Jenny pushed Richard’s jacket over his shoulders, letting it drop to the floor. She yanked at his tie and tossed it aside. Passion was building, burning, inside her. She started on the buttons of his shirt, fumbling as he dipped his head and pressed his lips to the tender skin at the base of her throat.
She shivered in response to the deliciously erotic tingles that rocketed through her body. His fingers had made quick work of her buttons and his lips continued to trail kisses along the ridge of her collarbone, then over the slope of her breast. Her head fell back against the door as his teeth closed over her nipple through the lace of her bra.
It wasn’t enough for either of them. He unfastened the front clasp and pushed the cups aside to cradle her breasts in his palms. His thumbs traced lazy circles around the peaks, moving with tantalizing slowness. She was trembling now, her body pulsating with desire. Then his mouth fastened on her breast, his tongue rasping against the nipple, and the pulse grew stronger, more insistent.
He slid her skirt and her panties over her hips, down the length of her incredibly long legs, adding them to the growing pile of discarded clothing that littered the floor. Then he stepped back to look at her. Except for a pair of stay-up stockings and heels, she was naked, while he still had most of his clothes on. But the blatant appreciation in his eyes obliterated any lingering sense of shyness.
“Richard.” It was a demand as much as a plea.
Finally, his lips covered hers in a kiss that was hot and hungry and all encompassing. There was no tentative exploration, no soft seduction. There was just heat and hunger, an escalating passion that could no longer be denied as his tongue slid between her parted lips to tangle with her own.
She reached for him, finished unfastening the buttons on his shirt and parted the material to reveal the firm expanse of his chest. Her palms slid over the smooth hard skin, reveling in the muscular contours she would never have guessed were hidden beneath the business suits he habitually wore.
Her hands moved over him greedily, almost desperately. Had she ever wanted anyone so much? Had she ever been wanted the way he seemed to want her?
She banished these thoughts from her mind. She didn’t want to think or question, she only wanted to feel. She slid her hand down into the front of his pants, heard his sharp inhalation as she wrapped her fingers around the hard length of him.
He dragged his lips from hers. “I promised myself that if I actually got you up here, I would take my time with you,” he said.
“I just want you to take me.” She started to push his pants over his hips.
He put his hands over hers, halting her movements. “Condom,” he said. “I’ve got one in my pocket.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “I’m not sure if I’m grateful you’re prepared or offended you took it for granted I’d be here.”
He dipped his head again, nibbled on the lobe of her ear. “Let’s just say I was cautiously optimistic after we said goodbye Wednesday night.”
“Then I’ll say thank you.” She brushed her lips against his as she took the packet from his hand. Her mouth still thoroughly occupied with his, she managed to tear open the wrapper and roll the prophylactic into place. She swallowed his moan as her fingers slid down the length of him.
He broke the kiss to press his lips to the side of her throat. “It seems, Jenny Anderson, that you aren’t quite what I expected.”
She smiled. “Disappointed?”
His only response was to capture her mouth again as he thrust into her.
She gasped, a combination of shock and pleasure, as he filled her. He lifted her legs to wrap them around his waist. She locked her ankles together, anchoring herself to him. The polished wood of the door was smooth and cool against her back, and she braced herself against it as she tilted her hips to pull him deeper inside.
Richard groaned into her mouth, his fingers digging into her hips to still her impatient rocking. “I’m trying to maintain some degree of control here.”
She nipped at his shoulder, then soothed the gentle bite with her tongue. “Control is overrated.”
He slowly withdrew from her, then sank in again. She gasped.
“Prove it,” he challenged.
He moved out and in, deliberately rubbing against the sensitive nub at her center.
She felt her body tense as her mind struggled to follow the thread of conversation. Her breath was coming in shallow gasps now, her fingernails biting into his back.
“Let yourself go, Jenny.”
