Seductive Reasoning (21 page)

A cry of pleasure tore from her
throat and drove his need for her higher and higher still. Her legs wrapped
tightly around his waist, squeezing while her hips pumped hard and fast. Her
hands clutched frantically at his buttocks, trying to pull him farther inside
her. The sound of wet flesh slapping against wet flesh and their nearly violent
and helpless groans of ecstasy filled the room and roared in Seth’s ears.

How the hell could he have denied
himself Kate’s body over the past few days? He pushed himself inside and pumped
again. He drove himself until her body gripped him, tight and wet. Pleasure
blinded him. He shoved even deeper inside her until the tip of his penis pushed
against her womb.

His climax seared him. This woman,
this loving, free-spirited woman, had touched him in a profound way. Not just
with her luscious body but with her spirit, her soul. She gave him her all.

Freely.

She trusted him.

Chapter
Eleven

Seth kissed the side of Kate’s neck
and breathed in the scent of tempting vanilla and sex. “I feel like I’ve died.”

Kate chuckled beneath him, their bodies
still joined. “If this is heaven, I never want to leave the bed.”

He rubbed his hand over her bottom.
“I’m still coming inside you. I can feel it. Incredible.”

“I think I’ve gone blind.”

Seth laughed and moved his hips
forward one more time before he pulled out of her. He rolled to his side and
discarded the condom, then pulled her back into his arms. She snuggled in like
a satisfied cat, her hand resting on his chest, her head a gentle weight on his
shoulder.

He may have liked the taste of her
before, but now her distinct flavor was a part of him. He’d licked and sampled
her until her savory mix of female and vanilla suffused his blood. Seth ran his
tongue over his lips where he still tasted the erotic sugar of her skin and
their own sweat.

Seth caressed her back with the
tips of his fingers, then slid his hand lower until his palm covered her fanny.
Lately, he’d had his nose next to Kate, his mouth on her neck, between her
legs. She smelled and tasted as delicious and seductive there as she did everywhere
else on her body.

Kate folded her arms on top of his
chest and rested her chin on her hands. Her eyes brimmed with tenderness, her
lips swollen from his kisses. “You’ve become important to me, Seth.”

That was the last thing he expected
her to say. Her quiet words pierced his heart and lifted his soul, but he
wasn’t ready to admit that she’d become important to him too.

Or that he’d fallen in love with
her.

He’d never been comfortable with
emotions because they were uncharted territory for him. Dangerous waters. But
at some point in the last few days, he’d grown accustomed to having her and her
emotions around. “I knew the first time I laid eyes on you that you spelled
trouble for me.”

“Really. Is that why you stayed
away from me?”

He caressed her cheek and tucked a
lock of hair behind her ear. “You bet. You were so open and honest. I didn’t
know how to handle it.”

Uncertainty covered her face. “And
now?”

He had accepted his fate. Seth
swiped a finger over her nose. “I was fine before I met you. My life was good,
quiet and predictable.” He’d managed to let Kate slide under his skin, become
connected to his bones. “What the hell am I supposed to do now?”

A slight frown creased her brow.
“Do you mean tonight? Or in the morning?”

Seth exhaled a deep breath and
traced her lips with his finger. “You mean the bet, don’t you? You think it’s
time we went--”

“Our separate ways?” Her voice was
barely a whisper.

The thought of her not being there
every day scared the hell out of him. “Is that what you want?” She knew she’d
won. Was she ready to claim the money?

A brief smile trembled over her
mouth. “I’m not sure what I want anymore. I’ve never been good at planning or
sticking to anything important for too long--except for making my shop a
success. I always felt that important things stifled me somehow and made me
stay in one place, instead of allowing me the freedom to explore and live my
life as I pleased. My family is important and they have been trying to rein me
in for years.”

“Is that what you’re afraid of?
Being reined in?”

She lowered her head and rested her
left cheek on the top of her hands. Seth lifted her chin, bringing her gaze
back to his. “Tell me. What scares you the most?”

