even to understand what Jake was talking about. Then she grabbed the small packet, tore it open, and looked from the condom to him. Curious in a way she never had been before about a man, she ran her fingertip from the blunt base of his erection all the way to the broad tip. Smooth but not soft, not cool to the touch.

“Amber man”, she said. “Stone that burns.”

His breath hissed in at her words and delicate, questing touch. “A side benefit of going off like a teenager seems to be
the speed of recovery.”

“What do you mean?” Honor asked without looking up. She was finding that she liked all the textures of his masculinity. She more than liked them. She was fascinated by her amber lover.

“I know I didn’t please you”, he said.

That got her attention. “What are you talking about? You gave me more pleasure than I’ve ever had from sex.”

Jake stared at her for a moment, trying to subdue the sudden, wild hammering of his blood. He might as well have saved his energy for what was coming. He wanted her as much as he had the first time. Then with a sense of shock he realized that he wanted her even more.

“You know”, he said as he reached for Honor, “I was thinking that the second time was going to be easy for me, lots of patience for technique and no worrying about too soon or too late or not at all. Wrong
again.”

Honor blinked. “I’m missing something.”

“You sure are.”

His smile was slow and thorough. It set every one of her nerves alight.

“So tell me”, she said.

“Put that on me, honey. There are times when words just don’t get the job done.”

With a sideways look, she began smoothing the condom into place. She wasn’t experienced enough to be quick about it, but Jake didn’t complain. He just watched with eyes that burned. When she was finished, she faced him.

“Now what?” she asked.

“Now I do what I’ve been wanting to do ever since that
alarm
clock of yours interrupted my one attempt at shaving in the past month.”

He slid his hands up Honor’s calves and kept on going until her thighs separated beneath his caressing palms. She made a startled sound when he bent and tasted her as though she were an exotic dessert. Then her breathing shattered into a word that was his name.

“Don’t worry about a thing”, he said, circling the hot love knot with his tongue. “This one is on me.”

She didn’t know what he meant until the quicksilver feelings of pleasure changed into sharp, burning claws raking her into full arousal for the first time in her life. When she thought she could bear no more of the twisting, relentless, fiery tension, she told him to stop the sweet torment. He laughed and slid long fingers into her, stretching her even as he sucked on the sweet knot of her desire. Suddenly she had no voice, no words, nothing but an ecstasy so unexpected and astonishing that she would have screamed if she had the breath.

Jake entered her at the peak of her climax, driving her even higher, teaching her with every stroke of his body that she had reservoirs of sensuality and strength that she had never suspected. He was teaching himself, too. The soul-deep honesty of her response took his own arousal to new heights, new intensity, new possibilities.

Her broken words of passion and love pushed him over the edge. His last coherent thought was that he was a fool to give and take so much from a woman whose love would turn to hate as soon as she found out who he really was.

A few hours later Jake came close to throwing Honor’s alarm clock through the wall. Swearing in a bastard combination of Russian and English, he fumbled for the shrieking monster, silenced it with a blow from his fist, and pulled the covers back into place.

Mumbling something sleepy, Honor burrowed into his warmth. He wrapped his arms around her and looked out the window. Not even the barest hint of predawn light showed.

“Wake up, honey”, he said, biting her ear gently. “It’s time to be up and about and fishing.”

A warm hand drifted down from his chest to his belly and just below. He felt as much as heard her laughter when she discovered him.

“Fishing, huh?” she said. “Dibs on this rod. Wonder what I’ll catch?”

He sucked in his breath. Hard. “Uh, Honor…”

She made a low sound that was part laughter and mostly pure female pleasure at what she held in her hand.

“Honey”, he said, “you keep that up and you’re going to spend the day the same way you spent the night.”

“Promises, promises.”

Jake grabbed the last of his self-control, pulled her hand to his lips, and kissed it rather fiercely.

“That wouldn’t be a good idea”, he said.

“Why not?”

He slid his fingers down to the spicy, wonderfully female center of her. “Because I’m betting you’re sore, that’s why.” He probed lightly. “Right?”

Her breath hissed in as her body stretched and awakened, remembering ecstasy and hungering for more of it in the same instant.

“Yes and no”, she said. “I’m a little sore, but it would be a great idea.”

Regretfully, Jake withdrew from the warmth he ached to bury himself in. “We’ll give you time to heal.”

“How much time?”

“A few days.”

The look of dismay on Honor’s face made him want to ravish and cherish her at the same time.

“Way too long”, she said.

“I don’t want to hurt you”, he said simply. “I can wait.”

“I’ve spent my life waiting and didn’t even know it. To hell with more waiting.”

He laughed and tugged lightly on her tangled hair. “Does that mean I didn’t bore you?”

“Bore me? What are you talking – ohmygod”, she said, remembering. “I actually said that sex was boring, didn’t I?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re the exception that proves the rule.” She gave him an off-center smile. “Come here and be exceptional.”

As Jake bent down to her mouth, he told himself that he could kiss her and pet her a little – hell, a lot – and please her wildly without riding her.

Honor was well on her way to ecstasy when the phone rang. She made a muffled sound of denial and rejection, but the phone kept ringing. Jake took one more deep, drugging taste of her and forced himself to lift his head.

“Did you remember to turn on the answering machine?” he asked.

“When would I have done that? You haven’t let me out of
bed. And vice versa.”

Jake laughed, then kissed her so delicately that she hovered on the brink of shattering climax.

The sound of the phone was shattering, period.

“Go ahead and answer it”, he said. “I’ll remember where
we left off.”

The phone rang again. She grabbed the receiver because it was the only way she could think of to shut up the phone.

“Do you know what time it is?” Honor snarled.

“I thought so!” Archer said, sounding as angry as she did. “What the hell do you think you’re doing at Kyle’s house after I told you to leave?”

Amusement flickered over Honor’s features as she looked at Jake lying so hard and ready between her legs. “You don’t want to know what I’m doing, Archer.” Jake’s body stiffed.

“You’re right”, her brother snapped. “All I want to know is that you’ve hauled your stubborn butt out of town.”

“No can do. I’m staying.”

“Honor, listen to me. Leave right now.”

“Allow me to point out that there isn’t a thing you can do about your commands. I’m here and you’re there and life’s tough all over.”

“Listen to reason…”

“Beats listening to your orders”, she interrupted, yawning. “Say something reasonable. I’m listening.”

There was a seething silence followed by a heartfelt
“Shit.”

“Now that’s really reasonable, big brother. Any other little pearl of wisdom you want me to listen to?
Crap,
maybe? How about
caca?
And let’s not forget the all-purpose
merde.”

“Honor, this isn’t funny.”

“I’m sorry your sense of humor stinks. See how reasonable I’m being? Polite, too.”

Jake muffled his laughter against her thigh, but that put him very close to real temptation. He remembered all too well where he had left off.

Honor sucked in her breath. He was teasing her in the most delightful way, drawing hot designs on her skin with his tongue and then nibbling along the cooling lines.