He kissed her then. Holding her face cradled in his big hands, he set his lips on hers the way he’d imagined doing in countless idle daydreams. Daydreams he’d barely permitted himself to admit to having before tonight.
Her lips were soft and warm and she made a small noise as their mouths touched. Her hands came up and wrapped around his thick wrists and to his pleased surprise, she didn’t fight him or passively accept. No, she kissed him back. Awkwardly at first, but she was definitely responding.
She’s a virgin, he reminded himself. Take it slow. And so he did, leisurely making love to her mouth alone, molding her lips with his until she was twisting and turning to meet him. He was dying to touch her, to slide his palms down her body and cup her soft bottom, to pull her up against his aching flesh until she could have no doubt about his interest in her. But he forced himself to keep his hands lightly on her face, concentrating on arousing her first. Slowly, he tasted her with his tongue, light flicking touches along the closed seam of her lips, and glory, hallelujah, she opened to him, inviting him in and even meeting him with shy tastes of her own. Her mouth was warm and sweet; she tasted of those green things she’d been drinking, and he pushed farther into the slick, moist depths, showing her what his body longed to do.
When he finally lifted his head, she sagged against him and her forehead dropped to rest against his broad chest. “You should be labeled ‘explosive,’” she mumbled.
He grinned, dropping a kiss on the crown of her bent head as he let his hands fall to her bare shoulders beneath that glorious mane of hair. “May I come in?”
She lifted her head again at that, and her lips looked swollen, glistening with his kisses. “I thought I didn’t have a choice.”
“You don’t,” he said, brushing his thumbs along the sides of her neck. She was like a drug—now that he’d finally begun to touch her, he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to stop. “I just wanted to make you feel better.”
She snorted, though he noticed she didn’t move away from his caressing hands. “What if I’d said no?”
“Then I’d have had to charm you with my irresistibility.”
“That is not a word.”
He was absurdly pleased to have his smart-mouthed, reliable Del back instead of the fragile, weeping woman he’d had in his car. “Wanna bet?”
She considered. “No.”
He chuckled. He had never really thought about the easy working relationship they’d had. They’d been in sync from the very beginning, on the same page, often thinking the same thing at the same moment.
From the very first, Del hadn’t been afraid to voice her opinion, to stand toe to toe and argue with him when she felt she was right. As she’d gained experience and knowledge, he’d had to concede to her more often. Hell, at least half the time her business sense was better than his.
They made a good team, he and she, he thought as he slid his hands from her shoulders down her back to her waist. He had the knowledge to offer their clients the specialized kinds of help they needed. Del had company management capabilities. They’d taught each other a lot, and their very different styles meshed well.
He knew at least half the employees were scared stiff of him. He wasn’t terrific with people. Okay, get real, Sam. The truth was, he sucked at interpersonal stuff. He had no patience, no sense of finesse. He left that to Del. She was sympathetic, empathetic, all that “-etic” stuff, but she had a core of iron as well as a keen nose for bull and he’d bet on her in a verbal exchange of fire any day of the week.
Yes, they were a good match, playing little games like the one they just had.
And it had relaxed her. Her body wasn’t tense and stiff against his anymore, but soft and pliant. He was the one with the stiff body now, he thought with grim amusement. And it was going to be a while until he wasn’t anymore.
“Sam?” Del’s head had settled on his shoulder, her temple at mouth level. Without her shoes, he was pretty sure he could have rested his head atop hers.
“Yeah?”
“Can I ask you some questions?”
“Maybe,” he said, “we should go inside and get comfortable.”
“Okay.”
For answer, he bent and slid an arm beneath her knees, the other around her back, and lifted her into his arms.
“Whoa!” She clutched at his neck. “What’s with you carrying me tonight? Although I have to say this method beats the last one.”
He stepped into her house and kicked the door shut behind him. There was a small nightlight of stained glass in shades of rose giving off just enough glow for him to get his bearings, and he headed for a couch along one wall. When he reached it, he pivoted and sank down with her in his lap. Not a bad arrangement, he thought to himself, tugging her closer as he yanked off his glasses and tossed them on her coffee table.
Then he remembered her words. “Okay. You wanted to ask me something?”
“Several somethings, actually.” She took a deep breath that pressed her body against his and added fuel to the fire raging through his system. Her arms were still linked around his neck and he could feel her idly playing with the hair at his nape. It was an intimate, erotic action and his body responded immediately. And then her words sank in.
“Give me a break.” He sat up straighter. “You were going to pick up a stranger and now you’re interviewing me? I don’t think so.” Dropping his head, he sought her lips again.
Del was laughing but she quickly wound her arms around his neck, pressing her upper body against his as she opened her mouth and kissed him back. He plunged his tongue deep, seeking out the unique flavor that was Del. It seemed impossible that he really could be sitting here with her in his arms.
Not just in his arms, he thought. The rounded curve of her hip and bottom were pressed against the bulge behind his zipper, exciting him even more as the soft flesh yielded, cushioned his insistent arousal.
His free hand rested at her waist, and he spread his fingers wide, covering her flat belly. Slowly he smoothed his palm upward but before he reached the soft pillowed flesh he sought, he slid his hand back down and repeated the action, stopping just short of the swell of her breast each time.