Her eyes filled with tears but she
blinked them back. “I’m--I’m scared I’ll never be accepted.” She exhaled a deep
breath as if something had released its hold on her. “I’ve yearned for it my
whole life. I’ve wanted it from my family and friends. But most of all I’ve
wanted it from my relationships with men.”

I accept you, Kate.
Why couldn’t
he say it? There was nothing he could do about his intellect or his looks. Was
he afraid of losing something vital deep inside, something he never let anyone
see? His vulnerability.

“What are you afraid of Seth?”

You, crushing my heart into
dust.

Seth gazed out the window to avoid
answering her question. The rain had receded and only the occasional boom of
thunder could be heard in the distance. The moon slipped briefly from behind a
cloud and shimmered quietly in the night sky.

Kate pointed to the shadows on the
face of the moon. “Whoever said there was a man in the moon never really
looked. It’s clearly a woman with her hair flowing out behind her and a secret
smile on her lips.”

How many times had he looked
through a telescope at that moon and never known that she was gently mocking
him? “You’re right. It is a woman.” The moon knew what he was in for. “I love
space, the stars and the planets. Astronomy is my life. Only now, I have to go
back to that life without--”

“Without the money? Without finishing
what you started?”

No.
Without you in my life.
“Something
like that. I want to thank you, Kate.”

“For what?”

“For seeing more than just my
face.”

She smiled seductively. “You mean
other women only saw your looks and incredible body?”

Seth grinned. “Can you believe
that?”

Her eyes held a thoughtful
expression and the seductive smile faded. “No, I can’t. Your intelligence is
such an important part of you. How could any woman not see that?”

Seth’s heart swelled with pleasure
at her words. Kate had appreciated his intellect, his teaching ability, and his
love of astronomy. All of the other women he had ever dated even casually had
only wanted his body. Kate wanted a piece of his mind.

“I really enjoyed being in your
class. I learned a lot, but I wish I were half as smart.”

“You are smart. Look what you’ve
done with your business.”

“I am bright. I have to be to build
my business, but I don’t come close to your intellect. You know so much more
than I do. I own a lingerie shop and you’re a professor with a high I.Q.

“One day you’ll meet a woman who
will fit intellectually and socially with you, a woman who can give teas and
shake hands with the academic crowd. A woman who will fit in.”

Her words hit him like a fist in
his solar plexus.

Of course, why would she want to
stick with a stuffed shirt like him? He wasn’t her type and never would be. She
needed a man who could be spontaneous right along with her, a man who would
make love with her, anytime, anywhere.

“Let’s face it, I sell underwear. I
don’t contemplate the origins of the universe or discover new stars or
constellations. It must be exciting to look out into the heavens every day and
wonder what’s really out there.

“Other planets, solar systems,
maybe even other life forms. There is so much about the universe that
scientists don’t know, but that’s good. If technology enabled us to uncover all
the answers, just think how boring life would be.”

His deepest fear eased.

He was okay. So he was a scientist
and his students believed he knew almost everything about astronomy and the
heavens. So what?

Seth was no longer afraid, afraid
to admit the truth. He turned Kate’s face back toward his. “I’ve got a news
flash for you, sweetheart. I’m really a fraud.” There. He’d said it. He’d
finally admitted it out loud.

She raised her eyebrows. “What do
you mean?”

“I don’t know all that much about
the universe.”

Kate smiled with affection burning
in her eyes. She reached for him and curled her arms around his neck. He knew
he loved her before, but now the love consumed him.

“So? I don’t know all that much
about astrology.”

“You’re kidding.”

She smiled. “I’m no expert but I
like my customers to believe I am. I learn new things all the time, and I have
to work hard to incorporate those new findings into my designs.” She paused for
a moment, biting her lower lip as if she were unsure of what she was going to
say. “The unvarnished truth is I’m not all that sure of my sexuality.”

Shock crawled through his body.
“Lady, let me assure you that there is absolutely nothing wrong with your sexuality.
You’re an incredible woman.”

Hope glinted in her eyes. “Do you
really mean that?” she asked softly.

