Chapter Twenty-Two
He was hard as a rock, and she wasn’t just talking about that one part of him that she felt pressing against her thigh. He was cut. Ripped. Whatever those bodybuilders called it when a man’s body was all muscle and no fat, that was what Tyler was.
She finally understood the term washboard abs. It was impossible not to after running her hands up Tyler’s torso and feeling them for herself. And his arms, and his legs, and God, the perfection that was his back—he was all solid muscle. Hard as granite. She’d never had her hands on any man like him, much less had him undressed and in her bed.
And the tattoos—they were another thing she had no experience with, but damn, they were hot. Until today when he’d taken off his shirt, she’d never known what art was hidden beneath. Both of his shoulders, his back, and even one thigh sported designs she could happily study for hours.
It was hard to get a close look with him lying on top of her, not that she was complaining. She could catch up on her tour of Tyler’s tattoos later. Right now, she was having trouble concentrating on anything except what she was feeling. What he was making her feel.
The combined heat of his mouth and his hands was enough to quiet the nagging voice in her head. The one that kept telling her she was crazy to do this. It had been so damn long since a man had touched her, and it felt so good.
While his big, rough hands traveled over the bare skin of her hips, he trailed his mouth across her chest. The difference of rough and soft was enticing. Tyler moved his hands around her back and Janie felt her bra release.
Her eyes widened. “How did you do that?” She hadn’t even felt him touch the clasp.
“Talent.” He smiled and peeled the lace down. He drew her nipple between his lips and scraped his teeth over the sensitive flesh.
His groan vibrated through her breast, and a shudder ran through her. Thinking was nearly impossible. All she could do was feel. That was a good thing. She’d done entirely too much thinking lately.
Tyler slid his hand downward, and she drew in a shaky breath. He snaked his fingers beneath the waistband of her underwear, and then lower. Janie stilled, waiting for what she knew was to come. She might keep focusing on his age, or lack of it, but Tyler was all man, and he knew his way around her body. He connected with a spot that had her hips rising off the bed. It had been so long since she’d been touched like this, she felt as if she’d shatter from the sensations rocketing through her.
The heat of Tyler’s breath against her ear as his weight pressed her into the mattress, combined with the touch of his hands, drove her insane. Her breath began to come faster. He groaned above her.
“Yes, Janie.” His words, spoken softly against her hair while his hand continued to work her, were enough to push her over the edge.
The orgasm broke through her and, God help her, she couldn’t control her cries as they filled the small room. She didn’t recognize the sound of her own voice. It seemed too loud, too wild. It wasn’t until he’d eased his touch that she could think again, and they were only beginning. There was a lot left to explore.
The thought had her feeling needy all over again. She reached between them and ran her hand over his thick, hard length. Every part of this man was impressive. She should be embarrassed to think it, but this part in particular was exceptionally so.
With eyes that seemed unfocused, he watched her touch him through the cotton of his briefs. Then he reached down and there were no more briefs between them. He pulled them off and, leaning over the edge of the bed, he dropped them to the floor. He reached down for his jeans, and then he was back and holding a strip of condoms. She stared at what was in his hand as he separated a single packet from the strip and ripped into it.
He rolled the latex over himself and moved to crawl over her. He glanced up, saw her watching him, and stilled in midmotion. “You okay?”
Rather than slowing as she came down from her orgasm, her heart rate sped at the realization of what was to come next. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
“Good.” His relief at her answer was clear as he rolled to settle between her legs and ran his palms up each of her thighs.
Lifting her hips, Tyler was inside her with one sure thrust.
Janie’s eyes closed as she pressed her head back against the pillow. She forced her lids open again so she could see him over her. Since she was actually going through with this craziness, she didn’t want to miss one moment of it.
A frown formed a deep crease between his brows and his eyes were squeezed tightly closed in concentration. Then he opened those eyes and she was drawn into the depths of his deep blue gaze.
Tyler was handsome on any given day. Unbelievably, he was even more so now, as he moved above her—inside her—all while he held her captive in his stare.
Leaning low, he kissed her, taking her mouth softly at first and then deeper as he thrust his tongue between her lips, and the motion of his hips increased.
He leaned back, rising above her as he ran his hands down her legs. He lifted her knees and thrust deeper, and she welcomed every one of his strokes.