Finally, she tore her mouth from his. “Touch me,” she breathed. She took his wrist and urged it higher, and he breathed out a sigh of relief as the firm, soft mound of feminine bounty filled his hand. He shaped her breast with his fingers, then began to brush his thumb back and forth across the tiny bud of her nipple until it peaked and rose, the taut outline clearly visible through the thin fabric of the dress.
“It’s time to get you out of this dress.” He gathered her into his arms, then rose. She was surprisingly light, as he’d noticed before. He supposed he didn’t think of Del as a small and delicate woman, but that’s exactly what she was beneath all that businesslike competence. “Where’s your bedroom?”
“Back down the hall on the left.” She touched a finger to his bottom lip, tracing a light path around his mouth. “I didn’t know a bed was required.”
He strode back down the hallway and entered her bedroom. “For your first time, it’s a damn good idea.”
That sobered her and she took her hand away from his mouth.
“Hey,” he said, “it’s going to be all right.”
She smiled but her lips quivered a little. “I know. I’m just…nervous.”
Afraid, is what she meant. He imagined women the world over felt very much the same way the first time they gave themselves to a man. And telling her it was going to be okay wasn’t helping one little bit. He’d have to show her.
The room was dim and he didn’t bother with the bedside lamp. There was enough light spilling in from the hallway as well as the moon that shone through her open curtains for him to be content, and he suspected Del would be more comfortable if it was dark, anyway.
He let her slide down to her feet beside the bed. Reaching for the hem of the little dress, he slowly tugged it up her body and over her head, tossing it carelessly into a corner.
Her hair was a loose, wild cloud spilling over her shoulders and he gently combed tresses aside, pushing them behind her shoulders until her torso was revealed. All she wore now was a lacy black strapless bra and a tiny pair of matching panties.
As he took in her slim, shapely figure, the generous slope of creamy breast and rounded hip, his palms nearly itched to touch her. “Del,” he said softly. “I can’t believe I let you hide from me all these years. What a dope I was.”
She smiled again, a little less tentatively this time. “I didn’t exactly go out of my way to let you know I was interested.”
“Were you? Interested?”
She nodded. “Very.”
Very. She was right, she had hidden it well. If he’d had any idea a little alcohol would uncover the truth, he’d have taken her out for a drink a long time ago.
He slid his hands from her shoulders in toward her throat, circling her neck gently. Letting his thumbs brush downward, he skimmed the shadowed cleavage between her breasts and let his hand drop to the front clasp of her bra. It had been a long time, but he hadn’t forgotten everything he knew, and he easily snapped open the simple fastening. The fabric sprang free but clung to her, caught on the peaks of her breasts, and he smiled as he slowly brushed over the satiny flesh and let the bra fall to the floor.
“Pretty,” he murmured, bending his head. He set his mouth against her neck just below her left ear, kissing and tasting the tender flesh he found. “Very pretty.” As his hands cupped the warm mounds, he lightly brushed his thumbs over their taut peaks, feeling them rise beneath his touch as he slid his mouth down the slender column of her throat to the delicate joining of neck and shoulder. He pulled her to him again then, turning her sideways and arching her backward over his arm as he bent his head to the breasts that jutted up at him. Lazily, he used his tongue to trace a wet circle around one brown tip, then lightly blew on the sensitive flesh, smiling when she shuddered. He flicked his tongue over her again, not missing the way she shifted restlessly in his arms, and then he couldn’t wait any longer. Nuzzling his face against her, he took one nipple into his mouth, sucking gently at it, rolling his tongue smoothly around and around as he increased the suction. Her hands came up to clasp around his head and he felt her body relax. Become his. All his.
Gently, he eased her upright and knelt before her.
“What are you doing?” Her hands were rigid on his shoulders.
For answer, he tugged at the tiny panties, sliding them slowly down her smooth, bare legs. “We forgot these.” It was an effort to resist leaning forward and burying his nose in the sweet, dark-curled cleft at the top of her thighs, but he reminded himself that Del wasn’t used to such intimacy. So he stood, urging her toward the bed as he stripped off his shirt and kicked out of his shoes. “Why don’t we lie down?” If she were more experienced, vertical wouldn’t be a problem. But he wanted her to be comfortable, to have wonderful memories of her first time. Her first time with him.
She began to slide onto the bed, but suddenly she stopped. “Aren’t you going to undress?”
He nodded. “You can help,” he told her, taking her hands and setting them at his belt buckle. He closed his eyes in delight as he felt her small hands fumbling with the belt, the tips of her fingers pressing against him as she found the zipper tab and slowly lowered it. She spread his pants wide and he said, “Ahhh,” as his hardening shaft was freed from the tight strictures.
He looked down at himself. His stretchy briefs were…stretched, leaving little to the imagination. Putting his thumbs beneath the top elastic edge, he slowly pulled them out and down. As he freed himself completely and stepped out of the briefs, he wondered what she was thinking. Had she ever seen an aroused man before?
Just as he was about to reassure her that yes, it really would fit, Del said in a small voice, “May I…touch you?”
