Sarah's Child (7 page)

I think Ill have something to eat, just to be on the safe side, she called over her shoulder. How about one of those chicken sandwi

Without warning, he seized her from behind, his hard hands locking on her waist and pulling her back against him. His head bent, and his hot breath blew over the curve of her neck, lightly touching her sensitive skin and awakening all her nerve endings. She shivered a little, but didnt try to pull away; instead she pressed back against the virile contours of his body.

I dont want a sandwich, he muttered, nipping at her neck with his teeth, then soothing the slight sting with butterfly strokes from the tip of his tongue. Sarahs eyes closed in ecstasy, and she let her head fall back against his shoulder, baring the vulnerable curve of her throat to him.

His breathing was becoming hard and fast, rasping in her ear, and the way he moved against her buttocks vividly demonstrated his arousal. His right hand shifted from her waist, sliding boldly upward to rub and cup her breasts, his touch burning her through her dress.

I want to break Maxs jaw when he looks at you as if he wants to do this. There was a roughness to his voice that she hadnt heard before, the guttural tone of fierce desire. His hands were all over her, stroking her as if to stake his claim as hed told her he would do, and she leaned against him, her eyes closed, shaking a little as waves of pleasure assaulted her, each one stronger than the one before. With a harsh, impatient sound, he quickly tugged down the zipper of her dress and dropped the garment to her hips, then dispersed with her bra, freeing her breasts to his hands and gaze.

Sarah moaned softly as he cupped both of her breasts in his palms, kneading her soft flesh and gently pinching at her pink nipples. Youre so beautiful, he groaned and the rough desire in his voice made her feel beautiful. She loved the way the mounds of her breasts filled his palms, hardening and thrusting out to seek his touch.

Abruptly he turned her in his arms, holding her so tightly against him that her ribs ached, while he kissed her with blatant hunger. With his tongue, he told her what he wanted to do, and the symbolism was unmistakable. Sarah gasped under his mouth, seeking air to feed her starving lungs. Romeplease! But she didnt know if she begged for mercy, or for more of the primal pleasure he was giving her. Her body was growing heavy and liquid, and a deep inner throbbing made her move restlessly against him.

Yes, he said against her throat, interpreting her plea as he chose. He bent her over his arm to give himself access to her tempting breasts, and she gave a thin cry when his hot mouth closed over her nipple, sucking it strongly into his mouth. Blackness swirled over her, a warm, velvet blackness that blocked out any reservations she might have had about belonging to him. She dissolved into a purely physical animal, instinctively seeking more of the pleasure he offered her. Her hands roamed his body as his had roamed hers, impatiently brushing away the layers of cloth that separated her from his hard muscled flesh. He trembled wildly at her intimate touch and pleaded with her for more.

At some point, they dropped to the floor, the plush carpet soft under her back. Too impatient to undress her completely, he lifted her skirt out of the way and stripped her panty hose down her legs. Sarah reached for him, her expression rapt, lost in the passion hed aroused in her, and he caught his breath sharply. Easy, easy, he said hoarsely, not wanting it to end too quickly, and knowing he was perilously close to satisfaction. He wanted to make certain she was satisfied too; he wanted to see her face at the peak of her pleasure. He held back, twisting his body away from her inciting hands, while he stroked and petted her, bestowing fleeting, intimate caresses on her that had her arching for more.

Sarah cried out at the tension that was building in her, the sensation that was as frightening as it was pleasurable, as if she might explode into a thousand little pieces. His warm hand, his devilishly dancing fingers, were doing things to her that were destroying her control, her sense of self. Let go, let go, he cajoled in a rough whisper against her ear, and she did, crying out unintelligible sounds of passion fulfilled, her hands clutching at him as her body writhed in the glory that consumed her.

