Texas Two Steps Four-Pack Bundle (9 page)

****

Melanie pushed her plate away and delicately wiped her mouth on the linen napkin. She looked around Blake's table where the other diners were finishing their meals. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the scrumptious fare she and Blake had chosen for the special dinner.

Scooting back her chair, she rose to her feet. "I'm going to check out the dessert buffet. The food was delicious, but now I need something sweet."

"I'll go with you." Blake shoved away from the table and took her elbow.

Melanie tried to ignore the delicious shiver of awareness his touch stirred up. Sitting next to him throughout the meal had been exciting to say the least. He'd positioned his chair close to hers and she'd felt the heat of his body emanating toward her. Every time he moved, exquisite tingles of pleasure shot through her body.

To say she was hyperaware of him would be an understatement. The sexual chemistry surging between them increased exponentially. Surrounded as they were by a throng of people made it all the more thrilling. If they'd been alone, social inhibitions would have flown out the window. They would have been in each other's arms in a heartbeat.

She'd feel Blake's embrace soon enough when they danced. Her heart pounded in anticipation.

At the dessert bar, Melanie made a careful selection. She wanted to splurge but knew she couldn't over indulge in excessive sugar and calories. She needed to pace herself during the holiday season if she wasn't to gain any unwanted pounds.

Blake obviously didn't share the same mindset. His plate was full to overflowing with a sampling of the various sweets. There wasn't an ounce of fat on his muscular body, damn him. Melanie sighed as she placed another strawberry beside the small piece of cake on her plate.

Turning from the buffet, she glanced around the banquet room. In the daylight, it had been enchanting, but now at night the atmosphere and ambiance was truly magical. The room was dark with only muted light above the buffet tables and the flames of the candles flickering on the tabletops. The strings of lights on the walls twinkled like stars and the tall tree in the corner glowed brightly. With the curtains pulled back, the wall of windows exposed a breath-taking view of Coyote Lake with the lights of the hotel reflecting on the black shiny surface.

Blake guided Melanie to their table, his hand warm on the small of her back. The waiters were busy clearing away the dishes and the band was getting ready to play.

"I'll have you in my arms soon," he whispered, his breath hot in her ear, his hand moving to her hip and pressing intimately.

Goosebumps erupted and tingled on her arms and down her back. She could hardly wait to dance.

****

Blake could hardly wait for the last dance to end. His body burned with such hot desire, he thought he'd surely burst into flame. He'd danced every dance with Melanie and the band had made good on their promise to him. Almost all the sets had been slow love songs, perfect for holding a woman close in your arms and dancing the night away.

The night was well advanced and the Lone Star Cattle Ranchers' Christmas Ball was coming to a close. Blake held Melanie in a now familiar embrace only intensified with the growing sexual awareness building between them. Their bodies rubbed together in time to the music. Her full breasts pressed into his chest, her nipples hard against him, driving him mad with yearning, wanting, hunger.

Melanie leaned her head on Blake's shoulder. His heart beat fast beneath her ear. She nestled against him, his hard muscled body hot against hers. Their legs brushed one another with every step of the dance, and an electric charge coursed through her bloodstream. This was the last dance and she wished the night didn't have to end. There hadn't been much time for talking. Twirling around the dance floor, they communicated through touch and body language of the most basic primal kind.

Blake's arms tightened around her and she looked up into the ruggedly handsome face. Her breath jammed in her throat as she caught the feral light in the sapphire blue eyes.

"I want you. I want to make love to you." He slid one of his hands down to her derriere and pulled her even closer.

No way could she mistake the bulge pushing against her. The proof of his desire was all too evident.

Melanie licked her suddenly dry lips and felt a shudder ripple through Blake.

His eyes dilated. "Oh God, don't do that." He swooped down and kissed her. She nearly melted in a pool of lust as his tongue delved into her mouth. The kiss was hard and brutal, and he ended it all too soon. "Spend the night with me," he said, his voice rough with passion.

Still dazed, Melanie tried to focus. His kiss left her limp and ragged, craving more. Much more. "Where? How?" she asked, her own voice barely a whisper.

He kissed the top of her head. "I have a room. Here. At the hotel."

The last notes of the music faded into the night. As the other couples left the dance floor, Blake didn't move. He kept his arms around Melanie, searching her face. "Come up to my room. You know you want to. Say yes." He kissed her again.

Yes, she wanted. It had been so long since she'd felt this way.
If she
'
d ever felt this way.
Her senses were overloaded with Blake. Only Blake. All evening, he'd stoked the embers, fanning the passion burning between them, until the fire was so hot Melanie thought she'd die if she couldn't lie down with him and make love.

He cupped her jaws with his large hands and looked into her eyes. "Melanie. Sweetheart. What do you say?"

She took one of his hands in hers and kissed the knuckles. "Yes, Blake. I say yes."

****

By the time the elevator reached the twelfth floor, Blake was so hard he thought he'd splinter into a thousand fragments if he didn't get Melanie naked and into bed. The dances they'd shared, the kisses exchanged, all had imprinted her very essence into his brain.

The doors swooshed open, then shut again, as Blake held Melanie in his arms, her lithe body plastered against him, her sweet hot lips fused to his. He took the pins from her hair, letting it fall loose around her shoulders. The doors slid open again and seemingly from far off, Blake heard the digital
ping ping
indicating they'd reached their destination.

Reluctantly, he pulled out of the hottest liplock he'd ever been privileged to share. "We're here. Come on, sweetheart. The sooner we get to my room, the sooner we can continue this. In bed."

Melanie blinked dreamily and licked her kiss-swollen lips. "Bed sounds heavenly."

Blake closed his eyes on a groan. He grabbed her hand and practically dragged her out of the elevator, down the hall and to his door. He quickly slid the key-card into the slot, the metallic click a welcome sound to his ears. Soon he'd have Melanie just where he wanted her--under him and naked.

