Lucien slanted his mouth possessively over Jaclyn’s as desire swept through him. He told himself to slow down, not be greedy but to savor not only the moment but also the woman. However, the deeper he took the kiss, the more he wanted her, the more the need to make love to her became as elemental as breathing.
Her lips were softer, more delicious than anything he’d ever tasted. And as he continued to kiss her he detected it again, in the recesses of her mouth—her unique flavor, a potency he tasted, absorbed and was convinced he was addicted to.
Lucien traced every inch of her mouth with the tip of his tongue before using that tongue to tangle with hers. Sensation after torrid sensation swamped his body. He hadn’t wanted to go this far this quickly. He had wanted them to take a stroll around the property, to appreciate their surroundings, to enjoy the bay. But it seemed all those things would be placed on the back burner as they enjoyed each other.
He deepened the kiss while his hands slid up and down her back in leisurely strokes, and he shifted his stance to bring her closer to his hard, masculine frame. She was soft to his hard, but from her kiss he could tell she was just as ravenous as he was. Just as overtaken with desire so arousing that he felt it in his bones.
He tried to draw on the strength he truly didn’t have to end the kiss here and now. But the only thing he could do was let his mouth cling to hers and not let go. He’d known he was a goner the moment he had arrived at her house and seen her in those white shorts and blue top. She’d looked more than just cute in the outfit. She’d looked tantalizing with a capital T.
There wasn’t anything indecent about the way she looked, but all her lush curves had sent blood rushing through his veins, had ignited sensations he’d tried reining under control but couldn’t. The only reason he finally released her mouth was because they both needed to breathe.
But that didn’t stop his tongue from sensuously licking the sides of her mouth or playfully tasting the bow of her lips as she drew in sharp intakes of breath. There was just something about her mouth—the shape, taste and texture—that could render him mind-bogglingly delirious with need.
And if that wasn’t bad enough, he had eased his hand beneath her shirt to roam up and down her back, stroke the softness of her skin. She was wearing a bra without a back opening which meant the clasp was in the front. The thought of freeing her breasts from the bra had heat flowing all through him and sensations tugging low in his gut.
He pulled his hands from beneath her shirt and went for her hair. From the first day he’d seen her he had wondered how it would feel to run his fingers through it. Now he reveled in the silky feel of her brown tresses.
He took her mouth again. Never had he made love to a woman’s mouth the way he was doing hers. It was as if he was paying homage to it. And Jaclyn’s mouth deserved the honor. She had lips made for kissing and a mouth made for tasting, and he was doing both.
He had known the more he kissed her the weaker to resist her he would become. But the last thing he had expected was this raw hunger, this intense desire that he felt in every part of his body. There was no organ spared, no sensation missed or muscle neglected. All were working simultaneously to give him the Jaclyn Campbell effect. He was getting it in large doses and had no control of what was happening to him at that moment.
“Lucien,” she groaned his name, slowly pulling her mouth away and looking up at him.
His gaze snagged hers and the degree of desire he saw embedded in the dark depths almost took his breath away, almost brought him to his knees. He fought back both reactions as he swept her off her feet and into his arms. Moving toward the bed, he thought of the words he could possibly say to make her know just how he felt. He was good with a stethoscope, but when it came to expressing himself where a woman was concerned, he was at a loss for words. Never had he been so overwhelmed.
He gently placed her on the bed, but that was where his tenderness ended. He began undressing her with a need so fierce that he sent her clothes flying everywhere. His intent was to strip her naked. And he wasn’t wasting any time doing so.
He paused and raked his gaze over every inch of her bared flesh. Each part of her was so tempting that he had to force his hand to remain by his side, hold his tongue hostage inside his mouth and shift his body to ease the pressure of his erection straining against the zipper of his shorts.
His gaze then zeroed in on her mouth, a mouth that had been thoroughly kissed by him and that tempted him to do so again. His eyes moved up to hers and held her gaze, watched the magnitude of emotions that flickered in their depths.
