Chapter Ten

 

"Ki, Jamie's makin' funny noises again and he says there's a dinosaur under my bed! Make him stop!"

Until tonight, Ki had no idea an adult man could shudder with horror at the sound of a child's voice saying his name. Until he'd heard it for what was probably the hundredth time since they'd arrived back at the cabin an hour earlier.

Syd had gone upstairs earlier to supervise the two kids' baths while Ki remained downstairs. He used that time to pour two glasses of wine. He hummed under his breath as he pulled off the tarp covering the hot tub and turned on the heater in anticipation of a special bath for him and Syd.

Ki held back a sigh as he forced himself up off the couch. After Syd had come downstairs, she made herself comfortable by plopping on the couch and swinging her legs over the couch arm with her wineglass within easy reach on the floor. He spun around in time to catch her fleeting smirk as Heidi's plaintive voice floated downstairs.

"Don't say it," he warned.

She looked up, wide eyed. "What are you talking about, Ukiah?"

"You know very well what." He sent her a murderous glare.

Ki, I haven't said a word. I didn't say anything when you told Heidi there was no reason she couldn't have her ice cream on a brownie with hot fudge on top, did I?" Syd said, bestowing her most serene smile on him. "And I didn't say anything when you let Jamie have a second dish."

"No, but you have that smirk on your face as if you're enjoying what's happening up there." He started to advance on her.

"Ki!"

"And to think I took you to that candy shop afterward so you could pick up those damn sugar things," he muttered, turning to stomp up the stairs.

"Brown Sugar Creams," she happily called after him.

After darkly informing Jamie if he made funny noises again, Ki would look into a muzzle, and after checking under the bed again at Heidi's insistence to make sure there weren't any monsters there, he escaped downstairs.

"Okay, you win. You were right. Sugar turned them into children from hell. Are you happy now?' he asked, panting. "We're going to sit here and pray they go to sleep in the next ten minutes. Then we're heading for the hot tub." His eyes blazed with the idea of a playtime that was more adult in nature.

Syd leaned over the side of the couch to pick up her wineglass. "What about the kids?"

"They can use the hot tub during the day. After dark is for adults only." He held up his hand in a silencing gesture. "Listen, I don't hear Heidi yelling or Jamie making those snorting noises. See, I told you they'd quiet down."

Syd found herself enjoying this new side of Ki. For a man who acted almost like Scrooge around kids, he was showing he could maneuver them as well as any parent could.

"Gee, I feel just like Carol Brady transported into the nineties," she murmured.

Ki leaned over, placing a hand on either side of her shoulders. "You think this is funny, don't you?"

Uh huh."

"If you laugh, you will ruin the mood I am trying so hard to set up here," he said with quiet deliberation. "I'm talking major seduction. You have had me hot and bothered for many a day, lady. I want us to do something about it."

She was polite enough not to laugh, but she couldn't stop smiling. "But it is funny, Ki. You honestly think you have Jamie and Heidi in control and you don't. I learned real fast that if I had let down my guard for longer than thirty seconds, they'd have me handcuffed to the bed."

"Sounds a little kinky, but I'm game to try it." He suddenly snapped his fingers as if he had just gotten a brainstorm. "Say, do you have any handcuffs stashed away in the Jeep?"

Most men would have been ground into dust by the look Syd shot him. Ki wasn't most men.

"Don't even think about it, Jones." She uncurled her legs and stood up, angling her body until it was flush against his. She tilted her head back so she could look him straight in the eye. "I could hurt you real bad, Jones;" she said huskily, lightly bumping her hip against his. "My training goes well beyond standard self defense. I could create levels of pain you can't even imagine."

Ki didn't misunderstand her meaning. This wasn't about hurting him emotionally. She was using a siren's call to seduce him. And he wasn't immune to her provocative song.

As he stared into her fiery blue eyes, he felt the heat travel through his body and settle smack dab in the center. There was no denying his body was answering her primitive call.

"I'm starting to get a handle on your moves, Taylor," he countered, taking up the verbal challenge. "You might not have it so easy next time you get tough with me."

Syd trailed her fingers down his uninjured arm before she took his hand and wrapped her fingers around his wrist. Her fore and ring fingers rested against his skin.

"Let me show you my softer side," she murmured, gently pressing against certain nerves. Ki immediately felt the tingle alerting him he was losing feeling in that hand. "Or I can get tough." She lifted his palm to her lips and pressed a kiss in the center.

Whatever Ki was expecting, that wasn't it. He breathed in, uttering a sharp curse as her slightly parted lips burned her brand into his skin.

"Which do you prefer, Ki?" she whispered against his palm.

His laughter was raw in his throat. "You are good, very good."

She looked up under the cover of her lashes. “Of course I'm the best.”