Darkness shrouded the room, but instead of turning on a bright overhead light, Blake switched on the desk lamp. A soft warm glow filled the room. Melanie still stood in the entryway. She'd stepped out of her heels and stared at him, her green eyes glittering like jewels in the night.

Blake shrugged out of his jacket and tossed it on a chair. "Come here," he said, his voice guttural with sexual need and hunger.

Melanie dropped her small evening bag on the dresser and walked toward him. Then she was in his arms again, kissing him as if her very life depended on it. Damn! How had he gotten so lucky? She was so responsive, so eager. So hot . . .

Her mouth burned under his and Blake thrust his tongue inside, tasting her, devouring her. Their tongues tangled and he caught hers with his lips and sucked hard. Melanie trembled beneath the onslaught, moaning in the back of her throat.

He grabbed hold of her butt and kneaded the firm flesh, pulling her flush against his groin. She fit perfectly and snuggled closer, rocking, rotating, driving him crazy with desire. He felt himself throbbing, growing harder by the second.

Melanie's hands were busy undoing his tie from around his neck. She let it fall to the floor, then began unbuttoning his dress shirt. Blake nearly exploded when she splayed her long fingers across his bare chest. He was too aroused, too stirred up.

He was dying a thousand deaths wanting to plunge into her wet heat and feel her slick channel clamp tightly around him. He picked Melanie up and carried her to the bed, letting her slowly slide down the length of his body until she was on her feet. The movement caused a friction that was pain and pleasure, a sensual torture. Her dress bunched up around her hips, and he grabbed her butt again, this time lifting and holding her.

"Put your legs around me," he said gruffly.

Melanie wrapped them around him, holding on to the strong shoulders. She arched her back and tilted her head. She felt his hard shaft thrusting against her damp panties.

Blake kissed her neck and her bare shoulder, nipping, licking and sucking. He ground his lower body against her feminine core, and Melanie thought she'd faint from the intense pleasure.

Jerking back the covers, Blake laid her down on the bed. He got rid of his boots and unfastened his belt, then shucked off his pants and boxers in one efficient movement. His shirt followed, then he knelt on the bed and began unzipping Melanie's dress. He eased the one shoulder strap down and away, but stopped halfway to her elbow, effectively imprisoning her arm. Green eyes flew to his and he smiled. She looked so beautiful lying on the bed, her glorious hair spread out on the sheets.

When she smiled back, Blake stretched out beside her and sank his fingers into the satin-smooth curls. He finger-brushed her hair, catching a handful and wrapping it around his hand. Bending down, he kissed her again, relishing the heat and her welcome response.

He pulled the neckline of the dress down lower and released her full breasts, exposing them to his view. "Oh God. You're so beautiful." He bent to take a nipple in his mouth, swirling his tongue around and around before sucking more fully.

Melanie nearly bucked off the bed when Blake's mouth closed around her nipple. One arm was held hostage by her dress, but the other was free, and she raked her fingers through Blake's short brown hair, caressing his scalp, holding him close to her chest.

He trailed his tongue down the curve of the breast, nuzzling the valley between, chasing chill bumps along her nerve endings. All of her attention focused on the nipple he was forging toward. She watched in breathless anticipation as his mouth moved across her skin, alternating kisses and licks and soft nips.

Just when he reached his destination, he stopped and caught her eyes in a heated gaze. With the tip of his tongue, Blake slowly and meticulously traced the base of her nipple. It puckered and beaded.

Melanie's lungs stalled and her heart thumped wildly. She arched her back, offering herself, willing him to give her what she longed for. "Please, Blake."

He flicked the nipple quickly, then blew softly across the wet skin. "Is that what you want, sweetheart?"

Melanie's fingers tightened in his hair. "Yes. Please. I can't stand it. Touch it. Touch it," she whispered.

He kissed the rounded curve of her breast and caressed the other with his big work-roughened hand. Again, he teased the base of the nipple, generously laving the aureole with the flat of his tongue, inching his way closer to the turgid bead, never quite touching, always retreating.

And then he stopped . . .

Melanie hung in a fog of sensual yearning. She closed her eyes and gripped Blake's head. She felt his hand slide down her stomach and he cupped her mound. At the same moment, he took her nipple into his hot mouth. He sucked hard and long.

She nearly screamed from the exquisite pleasure flooding her system. Tension built and suddenly, she needed to be naked. She needed
him.
"Make love to me, Blake. I need you inside of me."

"Not yet, sweetheart. Not yet."

"Why not?" Wiggling her arm free from her constraining dress, Melanie started shoving it down her torso. "Please, Blake. Please."

"Don't worry, I will . . . when I'm finished with you." He grabbed the dress and pushed it the rest of the way down her legs and tossed it on the foot of the bed. He stripped off her panties and then he was on top of her, kissing her passionately, grinding his shaft against the juncture of her thighs, whispering in her ear what he was going to do to her.

Putting action to words, he kissed her neck and the soft sensitive skin of her collarbone. He lingered a moment over her breasts again, paying homage to each one, then moved down her stomach and licked her belly button. He looked at her and smiled wickedly as he trailed kisses ever downward. He grabbed hold of her ankles and pushed them toward her, bending her knees and spreading her legs wide until she was open and vulnerable to him.

Melanie's breath caught and she gripped the sheet in her fisted hands as she waited. Blake was driving her crazy and he knew it. She was wild for him already, her stomach clenching with need and yearning.

She felt weak and helpless lying like this, naked and exposed. But she also felt a thrilling excitement for what was to come. She closed her eyes. She'd known for the past six weeks that Blake was a stickler for details. The way he'd teased and caressed her breasts only emphasized that fact.