Just as she began the downward slide into peace and relaxation, he pinned her to the floor with his weight, adjusted himself between her thighs, and thrust into her with one powerful deliberate movement. Sarah was unable to hold back the sharp single cry that tore from her throat, and her body jolted in shock. But she reached up to wind her arms around his neck, clinging to him, as she offered him the comfort of her loving body. He groaned thickly against her throat and lost all control, taking her swiftly, a little roughly, and somehow, despite her discomfort, lighting again that small spark of desire in her. It was over before that spark could grow into the inferno that would consume her; with a cry from between his clenched teeth, he reached his own pleasure.

The upheaval of her senses left Sarah dazed; she lay on the carpet after hed rolled from her, her body feeling buffeted, shocked, and quite unlike her own. Alien sensations were still sending their wild messages to her brain, and she labored in a benumbed manner to sort out and understand them. She might have lain there and even gone to sleep if his angry, tightly controlled voice hadnt jerked her to full awareness.

Damn it, Sarah, you couldve warned me!

Still a little disoriented, she sat up with movements that werent quite coordinated, frowning in a faint, quizzical manner as she fumbled with her dress, pulling it up over her shoulders again and pushing at the skirt until it once again covered her legs. I what? she mumbled in confusion; then she sighed in sudden weariness and lifted her hand to cover her eyes.

He swore, a basic Anglo-Saxon word that blasted against her sensitized skin, making her flinch slightly. She couldnt grasp why he was angry; was it because of Diane? She gave him a sudden haunted look that stopped him in his tracks, as if her eyes briefly lost their veil and let him see the pain that ravaged her daily. Then she looked away, and tried to gather her trembling legs beneath her to stand up.

He said something violent under his breath; then he crossed the room in three quick strides to lean down and swing her bodily into his arms, straightening without any sign of strain. What did you expect? he snapped, taking her to the bedroom and placing her on the bed. Keeping me in the dark was a damned stupid thing to do! Despite his anger, his hands were gentle as he undressed her.

Sarah lay quietly as he cared for her. Finally shed understood the reason for his anger. Her inexperience wasnt what hed expected. She only wanted to know if hed been disappointed, or if he was angry because hed been caught off balance. When hed dressed her in a nightgown and propped her up on the pillows, he sat down on the bed beside her, the light from the single lamp throwing harsh shadows across his roughly etched face. He drew a deep breath, as if reaching for control.

A rather inappropriate hint of humor made a smile tug at her lips. She fought it, knowing that he wasnt in a humorous mood, but it spread anyway. Her soft mouth curved in a tender smile, and she teased gently, Having sex hasnt turned me into an invalid. I couldve undressed myself.

He glared at her, then saw the tenderness in her smile that invited him to share the moment with her. Realizing that hed been treating her like someone whod been wounded, he lost the hard edge of his temper, then found himself feeling sheepish. He fought off the feeling, keeping his expression grim. Then youre luckier than you deserve to be. I couldve hurt you, really hurt you. Damn it all, you should have told me it was your first time!

Im sorry, she apologized gravely. I didnt know the procedure.

For a moment he looked as if he would explode, pure fury burning in the dark depths of his eyes. But he was a man who controlled his temper, and he exerted that control now, refraining from even speaking until he trusted himself again. He finally thrust his hand roughly through his tousled hair, ruffling it even more. Youre thirty-three years old. Why in hell would you still be a virgin?

He sounded totally baffled, as if it were beyond his comprehension. Sarah shifted in embarrassment, fully realizing what an anachronism she was. If shed been born even one generation earlier, she wouldnt have been so obsolete; chastity would have been expected of her until she married. But instead she was a not-so-modern woman locked into a more progressive society. It wasnt that she lacked the normal curiosity and desires, or that she was a prude; her deeply ingrained need for security had kept her from risking her all, as it were, in any relationship that would be too casual and transient to satisfy her instincts. Then shed met Rome, and that had stopped cold any other mans chances with her, but Rome had also been off-limits. If she couldnt have him, she hadnt wanted anyone else; it was that simple, and totally impossible to explain to him.

She didnt even try to answer; she just looked at him, with the shadows once more gathering to dim the light that had been in her eyes.

