Summer Kisses (157 page)

Who was he kidding?
she thought as she settled onto the bench seat. At this point, the parking lot was looking pretty tempting. “Whichever’s closer,” she said, sounding slightly breathy.

“My place it is then,” he said, closing the door.

Pulse racing, she watched him make his way around to his side of the truck. He was taking her home. To his place. His bed.

So much for self-control.

He settled behind the wheel and slid the key into the ignition. Then he turned to look at her. “You sure about this?”

“Yes.” She had never been more certain of anything in her life.

“I just don’t want you regretting this tomorrow.”

“Will you?”

“Hell, no.”

“Good. Now stop being such a gentleman and take me home. Bad boy you are tonight.”

“Into bad boys, huh?” he asked with a grin.

“Big time.”

“Guess it’s my lucky night.” He started the engine and backed out of the parking space.

“You know, one thing about bad boys is they’re a lot safer to date.”

He pulled out of the restaurant parking lot and onto the street. “You think so?”

“I know so. The last thing they’re looking for is a commitment.”

“I see. A bit commitment-phobic are we?”

He had no idea.

“Looks like you’re going to be living on the edge tonight.”

~~~

“Damn,” Nanci swore, her fingers trembling as she attempted to insert the key into the lock of her apartment door.

“Here,” Joe said, taking the key ring from her hand. “Let me.”

What was wrong with her? She’d never been this way around a man before. Oh, she’d been sexually aroused, but this was like being sexually charged. Her entire body ached to have Joe’s hard, naked body beneath it. Above it. Behind it.

“Nanci...”

She snapped out of her lust induced thoughts to look up into his smiling face.

“It’s open,” he said, motioning toward the door.

“Well,” she said, feeling like a nervous teenager, “I guess we should go in.”

He handed her the keys with a husky chuckle. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

He followed her inside. “Can I get you a beer or another glass of wine?” she asked with a flirty smile.

“I’m good for the night.”

She could just bet he would be. She’d already shared hot, steamy phone sex with Joe. Seductive conversation that had left her squirming in her sheets and fantasizing for more. This was the night. Spending the night in Joe’s arms promised incredible pleasure.

“Nice place,” he said, looking around.

“Thanks.” She carried the Styrofoam container of wings into the kitchen. “It’s small but it’s mine.” She set the box down and poured herself a glass of wine, hoping it might ease this unexpected case of nerves that had come over her. “You sure you don’t want any?”

“Are you referring to the wine or something else?” he teased with a grin from where he lounged against the kitchen doorway.

“Wine, of course.” She turned away from him with a smile and opened the wing box. “Wing?”

“I’d prefer a thigh or a breast,” he replied with the same seductively husky tone he’d used on the phone.

She turned to face him. “I’ll see what I can do.”

His gaze moved over her assessingly. “So when do I get to find out what your big secret is?”

“It’s not big, just a little unusual.”

His lips parted in a toothy grin that made her legs weak. “Now you really have my attention.”

“And I didn’t before?” she teased.

“Babe, you’ve had it since that night you were bouncing up and down behind the strip club, waving us over.” He pushed away from the doorframe and strode over to her, all six foot some inches of lean, mean, firefighting machine.

She swallowed hard, her normally overabundant sexual confidence flagging as he closed the distance between them. She tried to remind herself that she was a tigress when it came to seduction. She controlled men, not the other way around.

He reached out to cup her cheek, stroking it lightly with his thumb. “I promise you’ve got my full and undivided attention tonight.”

She reached back, dropping the half-eaten wing onto the open box lid. Then she went to wrap her arms around his neck and stopped.

“Nanci?”

She leaned back and held her hand up between them, wriggling her fingers. “Wing sauce.”

Joe backed her up against the faux granite countertop, taking her hand in his. “Not a problem.” He brought her fingers to his lips and sucked each and every one in slow torturous strokes.

She groaned softly. “Joe...”

“Mmmm.”

She squeezed her thighs together as a rush of desire moistened her newly purchased panties. “I collect vibrators!” she blurted out.

He lifted his head to look at her. “What?”

She was in desperate need for some mental regrouping. “That’s my secret.”

His mouth curled up into a grin. “Vibrators?”

She nodded.

“Should I be jealous?”

“What?”

“Sounds like I have a lot of competition.”

She laughed softly. “Something tells me that if there was a competition my vibrators would lose hands down against you.”

He lowered his mouth to hers, brushing it lightly over her lips. “Just think of the money you’ll save on batteries having me around.”

She closed her eyes, waiting for the passionate kiss his husky words promised. Only it never came. The pressure of his body pressed against hers eased. She looked up at him questioningly.

“Let’s go see this collection of yours so I’ll know what I’m up against.”

There was no turning back now. She took his hand and led him into her living room. She pointed toward the curio cabinet. “There it is.”

His blue eyes widened and he let out a low whistle. “Talk about an arsenal.” He crossed the room, shaking his head and chuckling.

“I’ve been collecting them for years,” she said, stepping up beside him.

“Who knew they made so many different kinds? Hell, most of these look more like torture devices than instruments of pleasure.”

“You sound just like Kelsie.”

He glanced her way. “You aren’t by any chance into S&M are you?”

“Afraid not,” she answered with a smile. “I’m not big on pain. And for your information, these vibrators are for display purposes only.”

He blew out a breath. “Phew. That helps ease the performance anxiety.”

She smacked his arm playfully. “Who are you kidding? I’ll bet you’ve never had performance anxiety in your life.”

He pulled her into his arms. “No, and I have no intention of starting tonight.”