Seth pulled Kate into his arms and
held on tight. “I really mean it. I really do.” How could she believe
otherwise? Instead of sinking like a stone, Kate had held him up, with her
arms, her passion and her heart wrapped around him. She’d made it possible for
him to let his inhibitions and his fears go, and she was still here.

For now.

A few minutes later, Seth slid Kate
from his arms.

“Where’re you going?”

“Don’t move. I’m a little hungry.
I’ll be right back.”

Hungry. Who cared about food at a
time like this? The only thing Kate was hungry for was Seth wrapped around her,
his sex shoved deep inside her until neither one of them cared anymore.

Kate watched him walk from the room
stark naked, his cute butt disappearing through the doorway along with the rest
of him. She heard him pad down the hallway and into the kitchen. She listened
to him as he opened and closed the refrigerator door, then heard the sound of
his footsteps as he walked back down the hall. When he came back into the room,
he held his hands behind his back. “What’s that?”

“A surprise. Close your eyes.”

Kate tilted her head to try to see
behind his back.

“Uh, uh. No peeking. Eyes closed.”

She felt the corners of her mouth
twitch before she closed her eyes. “It better be good.”

“You’re going to love it. Trust me.
Promise not to look.”

She inhaled and exhaled a breath
and with it the scent of Seth. At the moment, she couldn’t deny him anything.
“I promise.”

She felt the mattress dip as he
climbed onto the bed. Slowly, he pulled the sheet down and a chill swept over
her body. Curious, she barely opened her eyes.

“You promised. No peeking.”

Kate quickly closed her eyes. “You
aren’t going to do anything kinky, are you?”

“Maybe. But I promise it won’t hurt
a bit.”

The sound of his voice, all raspy
with satisfied male tickled her nerve endings. She opened one eye and looked at
his penis, fully aroused and throbbing with life. Kate raised a brow.

Seth seducing
her
?

His fingers caressed her breasts
and teased her nipples until they were hard and distended. Easing down slowly,
he smoothed his fingers over her stomach, her abdomen. The tips of his slightly
calloused fingers sent ribbons of desire skittering over her skin. His hand
moved lower. Yes, she needed him to go lower.

Arousal swirled through her stomach
and excitement danced up her spine. With every little movement he made, every
subtle shift in his body, every time he nudged her thigh and rubbed his penis
against her, need sprang free again.

The scent of desire, sex and want
filled her head. She knew the smell now. She knew how it devoured and swept
away reason. Intimately. Seth’s tangy scent grew stronger and mingled with the
musky smell of his body preparing to enter her. The feeling intoxicated and
stroked a bundle of nerves deep within her sex.

What would happen tomorrow? Would
he walk away from her? Would he walk out of her life for good?

Clearly, he’d lost the bet. Would
he try to stay with her for the remainder of the week or leave?

The answer to that question drifted
out of her mind when he stroked her sex with his fingers. Heat pumped between
her legs, feminine fluid readied her body to take him inside. With every
caress, pressure built and need clamped jagged teeth into her desire. Oh God.
Yes.

Seth moved his head, his breath hot
on her skin and licked his tongue over one of her nipples. Passion danced over
her skin and burned through her blood. He moved his mouth from her nipples and
planted open-mouthed kisses over her stomach and abdomen. His tongue a hot
sensuous flame, sipping as if he tasted nectar.

“Bend your knees,” his voice barely
a murmur.

She couldn’t deny him anything. Not
now. She bent her legs and felt his large palms rub the inside of her thighs.
He pushed gently, opening her wider. Cool air wafted over her, making her aware
of how exposed she was. He rolled on top of her and pressed his sex against
hers. She knew what delight awaited her now.

This time, she reaped all the pleasure.

“I’ve wanted to seduce you from the
moment I saw you at the television station.”

She lifted his chin, gazing into
his eyes. “You forgot about your surprise.”

He threw her a drop-dead sexy smile
that sent shivers over her skin. “No, I didn’t.”

The glow of passion in his eyes
told her he wanted her. Badly. Seth sat back and knelt in front of her, his sex
lifted proud and hard between his legs. The part of him he’d driven hard and
deep within her, the part that had lifted her up higher than she’d ever gone
and flung her into all consuming ecstasy.