Suddenly Rome quivered as if hed been struck, staring down at her with an expression of torment on his face. What would Diane say, if she knew hed just seduced her best friend? Pain clawed at his insides, pain and guilt, as he suddenly realized that the physical act of release hed sought with other women, which had meant an act of physical betrayal, had been nothing compared to the way hed just betrayed Diane with Sarah. Sarah hadnt been just a faceless body to him. Hed been aware of her every moment; hed wanted her for the qualities and characteristics that made her peculiarly herself. Not only that, the pleasure hed had with her had been shattering, totally wiping out the memories that usually plagued him after sex, memories of making love with his wife, of lying in the darkness with her afterward and talking their hearts out. He hadnt thought of Diane at all; Sarah had filled his mind and his senses, which was the greatest betrayal of all.

He had to move away from her. He surged to his feet and paced restlessly across the room, once again thrusting his fingers through his hair. Why did she have to lie there and look at him with those mysterious eyes? He couldnt even begin to understand her. Hed thought that if he could take her, reduce her to the common status of all the women whod lain beneath him during the past two years, then she would lose her mystery and hed no longer feel so obsessed by her, but that hadnt happened. Instead shed revealed a secret that made her even more mysterious, and now shed retreated again into her private self, too distant for him to reach.

It was, abruptly, more than he could stand. He felt suffocated, and he glared at her in anger at the panic that was consuming him. Hell, he uttered in complete disgust. Look, are you all right?

Sarah lifted a slim eyebrow. Im fine. She sounded cool and in perfect control, as usual.

Ive got to get out of here, he muttered. Im sorry; I know Im acting like a bastard, but I cant He stopped, shaking his head in bafflement. Ill call you tomorrow.

He was at the door before Sarah found her voice again. Theres no need. I really am all right.

The look he gave her was almost violent; then he was gone, and a few seconds later she heard the door slam. Immediately she got out of bed and went to lock it, then crawled back into bed, wincing as her body protested the movement.

So, already the fragile companionship that had been growing between them was shattered, by a swift, consuming act of lust. That was all it had been for him, though shed gone into his arms with love. She knew that it was much too soon in their relationship for it to be able to support the stress of lovemak-ing. Hed taken her, and shed seen the anger, the guilt, in his eyes when hed looked at her. Because she was so acutely sensitive to him, shed known that he was thinking about Diane and regretting the wanton moments on the carpet.

Sarah didnt cry; shed hoped, but the dream had been so brief that she hadnt really let herself start believing in it yet. He was gone, but then shed never had him, not in any way that counted. She hadnt had his trust, or his love. His interest in her hadnt made sense anyway.

What now? Could she really go on working for the same company as he did, seeing him every day? Or had she finally reached the stage where she couldnt take any more, when shed have to be cowardly in the interests of her own sanity? After all, shed been brave for more years than she cared to remember, and bravery had gotten her nothing but a constant ache in her heart and an empty apartment. She was thirty-three, after all; she was already past the prime age for marrying and having children, and the love that shed always craved had eluded her. The total summation of her life was that she had a nice apartment, a snazzy car, and had wasted her life by loving her best friends husband. Time, and life, were passing her by, slipping away from her outstretched arms without even pausing to look at her.

Midnight was the time for making plans for the future, when the past had proved barren. She lay there, forcing herself to be logical and deliberate, even when it hurt. In her own best interests, shed have to find another job. Shed never get over Rome if she saw him every day. She would begin looking for a suitable job Monday morning, and she didnt think it would be that difficult; shed made a lot of friends and contacts during her years with Spencer-Nyle, when shed worked so hard to develop a career that shed never really wanted. Diane had been the ambitious one, making stupendous plans that shed chucked the instant after meeting Rome. All Sarah had ever wanted was someone to love, a husband who looked at her with devotion, children to love and raise as best she could, and a home to provide a warm haven from the rest of the world. The man who loved her wouldnt be Rome, she realized anew, and the pain struck her as strong and fresh as it had from the first.