“You are simply beautiful,” he said in a soft, unsteady voice, one filled to the brim with need of the most intense kind. The smile that appeared at that moment on her lips made his gut clench.
“I think you’re beautiful as well,” she said, letting her gaze roam all over him.
He chuckled. Because he was still fully clothed she didn’t really see much skin, but she would and he hoped she thought the same thing when she did. He slowly skirted around the bed to sit in the wingback chair to remove his shoes and socks, not taking his eyes off her. He saw she was paying attention to everything he did, taking it all in.
After tucking his socks into his shoes and placing them aside, he stood and went to the belt on his shorts and slid it through the loop. Placing the belt aside he pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it away.
His glanced over at her when he heard her sharp intake of breath as she stared at his bare chest. Moments later he eased both his briefs and walking shorts past his thighs and down his legs and the look that flared in her eyes sent red-hot sensations sweeping through him.
He knew at that moment their lovemaking would not only be intense, but it would also be special. The entire room oozed with sexual chemistry. When he picked up his shorts to get a condom packet from his wallet, he had a strong feeling they wouldn’t be leaving their room anytime soon.
Jaclyn fought to regulate her breathing as she stared across the room at the man who had the body of an Adonis and wore the most beautiful smile she’d ever seen. Even when a nagging voice inside her mind was saying she should really question being here with him and that maybe things were moving way too fast, she couldn’t help the heated desire that seemed to overtake her senses.
She would never forget the first day she’d met him, when he had walked into the auditorium and introduced himself to all twenty interns. She’d heard the feminine whispers that had wafted through the room. Like all the other women she had been checking him out, but unlike them, she saw beyond a handsome face and a well-built body.
When he started to speak, his words momentarily weren’t the focus of her attention. She concentrated on the man as a strange phenomenon took place and it was just as her mother had said it would be. She’d discovered that day that love at first sight, as crazy as it sounded, was as true as true could be for her.
The strange thing was that she had known nothing about him other than his name and the fact that during the period of her internship at Hopewell he would technically be her boss. But a part of her had known something else. It had known love in a way she’d never had with Danny. Stranger still was that Lucien had had no idea what she’d been thinking. He hadn’t had a clue.
But now he was here. They both were. Totally naked and about to connect in an intimate way. She watched while he encased his manhood with a condom and she couldn’t help but lean back on her haunches in the middle of the bed and take it all in, not quite believing the size of him. And I’m supposed to handle that?
From somewhere she was suddenly entrenched with confidence that she could and she would. Maybe it was the way he was looking at her watching him. Or maybe it was the fantasy of him tucked away in the back of her mind. Whatever the reason, her body began tingling all over, causing a delicious ache to start throbbing at her center. And when he slowly began moving his naked body toward her, she could only look at him and be totally consumed by him.
He came to a stop at the edge of the bed and said in a deep, husky tone, “I want you.”
Okay, so it wasn’t the L word, but she would take it. And the meaning, spoken with such profoundness made her tremble. “You’re shivering,” he said.
She released a deep sigh while thinking that wasn’t all she was. She felt as if she was a heated mass of desire and all for one man. Before she could respond to his observation, he reached out and pulled her into his arms.
More than anything, Lucien thought, this was what he wanted. This was what would often make him toss and turn, and keep him up late at night. Thoughts of sharing a bed with Jaclyn, of kissing her this way, of participating in racy foreplay before their bodies joined in lovemaking. His fantasies had been so profound that he would wake up in cold sweat.
Now he was about to experience the real thing.
Her taste was luscious on his lips and while his tongue toyed endlessly and hungrily with hers, he wanted more and tilted her head back to get it. The low moan that escaped her throat when he deepened the kiss made his heart beat that much faster, and caused goose bumps to form on his arms.
His hands smoothed over her back before moving lower to clutch twin cheeks in his hands while easing her on her back. He broke off the kiss long enough to say, “I love kissing you.”
