Love on the Rocks (7 page)

HOLY HELL
. Decker held her like a china doll, afraid he’d break her if he wasn’t careful. Was he ready for this kind of commitment? She deserved a man who wasn’t as screwed up as he was. Decker wasn’t sure he wanted anything more than a roll in the sheets. He wasn’t over the death of his wife and the survivor’s guilt he’d lived with since.

Roxi laced her fingers through his hair, urging him closer.

He couldn’t resist. Decker traced the seam of her lips and she opened to him. He swept in, claiming her tongue in a long, sensuous thrust.

Her breasts pressed against his chest and she moaned into his mouth.

The sound spiked his arousal, shooting a bolt of electricity straight to his groin. He skimmed her lower back and downward over the curve of her ass, cupping her cheeks in his palms.

She shifted, parting her legs to straddle one of his legs, the apex of her thighs rubbing over his taut muscle.

The tension stretched tight, Decker’s grasp on control teetered on the verge of complete abandon. If he didn’t stop now, he wouldn’t be able to, and he knew it had to be Roxi’s choice for how far they did or didn’t go. Coming on too strong, pushing her up against the wall and taking her in the middle of the living room could frighten her and make her run again. Sure she’d said she’d scared herself, but how much of that fear had to do with how aroused he’d obviously been?

Though it took all of his concentration, Decker pulled away first and pressed his forehead to hers, his breathing ragged, his heart thudding against his ribs. “If this is as far as you want to go, tell me now. If we go any farther, I can’t guarantee I can stop making love to you.”

“Who said I wanted to stop.” She bunched her fingers in the fabric of his shirt, dragged it out of the waistband of his trousers and pushed it up over his head.

Decker tossed it to the side and curled his fingers around her hips.

Roxi ran her hands over his bare chest, the tip of her tongue darting out to moisten her lips. “Your muscles are so hard.”

He captured one of her hands. “Darlin’, you’re killing me.”

She stared at her hands on his chest. “Because I’m touching you?”

“Hell, Roxi. Just being with you makes me crazy.”

“Crazy good or crazy bad?” She twirled her finger around one of his small brown nipples.

Decker groaned. “Crazy good, in a way that makes me want to be bad.”

She leaned forward and kissed the nipple. “What if I want you to be crazy bad?”

“I don’t want to scare you.”

She trailed her fingers down his chest, across his abs to the rivet on his jeans. “Then let me get this party started.”

“Okay. I’m all for you taking the lead.” He raised his hands in surrender. “As long as you tell me when, or if, we’re going too fast.”

She gave him a half-smile. “Thanks.”

Anything that would move toward the possibility of getting naked with Roxi was all right in Decker’s books. God, he hoped that’s where she was headed, or he might explode.

Roxi took his hand and led him toward the open bedroom door.

Decker squeezed her fingers, excitement building inside.

Once through the door, Roxi turned to face him and dragged her tank top up over her head and let it drop to the floor. A shiver rippled across her body as she stood in front of him in her bra and cutoffs. She flicked the rivet through the button hole on his jeans and tugged his zipper down.

His erection sprang free into the palm of her hand.

Roxi curled her fingers around him, her eyes widening. “Wow, are you always this big and hard.”

“Jesus, Roxi.” Decker gripped her arms and clenched his jaw to keep from tossing her on the bed and making insanely passionate love to her. He closed his eyes and drew in a deep, steadying breath. “No, I’m not always this way. Only when a beautiful woman wraps herself around me.” He tipped her chin up, forcing her to look him in the eyes. “Darlin’, have you never made love with a man?”

A shadow crossed over her face, her pale blue eyes darkening and she closed her eyes. “I’m not a virgin, if that’s what you mean,” she said softy.

“Roxi, look at me,” Decker said softly. “You didn’t answer me. Not really.”

She opened her eyes, her brow puckering, her fingers releasing him. “I’ve been with a man before.” Her voice was low, and hard.

He cupped her cheek. “I take it, you didn’t consent.”

“No.” She stepped back and spun away, her arms wrapped around her bare middle. “I was raped.”

Red hot anger seared through Decker. “The bastard deserves to die.” Tucking himself back into his jeans, he zipped, leaving the rivet unbuttoned. He gripped her arms and pulled her back to his chest, holding her lightly, allowing her the option of escaping easily. “I’m sorry,” he whispered against her hair. “Have you been with a man since?”

“No.” She waved her hand and let it drop to her side. “Every time a man tried to make love to me afterward, I panicked.”

“Have you shared your fears with any other man?”

She stiffened. “No.”

His heart fluttered. She’d told him. That had to mean something.

“Maybe what you need is to be in control. If you
want
to make it happen, take charge in the situation.”

“What if I do something stupid?” She stared out at the moonlit sky.

He took her hand and raised it to his lips. “You can’t do anything stupid. You’re a strong, independent woman.”

