Right Moves (5 page)

As my insides still hummed as though they were livewires, he lifted me into his strong arms and carried me into the bedroom. He set me gently on his bed and stood back, as though to assess how I looked in this intimate setting. His personal space. If the sexy grin on his face was any indication, I’d say he liked what he saw.

But admiring me from afar was not at all what I wanted.

“Planning on joining me?” I asked, knowing there had to be a twinkle in my eyes. I felt flirty and mischievous in a very naughty way. I wouldn’t expect this sort of behavior from myself, but somehow, I couldn’t fight it. A lightheartedness that was foreign to me mingled with a darker passion sparked by Jack’s first kiss. I was in unfamiliar territory, yes, but it was incredibly exciting. An adrenaline rush of sorts I’d never imagined experiencing.

As he slowly unbuttoned his shirt, I watched with bated breath. Every inch of tanned skin exposed made my pulse race faster. He had a long torso that showcased his perfectly sculpted muscles. I was mesmerized by his beautiful physique, even more captivated when he unfastened his belt and his pants. He toed off his shoes before his clothing hit the floor. He stepped out of them and stripped off his socks. With nothing more than a pair of sexy black briefs to cover him, I had to amend my earlier thought and admit he was more stunning than Adonis. I couldn’t tear my gaze from him and my heart leapt into my throat, making it impossible to speak.

Apparently, words weren’t necessary. My look alone seemed sufficient in luring him to me, until he was sprawled on the bed beside me. His fingers curled around the crystal-accented straps on my shoulders and dragged them down my arms.

I experienced a moment of panicked insecurity as the bodice of my dress lowered to expose my breasts. They were small enough that a bra wasn’t necessary with this type of garment. I’d always been content with their teardrop shape. The size of them, however…

I had to bite back the apology that sat on my tongue. I knew men liked well-endowed women, even if those endowments weren’t God given. I didn’t fill Jack’s palm as it cupped a small globe and gently squeezed. His head dipped and his tongue glided over my hard nipple. He let out a low groan, and the insecurity I’d suffered vanished. His lips closed over the tight bud and he suckled in an almost languid way, like he had all the time in the world to pleasure me. As though he’d long forgotten his guests downstairs—not that they needed a party host when champagne and hors d’oeuvres were being passed around.

The jazz music and laughter from below filtered in through the open door, and I suspected no one missed us at all. So I put the festivities downstairs out of my mind and concentrated solely on the wondrous sensations Jack so easily elicited.

As he whisked away the dress from my body, I lifted my hips to make his quest to get me naked an easier one. He laid the material across the bench at the foot of the bed and then carefully slipped my sandals off. I gauged his reaction to my nearly nude body as he stared down at me again. A mixture of awe and lust in his shimmering green eyes made me relax.

I smiled at him, then said, “You’re charming without even saying a word.”

His gaze lifted to meet mine. “You might not see what I do, but I assure you, you’re absolutely breathtaking.”

My heart soared. A lump of emotion swelled in my throat again.

The appreciative look he gave me, combined with his earnest, compelling tone, intensified the feelings I already had for him.

My fingers grazed his temple before sweeping past his hairline to tangle in the silky strands. I had no idea how his strategically tousled ’do stayed intact without hairspray to freeze it in position, but whatever his secret, I found the crazily mussed style as visually appealing as it was soft to the touch.

Propping myself up on my free elbow, I boldly kissed him. I mimicked his technique of sexy, tongueless kisses that created a slow burn low in my belly. Then I gradually worked my way up to a daring move that he responded favorably to, if our innate timing and the way he toppled me were indicators. His mouth opened at the precise moment mine did and my tongue twisted with his as I, the aggressor this time, delved deep.

The passion that sparked between us was palpable. I felt the fire ignite between my legs again and I lost all connection with the rational side of my brain that would have otherwise reminded me of a party going on below us and the reality that I was not the one-night-stand type.

I didn’t want to be reminded of those things. I wanted no emotional barriers between us. I wanted no physical barriers between us either.