He smiled, trying not to look too much like the Big Bad Wolf in Grandmother’s bed. “Sure.”
But when she had permission, she hesitated. He reached for her hand and lifted it, slowly drawing her palm to him, wrapping her small fingers around him and holding her hand there with light pressure.
She looked up at him, eyes wide in the dim light. “It’s soft!”
“No,” he said definitely. “It is not.”
“I know that,” she said with a startled laugh. “I meant it feels velvety. Soft over hard.” She explored a little, running her fingertips up and down and around, and he shuddered, feeling a dangerous frisson of pleasure slide down his spine. Hastily, he pulled her hand away with a rough laugh.
“I like that,” he said, “but if you don’t want this to be over right now, you’d better stop.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, perfectly serious.
“Me, too,” he said with feeling.
He stepped around her and pulled the covers back to the foot of the bed. She slid onto the mattress while he donned protection, moving over as he followed her until she was on her back in the circle of his arm.
He gathered her close with one arm, the other resting at her waist. He was pressed against her soft hip, and if he’d ever known anything more erotic than this moment of sexual anticipation, he couldn’t remember it. He kissed her gently, running his hands from her waist to her breast and down again. Letting himself sink into the flavor and scent of her, deepening the kiss until she attempted to turn more fully into his arms.
He slid his hand across her belly, stroking her soft skin, allowing his hand to trail lower with each movement until his fingers were stroking the soft, tight curls between her legs.
“What are you doing?” she whispered.
He knew she didn’t mean it literally. “Taking it nice and slow,” he told her. He eased one finger into her warm cleft. “Open your legs for me.”
Her eyes were wide, searching his face, so he leaned down and kissed her again as he slipped his hand farther between her legs and found what he’d been hoping for. She was moist and slick, responding to his handling as if she’d been made for him. Probing deeper, he found her snug channel and inserted one finger.
She was tight. Very tight, and he felt sweat breaking out all over at the thought of what it was going to feel like when he was inside her. He’d better not think about that right now. “You okay?” he asked her.
She nodded. “It doesn’t hurt.”
He smiled tightly as he withdrew and returned, this time using two fingers.
She was breathing heavily, beginning to move restlessly against him. He smiled to himself as he bent his head and took her breast again. As he did, he slipped his fingers up through the dense nest of curls, searching out the tender bud hidden there. She gasped sharply as he pressed, then circled lightly, and her hips lifted off the bed. “Sam!”
“Del,” he murmured against her skin. “Relax. Enjoy.”
To his delight, she was amazingly responsive, her body reacting with every slight touch, every kiss, every breath she took. Her hands grew damp and frantic as she clutched at him, her nails digging into him as she tried in vain to pull him atop her.
He was having an increasingly difficult time keeping a lid on his own reactions. The feel of her satiny hip repeatedly pressing against him was a potent stimulant, and soon he found himself moving against her in response, pleasure shivering through his system with every subtle shift.
Finally, when he sensed she was as ready as she could be without completely sliding over the edge, he shifted his weight. Del accepted him eagerly, spreading her legs so that he could nestle himself in the warm cove of her thighs. Just the feel of her soft body beneath him threatened his control, and he quickly moved into position.
“This might not be comfortable,” he warned her.
“I don’t care.” She urged him on, palming his buttocks and trying to pull him to her. “Please, Sam?”
He forced himself to move slowly, to enter her only one small fraction at a time before withdrawing and forging ahead a little more. Over and over again, he repeated the motion, his arms corded with the effort of holding back, every muscle in his body focused on the slick, tight glove of her body. She didn’t seem to be in pain or even discomfort, her eyes shining and her warm body flowing around him. Suddenly, she arched her back, digging her heels into the bed and shoving herself up, offering him everything. The motion embedded him deeply within her, and he groaned as he felt his body slipping from his precarious control. His hips surged once, then again and again. He gritted his teeth. “Del,” he ground out, “I-can’t-wait.”
“I can’t, either,” she panted. “Make love to me, Sam.”
It was impossible to resist her plea. Letting his body take over, he ceased to think. Pure sensation reigned as he found his rhythm and urged her into following his lead, fiery pleasure spreading through him with each stroke. His body drew tighter and tighter as forerunners of ecstasy tap-danced down his spine. Del was moving wildly beneath him, with him, her slim body a beautiful sight.
She was making small sounds each time he moved against her, a whimpering, keening, needy sound that rose higher and higher until her body began to convulse beneath him, her tight sheath gripping him, milking him again and again as she shook and shattered. He couldn’t wait, couldn’t hold on, and with a rush of satisfaction he followed her, his body completing the mating ritual in the most primitive of ways, arching his spine and sending his seed forth in an explosive finish that nearly took off the top of his head.
In the aftermath, he slowly let his shaking arms relax and collapsed onto Del, burying his face in the pillow just beside her. Her arms came up around him immediately and the small motion created a warm glow deep inside him. She stroked his back lightly and as he moved to one side and drew her into his arms, he knew he was going to do his best to see that he spent a lot of nights from now on in Del’s bed with her small body tucked securely against him.