“To a certain extent.” Roxi faced him. “I’ve hidden myself away on this island for so long, but I haven’t been idle or a recluse by any means.”

“You’re friendly with your customers, and they love you.”

She grimaced. “Yeah, except that Len who was such a butt.” Roxi sighed, stared out the window again, and went on, her words short and emphasized. “The point is, I’m a business owner and I deal with people all day and night. I should be confident enough in my own abilities to enjoy a reasonable sex life.”

“Hey, I won’t argue that point.” He grinned. “I have a lot at stake here.”

Her shoulders relaxed as she faced him again, a wry smile twisting her lips. “Thanks for being patient with me.”

He intertwined his fingers with hers. “Tell you what, if you still want to get down and dirty, I’ll do my best not to interfere too much. I’m all for equal opportunity, as well. You can be on top.”

She laughed out loud and touched his chest. “Are you always this accommodating?”

“Honey, you have no idea how difficult it is to keep from holding you so tight you can’t get away. I want you in the worst way.”

“Then we’re not stopping now?” Roxi said, a smile spreading across her face.

“Not unless
you
want to. But you’re in charge, and I’ll do anything you want me to, within reason, of course.”

“You mean that?” She stared up into his eyes, her own round, trusting.

“I do.” He spread his arms wide. “I won’t touch you, unless you ask.”

“Would you touch me now?” she asked.

He chuckled. “So soon?”

Her blue eyes darkened. “The sooner, the better.”

Decker dragged his finger along the curve of her jaw, down the long straight column of her neck and across her collar bone. He glanced up to gauge her reaction as his hand drew near the swell of her breast in the lacy white bra.

Her gaze fixed on the hand gliding across the plump swell of her breast.

“Tell me to stop, and I will,” he said, praying she wouldn’t.

“Stop.”

Decker’s fingers froze on the edge of the lacy undergarment.

Roxi reached behind her and flicked the hooks on her bra, releasing them. Then she shimmied the rest of the way out and tossed the bra over the nightstand. “Now, where were we?”

Decker’s heart leaped, and his erection jerked.

Roxi raised one of Decker’s hands and laid it across her shoulder. “I hope I didn’t kill the mood.”

“You couldn’t,” he said, his voice strained from pulling way back on the reins. “Not the way I’m feeling right now.”

Once again, her fingers traced down the front of Decker’s torso and farther south to the zipper he’d just pulled up.

Roxi eased it down again. This time, when he poked out of the denim, she paused briefly to fondle him and then pushed his jeans downward.

Decker toed off his boots and stepped clear of his jeans. Naked in front of her, he reached for the waistband of her cutoffs. With his fingers on the button, he caught her gaze. “Are you okay with this?”

She nodded. “I’d feel a whole lot better if I were naked too.” She grinned and guided his hand to the button, helping him release it.

He shoved her shorts over her rounded hips and followed them down to her ankles. Decker dropped to one knee and helped her step out. Then he caressed her ankles, brushing his fingers along the insides of her legs, rounding to the backs of her knees and skimming the tenderness of her inner thighs.

He’d show her that making love was completely different than having a man force himself on her.

R
OXI SUCKED IN a breath, her heart hammering in her chest. The closer his fingers moved toward her center, the weaker her knees grew until they wobbled, refusing to hold her upright. She placed her hands on Decker’s shoulders to steady herself.

God, he was beautiful—his body hard, tanned and sexy. And his cock was thick, jutting out like a sword to pierce her.

A shiver rippled over her body and that familiar ache built at her center, spreading outward to every nerve ending in her body, making her ultra-sensitive to his touch. When he swept his fingers across the triangle of fabric covering her sex, she moaned.

Immediately his hand stopped and he glanced up, his brows furrowed. “Are you still okay with this?”

She nodded, biting on her lower lip, her entire body burning with desire, eager for him to take it to the next step.

And he did. Slipping his finger into the elastic waistband of her panties, he dragged them down.

Impatience made Roxi help things along, quickly shucking the constricting garment. Free of all clothing and wanting him inside her, she grabbed his hand and backed toward the bed.

When she bumped into the mattress with her bottom and the backs of her legs, heat rose in her cheeks. This was it. The first time she’d have sex with a man since she was thirteen. She’d avoided it with all the boys she’d dated from high school and beyond, until now. Every one of them gave up on her when she refused to go beyond second base. Either that, or she’d stopped answering their phone calls or told them she was busy until they quit calling.

The master of avoiding the inevitable, Roxi was glad she’d waited. With Decker standing naked in front of her, the possibility of making love never appealed to her more.

Holy hell, he was freakin’ hot. She could stare at his naked form for hours and never get tired of seeing all those toned muscles and hard plains. Her core tightened in anticipation of his rigid staff gliding into her channel.