To that end, I disentangled my arms from Jack, without breaking our kiss. I curled my fingers around the strings at my hips, but Jack was a step ahead of me, able to shove my panties down my legs with his longer reach. I kicked the material away from my ankles just as two of his fingertips pressed to my clit once more and massaged the knot of nerves in an assertive and expert way.

I clung to him as our kiss deepened and his intimate touch pushed my arousal to all-new heights. I needed to suck in some air, but couldn’t bring myself to stop kissing him. There was as much heat generated by our lip-lock as the fire I felt burning deep in my cunt as one of Jack’s fingers pushed deep into my pussy.

Finally, I had no choice but to tear my mouth from his. I pulled in a sharp breath, but immediately let it out as he aggressively fingered me.

“Jack,” I said his name on a ragged breath.

“Come for me again, Claire.” His tone was strained with sexual tension and laced with desire.

His thumb rubbed my clit as he worked a second finger inside me and sent me barreling toward another earth-shattering orgasm. My body bowed slightly off the mattress so I was closer to him as he kissed my neck, driving me wild. I didn’t think it was possible to be more excited than I was, but clearly Jack wanted to prove me wrong.

Against my throat, he murmured, “Come with my fingers inside you, sweetheart. I want to give you everything you need.”

“I need
you
inside me,” I told him honestly as I arched my back and silently demanded more from him.

“I want that too,” he said in a hoarse voice. “You have no idea how much I want that.”

But he didn’t stop what he was doing in order to oblige either of us. He continued down the path of giving me another glorious orgasm as his fingers pumped in and out of my cunt and rubbed my clit. The erotic sensations within me built to a crescendo that exploded unexpectedly, without giving me the chance to tamp them down so I could prolong the pleasure.

I did, however, savor every tantalizing thrill that worked its way through my body as Jack dropped soft kisses along my throat, up to my jaw. When his lips brushed mine, I sighed contentedly, though I still burned with a feverish desire that made me whisper one simple word.

“Now.”

He let out a low grunt. “I wasn’t intending to rush this.”

“That’s nice to hear, but I haven’t had sex in nine years and you’ve lit all the burners.”

A flash of a grin at that thought was quickly eclipsed by a slight frown. His brow furrowed as he stared down at me. “Seriously, nine years?”

I nodded. Since he seemed to have no qualms about sharing his weaknesses with me, I felt it was only fair to be equally genuine. “I’m heavy on the neurotic side when it comes to relationships and I’ve never considered having sex with someone I’m not involved with. Not that we’re in a relationship, but…”

His grin returned. He gently clasped my hand and lifted my arm, tenderly kissing the inside of my wrist before he murmured, “I don’t casually date, so for me, this
is
a relationship.”

My heart stammered and my teeth clamped down on my lower lip to keep a ginormous smile at bay. This beautiful man lightly placing kisses on a newly discovered erogenous zone said all the right words and made all the right moves, helping me to rise above so many of my issues and insecurities. Perhaps it was because he’d suffered through his own bout of inadequacy that he instinctively knew how to assist me through mine.

Jack Reed was more than just a sexy, charismatic man. He was a kindred spirit. And everything he said and did assured me that my spontaneous actions this evening were not to be regretted when the sun rose tomorrow. I was certain my need for physical and emotional intimacy with him had sprung to the surface so quickly because of his careful consideration of
his
attraction to
me
. For months—nearly a year, in fact—he’d mulled over the pull toward me that he’d felt. Thus, he came across as absolutely certain about the connection that had formed so quickly between us. I believed in it as well, and that was why I continually teetered on a precarious ledge with him, slowly shedding the fear of falling.

When it came to Jack, I wanted to fall.

Although my insides buzzed with excitement, I maintained a somewhat even tone as I said, “I like the way you think.”

He let out what sounded to be a sigh of immense relief. “I’m not being presumptuous. I just want to be honest with you, Claire. I’ve never been interested in playing games or leading anyone on.”