~~~

“Well, here we are.” Cole’s husky voice broke the sexually charged silence as they pulled up to the two-car garage that extended out from a beige ranch-style house with cranberry shutters.

Kelsie smiled, her pulse still racing from the out-of-control kiss they’d shared back at the restaurant parking lot. “Nice place.”

He returned her smile, that to-die-for dimple taunting her. Who needed a bed? She would be perfectly willing to climb up on his lap and test out the shocks on this monster of a truck.

Where had that thought come from? Oh shit, she was becoming Nanci. It seemed her best friend’s sex-on-the-brain way of thinking had started to rub off on her, too. At least she had only thought about getting down and dirty with Cole in his truck. Nanci would have done it.

He shifted in the seat to face her and slung his arm over the wheel. “I like it. Bought it a couple of years ago. I figured it was a good investment.”

How could a guy as smart and as good looking as Cole still be single? He was hot with a capital H-O-T. He’d obviously been dating the wrong kind of women. She was an expert on incompatibility dating.

Her gaze traveled down the front of his shirt to the denim hugging his long, muscular thighs and the heat between hers increased.

“Kelsie?”

Her eyes snapped up to meet his. “W...what?”

He looked at her questioningly. “You having second thoughts?”

Embarrassed to have been caught eyeing him up like a piece of chocolate during PMS, she turned to look out her window. “No, not at all. I was just thinking that you’ve got the perfect yard to have sex in.”

“Sex?”

She turned to him. “What?” A second later, what she’d said sank into her arousal clouded brain. “I meant a cookout.” Though sex anywhere with him at that moment sounded pretty good to her.

He gave a husky chuckle and opened his door. “While I don’t have a problem with making love to you in my front yard, I think my neighbors might. Of course, it is going to be dark out soon...” Stepping out, he closed his door and rounded the truck to open hers.

She was glad he wasn’t playing the bad boy completely because having those large hands encircling her waist as he helped her down felt wonderful.

“Damn,” he muttered the second her feet touched the driveway.

“Cole? What’s wrong?”

Please don’t let him say he’s changed his mind. Not now. Not tonight.

“Our dinner.”

“What about it?”

Frowning, he said, “I left it sitting in the parking lot back at the restaurant.”

“Oh.” She giggled softly. “Guess we had other things on our mind. Like...”

“Dessert?”

She nodded, her pulse picking up again. “Yes.”

He closed the door and drew her to him. “I can barely think to breathe when you’re around. Do you know how badly I want to make love to you?”

She looked up into his dark, hungry eyes and a shiver of excitement moved through her. She reached up, running her hand along the firm line of his jaw. “The feeling’s mutual.”