Oh, sweet Jesus, let it be soon!

Decker slid his hands around her middle and down over her bottom. He scooped her up.

Her legs naturally wrapped around his waist, her entrance poised over the tip of his cock. She tried to ease down over him.

Decker shook his head. “Not yet. I haven’t even started the foreplay.”

“I’ve heard foreplay is overrated,” she said, her voice breathy, her breasts pressing against him. His chest hairs tickled, making her even more aware of every part of him touching her.

He laid her on the bed and pressed his lips to hers in a brief kiss. “We also need protection.”

She bit her lip. How could she forget? After she’d been raped, she’d waited for two weeks, wracked with worry that she might be pregnant. At thirteen, she knew she was in no way ready to be a mother. Roxi had never been happier to start her period. She’d cried in the bathroom at school, embarrassed and relieved at once.

She’d felt dirty after the man had forced himself on her. Embarrassed, frightened, ashamed and violated. Although the man had said he’d kill her if she told anyone, she couldn’t hide it from her mother. As soon as Roxi’s mom came home from work, she knew something was wrong. Finding her daughter curled on the floor of the bathroom, bawling was a sure sign all was not right in Roxi’s world. Her mother had wrapped her arms around her and taken her to the hospital.

Roxi suffered the humiliation of the rape kit and recounting her story to a female police officer. Unfortunately, her attacker had never been caught.

Roxi pushed thoughts of that day to the very back of her mind and focused on the man standing beside the bed in all his naked glory. This was not a dirty bastard preying on young girls foolish enough to walk alone at night.

Decker was a man who knew how to please a woman in the most sensual way. And he was about to unleash his techniques on her. He slid onto the bed beside her and leaned on one elbow. “Still okay?”

She nodded. “But does it always take this long to get to the point?”

He grinned and brushed a strand of her hair out of her face. “Sometimes longer. You can’t rush perfection.” Then he winked.

Her heart fluttered and her skin tingled.

“You’re an incredibly beautiful woman.”

Roxi didn’t think of herself as beautiful. Passably pretty, but not beautiful. But when Decker looked at her like he was at that moment, with hunger in his eyes and an intensity that was hard to resist, Roxi felt sexy, desirable and incredibly feminine.

Decker tucked the hair behind her ear and dragged his knuckles across her chin and lips, then drew a path down the length of her neck to the swells of her breasts. He paused to lightly pinch the tip of one nipple.

Roxi’s back arched off the bed as if of its own accord. She touched the apex of her thighs, pressing down to sooth the ache growing at her core. No amount of pressure would ease the torment. She realized the only cure would be to take all of Decker into her to fill the void. And how she wished he’d get to that part soon. She wasn’t certain how much more foreplay she could stand and not come apart.

Leaning over her, Decker sucked one of her nipples into his mouth, tongued and nibbled it until Roxi whimpered, her body on fire, her control slipping with every passing moment.

As if aware of his effect on her, Decker didn’t linger over her breasts. He kissed his way over her ribs and across her belly, arriving at the tuft of hair over her sex.

Roxi parted her legs, letting him slide between them, a little shocked and completely turned on by what he was doing to her. Sure, she’d read erotic romances where men touched their women in the most private of places. But she’d never been the recipient of such tender caresses.

He parted her folds and stroked her with one of his fingers, drawing a line down to her entrance.

Her belly clenched, and she moaned again.

His warm chuckle breathed air over her heated entrance. “Like that?”

“Oh, sweet Jesus. Yes!” In the fading portion of her brain, she thought she should be embarrassed by her outburst, but when his tongue followed his finger, stroking the little nubbin of flesh, all thoughts exploded in a cacophony of sensations, threads of lightning bolting throughout her body.

She tensed, her back arched and she forgot to breathe. “Please,” she whispered.

He touched her again, his tongue laving her, pushing her over the edge, past the brink of everything she’d ever known. Roxi dug her fingers into his hair and cried, “Decker!” Her body shook with the force of her release, and she rode the waves all the way back to the bed where she lay, limp but still needing more. “I want you,” she said, her voice breathy, her lungs relearning how to breathe.

Decker climbed up beside her and reached into the nightstand, extracting a foil packet.

Roxi leaned up on an elbow and held out her hand. “Could I?”

“Of course.” He handed her the packet.

She tore it open and rolled the condom over him, her hands caressing him as she slid down his length. “Thanks.”

Decker’s bark of laughter made her glance his way.

“What?”

“I’m the one who should be thanking you.” He dragged her over him and leaned up to kiss her lips. “You’re amazing.”

“No, I’m clumsy and awkward at this.”

“Darlin’, you’re a natural.” He paused. “And if this is as far as you want to go, I’m okay with it.”

With her insides pulsing and her channel slick and ready, Roxi shook her head. “No way. I want the whole shebang.”