The words tumbled from his throat easily and he knew he hadn’t experienced anything quite like what he was sharing with her. When he had her flat on her back, he began tasting her from her lips to her breasts. The twin globes were high, firm, and the nipples were dark and inviting and he couldn’t resist the temptation to taste them.
He heard her deep sigh and felt her clutch the back of his head to hold his mouth in place when he began sucking earnestly on a nipple. Her scent conveyed her readiness, but he wanted to taste her all over and he slowly left her breasts to move his mouth lower to her stomach.
He was consumed with a hot hunger, a deep desire to lick her all over, taste her and absorb every inch of her into his mouth and the scent of her into his nostrils. Wanting to know just how ready she was for him, he lowered his hand to the wet spot between her legs, slipping his fingers between the damp womanly folds. His body began shivering knowing just how much she wanted him and how her body had prepared to have him.
Desire, as potent as anything he’d ever felt before, rushed through his body as he lowered his mouth, kissing a path downward. When he reached his destination and his tongue entered her, the quivering of her thighs sent a tidal wave of sensations through him.
Never had he enjoyed loving a woman this way more. This woman. And he took his time to savor her as well as to bring her pleasure. When she moaned he deepened the intimate kiss, determined that she partake of the dose of rapture overtaking him. And when she called out his name after an orgasm took control of her body, he locked his mouth to her, determined to feast on her to the max.
Moments later when he finally pulled his mouth away, he sat back on his haunches to stare down at her. She wore pleasure well. Satisfaction was carved into her features and she seemed to inhale an air of bliss with every intake of her breath. She held his gaze and he knew from this moment that when he brought her home tomorrow that would not, could not, be the end of things for them. If he’d ever thought that this could be a two-day affair and that when it was over he would return to his senses, he was totally wrong.
“You’re ready for me, sweetheart?” he asked, feeling the deep throb of his erection overtake his senses.
Jaclyn could only lie there while toe curling sensations oozed from her body, leaving her feeling bone tired and weak. But she wasn’t too weak to respond to what he’d asked. Because although she had just experienced one whopper of an orgasm, all she had to do was read the look in his eyes to know there were more where that one came from and he intended for her to enjoy every single one of them.
“Yes, I’m ready.”
A smile curved his lips. Evidently he liked her response. Then he slowly began easing toward her, and her heart began beating more furiously with every inch he took toward her, his warm breath getter closer and closer to her lips. Anticipation was eating away at her, renewing her desire and kicking her hormones into overdrive once again.
And then he was there, touching his lips to hers. No matter how often they kissed she would always look forward to mingling her tongue with his, eagerly, hungrily, willingly. And when he covered her body with his, she felt the heat of him from shoulder to thigh, especially from his center. It was almost burning her alive.
She felt him fit right between her open legs. The intensity of his kiss deepened and suddenly he thrust inside of her as he held tightly to her hips so she would take him fully. Pleasure ripped through her the moment their bodies connected, and then he began moving in and out while she arched her body to meet his every stroke.
She’d made out with Danny many times, but until today she hadn’t known how it felt to be so in tune to a man. The more he thrust, the more she wanted him. His strokes deepened, and so did her need for him.
Finally, she couldn’t take any more, couldn’t handle the expert precision of his lovemaking another moment. Sensations slammed into her, pushing her over the edge. She broke her mouth from his to scream out his name.
There was not a single disillusionment in how she felt. Every bone in her body felt pulverized, every cell energized, and she knew that no matter what the risks of having a relationship with him might be, it was all worth it. Here, in his arms, was where she belonged.
Lucien soothed Jaclyn’s hair back from her face as she slept. She looked beautiful awake or sleeping. He couldn’t help but think about what they’d shared moments ago. Never had making love to a woman meant so much. Never had he gotten just as much as he’d given. He had wanted her badly and she’d given him just what he’d wanted.