He groaned, his eyes drifting shut as she ran a fingertip over his lips.

“Cole?”

“Hmm?” he said, opening his eyes.

“If we both want to be together so badly, shouldn’t we be inside?”

“Keep on touching me that way and I will be inside – of you. Right here. Right now. Making love to you in the driveway, my neighbors be damned.”

“Promises. Promises.”

With another husky growl, he took her hand in his and guided her toward the house.

“I just want you to know that I’ve never done this before,” she confessed as he led her inside.

“Stepped into a house?” he asked with a teasing grin as he closed the door behind them. He tossed his truck keys onto the kitchen counter and then turned back to her with a sexy grin.

She laughed. “No. I’ve done that a few times. I was referring to going home with a guy on a first date. Or second even.”

Threading his fingers through hers, he led her down the hallway. “Then I guess it’s lucky for me that it’s our third.”

“Third?” she asked in confusion as they stepped into a bedroom. Cole’s bedroom.

He turned and released her hand, gathering her into his arms instead. “Sure, the hospital was our first date, kiss and all. Then there was our tree date where you were looking all sexy in that low cut lace shirt of yours.”

“It wasn’t low cut. It was unbuttoned.”

“And making it pretty damn hard to do my job,” he admitted as his mouth moved over hers.

She curled her arms around his neck and rose up, eagerly meeting his kiss. His hands slipped beneath the hem of her shirt to skim her bare flesh, gliding up over her ribs, nothing more than a thin layer of satin separating her aching flesh from his touch.

She moaned softly, the sound of which was lost in the hungry mating of their lips and tongues. Her frenzied hands tugged at his shirt, freeing it from his jeans, needing to feel his flesh against her flesh. Needing him.

Cole pulled away just long enough remove his shirt and toss it to the floor. He had wanted this from that first kiss in the emergency room. Had wanted her.

Kelsie whimpered his name in undisguised need.

He reached out to caress her cheek. “You make me want so bad.” He tunneled his fingers through her hair. The sensation of the silken strands sliding between the parted appendages had his blood heating up all the more. “You’re so beautiful.”

“When I’m with you, I feel beautiful.” Her hands moved to the hem of her gauzy top, dragging his gaze up with it as she took it off. Fiery hair danced across the creamy flesh of her shoulders as her shirt fluttered to the floor at their feet.

His gaze slid down to the deep plunging V at the front of her red satin bra and his breath caught. “Mmm...nice.”

“Glad you like it.”

“Oh, doll, I more than like it.”

“Nanci made me buy it,” she confessed, almost nervously, and then glanced down with a frown. “I tried to tell her that these kinds of bras are more for women with bigger...um, larger...”

“Breasts?”

Color flooded her cheeks as she nodded her reply.

He reached out to run a finger along the curve of a breast. “You couldn’t be more wrong about that.” His finger trailed down over the satin. “This bra was made for you. Remind me to thank Nanci for talking you into buying this the next time I see her.”

“Come here,” Cole ordered with a smile as he drew her to him. Lowering his head, he brushed his mouth over hers. “I really like it,” he whispered huskily against her parted lips. “I really like you.”

Kelsie moaned softly, tipping her head back as his mouth moved lower, nipping at the gentle curve of her neck. She couldn’t speak. Could barely think with his mouth moving over her the way it was.

The warmth of his breath found its way to the feminine swell of her breasts. Wanting more, she arched up into his sensual kiss.

He reached behind her, deftly unfastening the clasp of her bra. Pushing the straps down her arms, he gained access to what it was he sought. With a groan of approval, he cupped a breast, taking its rosy tip into his mouth.

If there was ever any doubt before, she knew now that Cole was perfect in every aspect of his life, lovemaking included. Legs trembling beneath her, she clutched at his broad shoulders. She wanted him. Needed him. And even worse, she really, really liked him, too.

“Cole...” she pleaded.

Lifting his head, he gave her one of the sexiest smiles she’d ever seen. Then he straightened and dragged her up against him, capturing her mouth in another heated kiss.