She couldn’t seem to do anything else as the first climax swamped her, the waves of her release crashing one into another, each stronger and longer than the previous, until her skin was damp and her entire body was shuddering.
Richard had never seen anything more beautiful than Jenny lost in the throes of passion. It was almost enough to send him spiraling over the edge with her. But not yet.
He braced his hands on the door and fought to hold on to the last vestiges of his control. The clenching of her muscles around him was almost more than he could stand, but he was determined to show her more. When her trembling had subsided, he wrapped his arms around her and carried her to the bed.
He lowered her onto the mattress and knelt over her, still buried inside her.
“Why—”
He brushed his lips over hers, gently this time. “Because I want to make love with you properly.”
She smiled. “I didn’t think there was anything improper about what we were doing.”
“Maybe not,” he agreed. “But I couldn’t hold you up and do this…”
He dipped his head and took the peak of her breast in his mouth to suckle deeply.
She moaned.
“Or this…”
He slid a hand between their bodies to the soft tangle of curls at the apex of her thighs.
She gasped.
“Again,” he said.
She shook her head. “I can’t—I don’t—”
“Again,” he repeated, driving her ruthlessly up and over the peak again, proving that she could.
He crushed his mouth down on hers, swallowing her cries of pleasure. His own needs refused to be denied any longer, and as he drove into her slick, pulsing heat, he plunged over the final, ultimate peak with her.
“I’m sorry.” Jenny’s words broke the silence.
Richard propped himself up on an elbow to look down at the woman lying naked beside him. She looked sleepily satisfied, the remnants of a smile tilting the corners of her mouth. She certainly didn’t look sorry.
“For what?” he asked.
“Holding out for so long.”
He brushed his lips over hers. “I’d say it was worth the wait.”
Her lips curved. “Definitely.”
“Although that’s not to say I want to wait another ten days before we do it again.”
She snuggled closer, sliding one long slender leg between his, the tips of her breasts grazing his chest. “What kind of time frame did you have in mind?”
“About another ten minutes,” he promised.
Her smile widened and she wriggled against him. His body immediately responded to the seductive movement. He’d barely finished having her, and he already wanted her again.
“Ten minutes?” she challenged.
“Maybe less.” He flipped her onto her back and rolled on top of her, capturing her lips, kissing his way down her throat. “I wanted you from the first minute I saw you,” he told her. “Just like this—naked in my bed.”
She gasped when his lips fastened over her breast, sighed when his tongue swirled around her nipple. “Do you always get…what you want?”
“Usually.” He moved to her other breast to minister the same treatment. “Because when it’s something that really matters, I don’t give up.”
Then he kissed her. “You matter, Jenny.”
“Don’t say things like that,” she pleaded softly.
“Why?” He kissed her again, longer, lingering. “Were you hoping this was just sex?”
“Maybe.” She shifted, drawing her knees up to bracket his hips, opening for him. “It would make things simpler.”
He unwrapped another condom, then groaned when he slid into her and found she was hot and wet, as ready as he was all over again.
“This isn’t going to be simple,” he promised. “Not for either of us.”
Richard awoke to the sound of the curtains being pulled open and the glare of sunlight streaming through the windows. He threw his arm over his eyes. “How can it be morning when I haven’t had any sleep?”
“Because the earth continues to revolve whether you’re ready for it or not.” Jenny sounded surprisingly awake and cheerful although she couldn’t have had any more sleep than he did.
They’d barely let go of one another through the night. If they weren’t making love, they were getting ready to make love or cuddling together after just having finished making love. He’d thought it would be enough to have her once. That after he’d had her in his bed he’d be able to get her out of his mind. Instead, he wanted her more.
“And if you opened your eyes,” she continued, “you’d see that it’s a beautiful day.”
“I’d be more willing to believe that if you were still in bed with me,” he told her.
“If I was still in bed with you, we might miss out on the entire day.”
“Why is that a bad thing?”