Each plunge of his body inside hers made her want more. Tyler gave her what she wanted, what she needed, until it became impossible not to close her eyes and grasp at the sheets beneath her as she was consumed by the pleasure gripping her body.
Janie had no idea how long she lost herself in the moment. It could have been mere minutes, or as long as half an hour, before Tyler finished in a frenzy of motion that left them both breathless and sweaty, clutching each other like life preservers on a sinking ship.
It was by no means a brief encounter. Still, she didn’t want it to end. Of course it had to, but maybe that didn’t matter. She spied the rest of the condoms he’d tossed onto the bed. He’d come prepared for more than just one time.
Finally, Tyler rolled to his side, but his arms remained wrapped around her, pulling her with him so they lay facing one another. He brushed his fingers down the side of her face, and the intimacy of being his sole focus hit her again. She wasn’t used to really being seen. Studied.
It had been a long time since she’d worried too much about how she looked. With Tyler, she feared her hair was a mess, and God only knew what he thought of the few extra pounds she was carrying.
Self-conscious, she redirected her focus and ran her fingers over the black ink of the American flag and eagle decorating Tyler’s shoulder.
He glanced down. “I got that one last year.”
It hit her that she didn’t know much about this man or his past. Had he served in the military? Did he just get out? She knew the taste of his skin, and the feel of his muscles beneath her hands, and so many other things, but his history was probably something she should have learned before she invited him to her bed.
“It’s um, very patriotic.”
He smiled. “Yeah, it is. My brother was missing in Afghanistan. It was driving me crazy to just sit there, waiting days for the army to tell us if he was dead or alive. So I got in the truck, drove to my tattoo guy, and told him to do this. I knew it couldn’t help Tuck any, but doing something—anything—felt better than doing nothing.”
Janie’s stomach twisted at his words. He’d talked about his brother visiting, but did he have more than one? “But he was okay, right?”
“Yeah. He came back safe and sound. He’s the one I had dinner with last night.”
Janie exhaled in relief and tried to calm herself. “Good. I’m glad.”
“Yeah. Me too. He can be annoying, but he’s my only brother and I love him.”
His stomach growled, a deep, loud, disgruntled sound that lightened the heavy moment. After all the times he’d teased her for blushing or some other thing that amused him, this time it was her turn to smile. “Hungry?”
“Little bit.” He pressed his lips together. “All right, I’m starving. I guess I just hadn’t noticed that when I had more important things on my mind.”
His heated gaze settled on her face and confirmed her suspicion that the important item on his mind had been her. The whole situation seemed surreal.
Not sure how to act around him now, she needed a diversion. Cooking seemed the perfect thing.
“I’ll go finish supper.” She sat up as best she could with Tyler half on top of her. He groaned in protest and didn’t move the leg thrown over hers, pinning her lower half in place. She laughed. “You’re hungry. You’ll have to let me up so I can cook.”
He sighed. “Okay. As much as it kills me to do it, I’ll let you get out of bed.”
Tyler rolled onto his back and crossed his arms behind his head. He watched as she pulled shorts and a T-shirt out of a drawer. She might as well dress comfortably. He’d already seen all of her and he looked pretty comfortable himself, lounging naked as the day he was born on her bed while she dressed.
She wasn’t about to complain. Tyler had a really nice body. The kind of body that made the words really nice seem much too weak to refer to both him and how she felt looking at him. She’d need a thesaurus and probably a week to paw through it to come up with just the right words to describe him.
He wasn’t perfect. There were calluses on his hands and a scar on his upper lip. His second toe on each foot was too long to be in proportion with the rest, and when he smiled it was a little bit crooked. It was his imperfections that seemed to make him more perfect, which made no sense.
Janie yanked her eyes off him, but that was easier than getting him out of her mind. “I’m gonna head down.”
Finally, he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the mattress. He hooked a thumb toward the bathroom door. “Can I jump in your shower real fast? Then I’ll come right down and help you.”
“Sure, but no rush. Take your time.”
“Nah, I’m quick . . . when I want to be, that is.” His grin told her he was very pleased with himself when his innuendo made her blush. He was probably pretty pleased with what they’d done together and how long that had lasted, as well.
She couldn’t help laughing even as she shook her head, but she didn’t play into his hand and respond. All she said was, “I’ll be downstairs.”
“Okay.” He headed for the bathroom, whistling as he went.
If she didn’t feel in grave danger of getting too attached to this man, she might have been inspired to whistle a happy tune herself.