“Then it’s up to you now. You take it as slow or fast as you want.”

“Really?” She touched his chest with her fingertips and slid her hand down over his ribs. “I get to call the shots?”

“You bet.” He lay back, linking his hands behind his head. “I won’t touch you unless you want me to.”

“Oh, please. Touch me. But you have to promise not to laugh.”

He held up two fingers. “Scout’s honor.” Then he rested the hand on her hip.

She frowned. “I’m betting you were never a Boy Scout.”

He shrugged. “No, but I promise.”

Not sure what to do, but knowing she wanted him inside her, and the sooner the better, Roxi straddled him, planting her knees on either side of his waist. His erection bumped against her, and she sucked in a sharp breath.

Decker’s smile slipped, his jaw tightening.

“I’m not even sure how to do this.” Heat rose in her cheeks and her heart pounded so hard in her chest, she was certain he could hear it. So much for the tough bar owner who could do anything she set her mind to. She had never seduced a man or made love to one on her terms. How did one go about it?

Something of her distress must have shown on her face.

“Let me.” Decker’s big hands gripped her hips, lifted and positioned her exactly the way she needed to make it work.

She leaned her hands on his chest and eased down on his staff.

He slid inside, his girth stretching her, filling her in a wonderfully sensuous way. The friction set off a whole new wave of sensations and she found herself rising and falling over him, her breasts tight, the nipples drawn into tight little buds, her breath hitching in her lungs. If this was what it felt like to really make love, what had she been waiting for?

Apparently her steady rocking wasn’t fast enough for Decker.

Still holding her hips he helped her, guiding her movements, increasing the speed.

His face tensed, his jaw tightened, and he closed his eyes, thrusting up into her one last time before he held her still, his cock throbbing against the walls of her channel.

Roxi stared down at his face, a feeling of power and satisfaction swelling her chest. “Was it…”

“Perfect,” he said on a sigh, opening his eyes to smile up at her.

She lay down on him, her cheek pressed to his skin. The thudding beats of his heart told her he’d been as excited by their coupling as she was. She smiled and languished in the aftermath of a thorough loving, reluctant to break the connection.

When at last he rolled her over beside him, she snuggled against him. “That was amazing.”

“Yes, it was. Now, sleep. After working all day, you need it.”

She closed her eyes, her body relaxed, her mind a fuzzy happy place where thirteen year old girls being raped didn’t exist. This was how sex should be.

“Decker?” she said and stifled a yawn. “Is it always this exhausting?”

He laughed softly. “Not always.”

“Hmm.” With her eyes still closed, she inhaled the scent of him and the lingering musk of sex. “Decker?”

“Yes, Roxi?” His words stirred the tendrils of hair near her temple.

She smiled. “Next time, you can be on top.”

DECKER LAY FOR a long time with his eyes open, his heartbeat finally slowing to a normal pace. The entire time he’d made love to Roxi, he hadn’t thought about Allison. With Roxi asleep against his side, memories surfaced of lying in bed with Allison after making love to her.

The two women were as different as night and day. Allison had been quiet when they’d made love, seeming to tolerate it more than she enjoyed it. Not Roxi. She hadn’t held back, moaning and calling out his name in the throes of passion.

With Roxi’s naked body pressed against his, Decker reflected on what he’d just done. He’d made love to a woman who’d never experienced real, honest sex before. And he’d done it only days after the anniversary of his wife’s death.

His own take on the event was nothing short of confusion. On the one hand, guilt was something he’d carried for a long time. But how long was long enough? On the other hand, making love to the beautiful, capable and sexy bar owner had been more than he could have asked for. Was he ready to move into another relationship? He wasn’t the kind of guy who slept around with any willing female. But sleeping with Roxi couldn’t be taken lightly. The woman had been raped as a very young, impressionable teen. The fact she hadn’t had sex since said a lot.

And he’d made love to her.

The longer he lay there, the more his mind churned, until he gave up on sleep, slipped his arm from under Roxi’s neck and rolled out of bed. He padded barefoot and naked into the living room and stood at the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the cape. Wind tossed the trees closest to the cottage, and moonlight was blanketed by dark clouds. He couldn’t see the water for the utter darkness surrounding them. A howling wail whistled through the eaves.

Decker switched on the television, muting the sound. He tuned in to the local news channel and was surprised to see the evening weatherman still on duty at a quarter past two in the morning. A red banner scrolled across the bottom of the screen, listing counties in the area under severe storm warnings. Then a flashing banner replaced the storm warnings with the order to evacuate by late the next afternoon.

The national weather radar filled the screen with a huge circular blob of green, yellow, orange and red filling the screen south of Cape Cod. The forecast indicated Hurricane Charlie would take a direct path from the coast of North Carolina up to Massachusetts. Cape Cod stood to take the worst of the storm.

“Holy hell,” Decker muttered.