She chuckled softly as she tugged the covers away from him. “Come on. I’ve ordered up breakfast, but you probably have time for a quick shower before it gets here.”
He snagged her wrist, tumbled her back down onto the bed beside him. “What’s the hurry?”
“It’s almost nine o’clock.”
“But it’s Saturday, right?” He wasn’t entirely clear—he’d lost himself in her so completely time had faded away. It could have been hours or days or weeks.
“Yes, it’s Saturday.” Amusement was evident in her tone. “And there’s somewhere very special I want to take you today.”
“You could take me to paradise without either of us having to leave this room.”
“Let’s start with Lake Sai.”
“Where’s that?”
“It’s one of the five lakes of Mount Fuji and it has the most spectacular view.”
He smiled. “I’m liking the view from here right now.”
“Have you ever seen the sun rise behind Mount Fuji?” she challenged.
“I can’t say that I have,” he admitted.
“Well, tomorrow morning you’re going to. And I promise it will be unlike anything you’ve ever seen.”
Somehow she managed to make the prospect of getting up at daybreak appealing. Or maybe it was just the idea of being with her. And if that was how she wanted to spend her weekend, he would oblige her.
Then it hit him—Saturday.
He swore softly.
Jenny frowned. “What’s the matter?”
“It’s Saturday.”
“Yes, I believe we’ve already established that.”
“Helen’s coming into town today,” he said. “And I’m supposed to go with her to some cocktail party thing tonight.”
“Oh.” She smiled, but he could tell it was forced. “Well, we’ll go some other time then.”
“I’m sorry, Jenny.”
“It’s okay. I shouldn’t have assumed that you were free.”
But he could see the disappointment in her eyes and felt like a heel for putting it there.
“If I had a choice—” he broke off.
Why didn’t he have a choice? Why did he need to be at this reception? It was a purely social event—there would be no business decisions made, no legal expertise required. And it certainly wasn’t as if Helen needed him to hold her hand. She might not be pleased by his last-minute change of plans, but he’d rather face her displeasure than the resignation in Jenny’s eyes.
From what she’d told him about her childhood and her previous relationships, he knew that her biggest insecurity was feeling as though she was always second best. No one had ever put her first and now, after one night together, Richard was doing the same thing—subordinating her wants to the demands of his career. And the worst part of it was that Jenny wasn’t even surprised or angry, as she had every right to be. She’d simply accepted his decision, as if she’d expected he would disappoint her.
The knock at the door signaled the arrival of their breakfast. Richard signed for the meal, then sat at the small table across from Jenny.
She toyed with her food, sipped her coffee.
“How do you get to Lake Sai?”
She frowned at the question as she refilled her cup with coffee. “Car or train.”
“Do you have a car or should we rent one?”
“I have a car.”
He nodded. “Okay, then I’ll take my shower so we can get going.”
“Going where?”
“To Mount Fuji to see the sunrise.”
“I thought you had plans—”
“I can change them.”
He watched the emotions that crossed her face—surprise, pleasure, a flicker of guilt, before she pushed away from the table.
“But your boss—”
“Helen will understand.” He stood up and crossed the room to where she was standing.
“I appreciate the offer,” she said, “but you don’t have to—”
“I want to,” he interrupted.
He put his arms around her “—I want to spend the day with you—” pressed his lips to hers “—and the night—” kissed her again “—and all of tomorrow.”
Jenny negotiated the tight curves of the winding road with an ease that indicated familiarity—and a speed that made Richard nervous. “This road seems awfully narrow for two-way traffic.”
“Don’t worry,” she told him. “It’s a private lane and no one else will be here this weekend.”
“Didn’t you tell me that we were going to a hotel?”
She shook her head. “I said we were staying overnight.”
It was a clarification that told him little. “Staying where?”
They rounded another curve where the trees suddenly gave way to a clearing, highlighting the long low building made of rough-hewn logs.
Jenny pulled up beside the building and parked her car. “My parents’ cabin.”