He momentarily closed his eyes, just to decipher what kind of future the two of them could have if they continued on this path. And the answer wasn’t one he was ready to accept just yet. She was a woman any man would be proud to be seen with. A woman a man should cherish and not sneak around with. She deserved better than that.
He opened his eyes and gazed around the room. They weren’t supposed to be here together like this. They were taking a huge risk doing so. But the sexual chemistry, the need and the desire had been too keen, too overpowering. They hadn’t been able to resist such temptation.
“Lucien?”
He glanced down at her. Although the room was dark, he could see her gaze. He held it. “Yes?”
She reached up and touched his cheek, traced a line around his lips with her fingertip. “Any regrets?” she asked in a soft whisper.
“None,” he whispered back quickly. “It was everything that I imagined it would be. Even more so.”
And he meant it. When he’d slid into her body and her inner muscles had clamped on to him, pulled everything he had to give out of him, he had willingly surrendered his all.
He studied her features while breathing in her scent. It was a fragrance he doubted he would be able to forget. “What about you?”
He watched as she drew in her breath slowly before saying, “I wish…”
When she paused, he lifted his brow. “And what do you wish, Jaclyn?”
Her gaze connected with his. “I wished we didn’t ever have to leave here.”
He wasn’t sure if she meant the bed or the inn. Regardless, he was still feeling her. “I wish we didn’t have to leave, either.”
Beyond the door were things he wasn’t ready to deal with. Realities he preferred not to face. He much preferred being here, in this room, in this bed, with her.
But he knew that was impossible. They had a life beyond that door. In another day they would return to their jobs. And it was a job he rather liked doing and he knew for her it was the same. They were who they were. They had simply met at the wrong time.
When he’d left Jamaica many years ago his life plan had been set. From a child he had always known two things: he would one day make a life for himself in America and he would be a doctor. He had worked hard, finished top in his class and he’d played by the rules, refusing to break any.
Until now.
He wanted his job and he also wanted her. He wanted it all, but life decreed that wasn’t possible and they both knew it. And it was something he wasn’t ready to talk about right now. He just wanted to hold her in his arms and relish the memories.
Moments later he heard her stomach growl and couldn’t help smiling.
“Sorry,” she said apologetically.
He shook his head. “I’m the one who should be apologizing. We missed dinner. I’ll call and have something brought up to us.”
“Thanks.”
“And I still want to take that stroll tonight. I hear the grounds of the inn are beautiful at night.”
“And I’d love to see it…but at some other time.” And then she pulled his head down to hers. When she slid her tongue inside his mouth, he moaned deep in his throat and deepened the kiss.
And just like that, she had stoked his desires once again.
Jaclyn opened her eyes to the sunlight shining through the window. She heard Lucien moving around in the bathroom and shifted to lie on her back and gaze up at the ceiling.
It didn’t take much to remember last night. It had started with Lucien’s mouth on hers and things had moved quickly from there. When it came to kissing, he was a master, but then it was her opinion he was a master lovemaker as well. His strokes and his thrusts had been precise and had aroused her to a point of no return. Never had she been made to feel like that before. In the end they had both lost control. They had both gotten what they wanted. At that moment she didn’t want to think about the fact that yesterday and today were all they would have.
“You look beautiful in the morning.”
She glanced across the room. He was standing in the bathroom doorway, shirtless, with a pair of jeans hanging low on his hips. The man epitomized sex appeal.
She sat up in bed and smiled. “And you don’t look bad yourself, Doc.”
He chuckled as he began slowly moving toward her in what she thought was one sexy stroll. He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her into his arms and she was ready for the kiss she knew was coming.
Moments later when their lips parted, she could only moan in protest.
“Hey, I need to feed you breakfast,” he said, joking.
She shook her head. “No, you don’t. We ate dinner late last night, remember?”