“I appreciate that.” I also felt, to the depths of my soul, it was a true sentiment. “You realize that makes me want you even more, right?”

His easy grin caused the fire inside me to burn even brighter. His lips swept over mine as he said, “I’ve never wanted anyone more. From that first article I read, I was hooked. And then I met you in person…” He brushed strands of hair from my face and added, “I knew my instincts about you were right. When I held your hand and you didn’t pull away… And the light in your pretty blue eyes… The smile you always have for me… I was certain the moment you walked into the club that you were special. That you were worth waiting for.”

Those were heavy words he’d laid at my feet, but I didn’t shy away from them. I found I envied the way he spoke his mind and put himself out there—I also discovered it gave me the courage to be equally forthcoming.

“I kept thinking when I was getting ready tonight you might be the second chance I didn’t even realize I’d been waiting or hoping for. I screwed up a relationship once because I let all of my childhood pain hold me back. But the truth is, I knew all along my mother wasn’t happy. I sensed it, and I really shouldn’t have been surprised she left when I was seven. My dad’s abandonment was a little more unexpected, but… I guess I can see why he didn’t want to be surrounded by all the bad memories my mother left us with. It likely didn’t help him any that I look just like her.”

Jack’s brow dipped again in consternation. “Your mother left when you were just seven years old?”

I nodded. “And I’ve always had a fear of being left again.”

He seemed to consider this as his jaw tightened for a moment. Finally, he said, “I don’t know how that feels, Claire. I can, however, understand it’d make you hesitant to trust anyone. But will you take a chance on me?”

I wanted to. I’d had a positive innate feeling about him from the get-go. That was why I’d freaked out in my bathroom. I’d always thought I’d made a mistake with Michael Hadley years ago, but maybe that wasn’t the case at all. He and Shelby were happy together—
they
were destined for each other. And that meant I’d been destined for someone else. Perhaps that person was Jack Reed.

A wild tumble of my stomach told me I just might be right. I was intuitive enough to read the signs. I’d known before it had happened my mother would eventually disappear from my life—I’d felt it in my gut. An instinctual thing that couldn’t be described or even rationalized. It was just one of those realizations that existed deep within me, something that was a part of me. Had I understood this when I was younger, I might have been able to better process or accept my mother’s decision to walk away from her family. I might have been able to deal better with my father’s choices too, because deep down, he had to have also known she didn’t love us enough to stay.

I didn’t get the gut reactions often, so I paid attention to them when I did.

I said, “I do trust you, Jack. I wouldn’t be in your bed if I didn’t. But I can’t honestly say I trust myself to not mess this whole thing up. Of course I don’t want to,” I added with a nervous laugh. “I can be stupid about these things sometimes. It’s a defense mechanism, I guess.”

“Fair warning. I appreciate that.”

His lips grazed mine and I had no desire to say another word. He knew where I stood, and I knew he wasn’t playing around.

He kissed me again as my hands moved over his rigid muscles. He was so fantastically built, I had the natural compulsion to touch him everywhere. Jack didn’t seem to mind.

My hands roamed his body and I loved the feel of his warm, smooth skin against mine, and the way he responded to my touch with sexy groans and the tightening of his muscles. His kiss deepened and his own hands went to work on my body, kneading and caressing and eliciting all manner of erotic sensations.

I slipped my fingers past the waistband of his shorts and worked the tight material over his hips. He broke our kiss to strip down and then he rummaged in the nightstand for several seconds, swearing under his breath until I laughed. Finally, he produced two foil packets, dropping one on the table and palming the other. The fact he’d not had a supply of condoms at the ready only confirmed his confessions to me were true and valid.

As he returned to my side, I took the condom from him and we rolled it down his hard shaft together, me fumbling a little because I lacked experience in this area. When he settled between my parted legs and the tip of his cock nudged my opening, there wasn’t even the tiniest bit of hesitation or apprehension skittering through me. I wound my arms around his neck, holding him to me as he entered me.