He eyed the structure warily. “Did you happen to mention to your parents that you were coming up here?”
“Not specifically.” She opened her door and stepped out of the car, linking her hands together over her head, stretching her arms toward the sky.
Richard reluctantly got out of the car, accepting it was necessary to continue their conversation even though he wasn’t convinced that the smartest course of action might not be to turn around and return to Tokyo. “What if your parents decide to come up here this weekend?”
“They won’t.” She popped the trunk; he grabbed their bags. “My brother or I use it a lot more than they do. And with Mich being so close to the end of her pregnancy, she and John haven’t been venturing too far out of the city.”
He could only hope she was right. He knew neither her father nor her brother would take kindly to finding her snuggled up in the cabin with Richard. On the other hand, spending the weekend snuggled up with Jenny might make any consequences worthwhile.
“Come on,” Jenny said, leading him around to the front of the cabin.
They dropped their bags inside, then went through the cabin opening up the windows. There were three bedrooms, one obviously a master with a king-size bed and ensuite, another with a double bed and dresser, and the last contained a set of narrow bunks, a toy chest and a bookshelf. There was also a second bathroom, a moderate-sized kitchen/eating area, and a spacious family room with a stone floor-to-ceiling fireplace. It was rustic and simply furnished, yet also warm and inviting.
“It’s not fancy but it’s private,” Jenny told him.
“I like it,” he said.
“You haven’t even seen the best part yet.”
Richard followed her back outside, down a well-worn path through the trees toward the lake. Although the mountain was visible from his hotel window on a clear day, that distant glimpse hadn’t prepared him for the spectacular majesty of Mount Fuji up close. As they stepped into the clearing at the water’s edge, his only thought was—she was right about the view.
“It’s…incredible.”
She smiled, obviously pleased by his reaction. “I’ve never been anywhere that fills me with the same sense of peace and tranquility as this spot right here.”
Considering how much of the globe she’d seen, that was quite an endorsement. His travel experience was much more limited, but he agreed with her assessment wholeheartedly.
The smooth and glossy surface of the lake gave the impression of a mirror provided by nature solely for the purpose of reflecting the towering mountain above. The trees stood tall and proud all around, silent guardians of this natural paradise where the only sounds were the crickets chirping and the birds singing, and the only scents were of damp earth and fresh pine.
Richard didn’t consider himself a religious person, but there was something almost spiritual about this place, a sense of magic surrounded it.
“I can see why you love it,” he said. “I imagine your friends are always angling for invitations to come here with you.”
“Except for Samara, I’ve never brought anyone with me,” she admitted.
He didn’t ask why, and she didn’t volunteer that information. Perhaps they were both wary of the answer, unprepared to deal with the implications. Instead, he said softly, “Thank you for sharing this with me.”
“You’re welcome.”
She smiled at him again, a smile of warmth and companionship and affection. And in that moment, she was simply too tempting to resist.
Jenny’s breath caught in her throat as his lips brushed over hers. Unlike the insatiable passion they’d shared through the night, this was different. Softer, gentler, deeper. Or maybe it wasn’t so much the kiss as the emotions churning inside her.
She hadn’t known it was possible to feel both secure and vulnerable, except that in the warm strength of his arms she couldn’t separate one feeling from the other. It was exhilarating and intimidating, tempting and terrifying all at the same time. It was also frustrating that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t seem to keep her emotions in check.
She knew he cared about her, and that he would take care with her. But she also knew that she had no protection against him, no shield for her heart. She was in danger here—teetering on the edge of love, desperately trying to regain her balance. But every minute with Richard pushed her a little further toward the precipice.
She’d thought she had a choice, that she’d made a conscious decision to be with him. But after having spent the night in his arms, she knew the truth. There had never been a choice, only a destiny.
Being with him, loving him, were inevitable—as necessary as breathing.
Losing him was, she knew, just as certain.