And they had. They had made love again before they’d finally ordered dinner delivered to their room. After eating they had gone out on the balcony to watch the fireworks over the bay. The way the prism of color had burst across the water, lighting up the skies, had been nothing short of spectacular. They had slipped into thick terry cloth robes, compliments of the inn, and Lucien had stood with his arms around her waist. She had leaned back into him and had felt like she was the most cherished person on earth. When the fireworks had ended, they had returned to their room, stripped and made love again.
“I still want to go for a stroll around the inn, Jaclyn.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re back to that again?”
He chuckled. “You’re going to thank me.”
She blushed, knowing exactly what he meant. Her body was sore and he knew it. If they remained in their hotel room all day, the soreness would only increase. “Okay, we’ll go walking.”
Surprisingly it didn’t take long for them to get dressed once they got out of the shower a while later. She’d known for them to take a shower together was a mistake as soon as he’d suggested it. But like everything else with him, she’d been tempted and the weakling in her had given in to it.
They enjoyed breakfast on the huge screened-in porch and then they walked around the inn, hand-in-hand, taking in the various sights and sounds. The inn was magnificent, the lawns well kept and the trees and shrubbery neatly trimmed.
Checkout time was at noon, but instead of driving directly back to Alexandria, they had decided to stop along the way and enjoy lunch in the quaint historical town of Evans. After they ate, they walked around the town, and they fell into silence, each one seemingly caught in their own thoughts.
“You’re quiet,” she said softly.
He glanced over at her and a smile touched his lips. “I was thinking how much I’ve enjoyed my time with you.”
“And I’ve enjoyed these stolen moments with you as well,” she replied.
“Stolen moments…” He seemed to test the words on his lips.
“Yes. Tomorrow we will be back in the real world.”
“At the hospital?”
“Yes.” They kept walking and then he stopped and turned to her, reached out and tenderly stroked a thumb across her cheek. “And what if I said I still wanted to see you away from the hospital?”
She met his gaze. “Then I would say you would be asking for trouble. You would be taking chances neither of us needs.”
He didn’t say anything for a while and momentarily broke eye contact with her to glance over the bay. When he returned his gaze to her, he said, “Can you look at me, Jaclyn, and say all you wanted was yesterday and today, and that our time together meant nothing but an affair to you?”
She drew in a slow breath and shook her head. Jaclyn knew her true feelings for him, knew there was no way she could say that. Although the past two days might not have been a turning point for him, it definitely had been for her. She loved him more now than before.
“No, but it doesn’t matter what we might want,” she said. “The hospital isn’t going to change its policies just for us. It is what it is.”
“But if I can come up with a plan, would you continue to see me?”
He was gazing at her with such tenderness and longing in his eyes that she knew what her answer would be. She would risk all to continue to see him. “Yes, I would continue to see you.”
He nodded. “That means we will have to keep our secret.”
She nervously nibbled on her bottom lip. Isabelle would be asking questions when Jaclyn returned. Her best friend was relentless when she wanted to know something.
“I know how you probably feel and what you’re thinking,” he said, interrupting her thoughts. “I don’t like sneaking around any more than you, but that’s how it will have to be to protect our careers at Hopewell, Jaclyn. The only other solution is one I’m not ready to do. I’m not ready to give you up and walk away. I’m not prepared to pretend the last two days, especially last night, didn’t happen. No matter the cost. You mean more to me than that and I refuse to treat it like it was some cheap hotel-room affair.”
Jaclyn didn’t say anything. He’d said she meant something to him. Granted it wasn’t what her heart declared he meant to her, but at least it was something.
“Jaclyn?”
“Yes?”
“So we are in agreement to continue what we started here?”
His mouth was set in a grim line and she knew he wasn’t overjoyed with his suggestion any more than she was, but for them that was the only way. They had their careers to protect and there was no doubt in either of their minds what would happen if word got out they were involved in an affair.
But then she knew what would happen if they weren’t involved in an affair. She would be miserable. “Yes, we are in agreement. I’ll continue to see you.”
With her words she knew a commitment had been made. And it was one she intended to keep. No matter what.