At that moment, Ki couldn’t have cared less if Jamie and Heidi were sitting right there in the room. All he knew was that Syd had begun a fire burning deep inside him. A fire he knew only she had the power to quench.

"The kind of danger you're playing with now isn't all that easy to get out of," he said raspily,

She shrugged off his warning as she continued to nibble on his palm.

"You forget, Jones. Danger is my business."

He freed his hand and planted that and his other hand on her hips, drawing her even closer against him.

"Then why don't we see how much trouble we can get into."

Their breaths mingled as their mouths melded.

Tongues curled around each other. Bodies twisted and turned in an attempt to get closer. Respiration grew labored, harsh and irregular as their mutual arousal intensified.

Syd almost wrapped her body around Ki's in an attempt to get as close as possible to him. She was taking a chance. She knew it. After all, Ki had clearly stated that he was a loner. And she had the kids to think about. Was it a good idea for them to get well and truly involved? Was it a good idea if they ignored such a golden chance? She knew the answer even before it sounded in her brain.

Syd lifted heavy lidded eyes and disentangled herself from Ki's arms. He looked at her, confused by her withdrawal as he watched her walk toward the rear of the house. She paused at the small hallway leading to the bedroom

"Are you sure you want to take off your clothes to climb into that hot tub outside? We could just take off our clothes and slip into your bed, where we wouldn't have to worry about drowning."

It didn't take him more than two seconds to make his decision.

"Good idea." He managed to get the words out even as he raced across the room. He started to swing Syd up into his arms, but she stopped him just in time.

"Sorry, tiger, but I don't think you want us to have to make another trip to the emergency room," she whispered, grabbing him by his shirtfront and leading him down the hallway.

They didn't stop until the door was closed behind them and Syd was unceremoniously pushed onto the middle of the bed.

She bounced on the mattress, laughing softly as she watched the urgency of his movements while he undressed. Ki found it nerve wracking to be careful of his arm while struggling to pull his sweater over his head, and as a result, he almost ripped it off in frustration. He tossed it over his shoulder, not seeing it land on top of the dresser.

"If you don't want your clothes tom off that gorgeous body, I suggest you get them off fast." He reached for the fastener on his jeans.

Syd sat up on her knees and slapped his hands away

She tucked her hand behind the zipper as she slowly lowered the tab. When the tab could go no farther she dipped her head and nuzzled the soft cloud of hair curled around his navel. His stomach sucked in reflexively.

"You forget something, Jones. I flirt with danger."

"Woman, the things you do to me." He knew he was reaching the point of no return. He framed her face with his hands and held it fast for a kiss that spoke of hunger, lust and something deeper, a kiss that entreated two hearts to become one. When she fell backward on the bed, he dropped with her, covering her with his body.

Their eagerness should have impeded their efforts, but they weren't going to allow anything to stop them. Ki pulled Syd's sweater over her head at the same time she was busy pushing Ki's jeans down over his hips.

"Your boots," she gasped as they both realized his jeans weren't going any farther.

Ki cursed as he sat up long enough to pull off his boots and shuck his jeans, while Syd took care of her own boots and slid her jeans down her legs.

In the dim light, Ki could make out lace-trimmed bikini panties and bra highlighting what he decided had to be the absolute best female body he'd ever seen. Syd was all lean muscle but hadn't lost her femininity. He placed his hand over her breast, finding it a perfect fit for his palm, as Syd lay back down.

"I haven't been known to be a gentle lover," he told her.

When she spoke, he could tell she was smiling by the tone of her voice. "Does that mean you won't get upset if I bite and scratch?"

If Syd was smiling, Ki was now grinning from ear to ear. What a woman!

'What did I do right to deserve a woman like you?" he murmured.

Syd wrapped her hand around his neck and pulled his face down to hers.

"Don't worry," she whispered. "I'll tend to your wounds."

Ki grasped her waist and twisted his body, rolling over onto his back until Syd lay sprawled across his body. She sat up on his hips, reaching behind her to unclasp her bra. She leisurely slid the lace edged straps down her arms with the expertise of a striptease artist. In Ki's eyes, her disrobing was much more erotic.

"Let's be fair here. If I take off something, you should take off something." She tucked her fingers under the waistband of his briefs and tugged them downward. "My, you do know how to greet a lady, don't you, Jones?" Soft laughter gurgled in her throat.

"You still have a piece of clothing on," he pointed out.

"Not for long."

She lifted her hips enough to slide her panties down her long legs.

"And now," she whispered, lowering her head as she aligned her legs with his, "let's check out that trouble we intend to get into."

Heated skin covered heated skin. Mouths mated. Words were spoken although neither would remember them later. Hot words that belied the cold temperature as Ki praised the silken feel of Syd's skin and. she murmured in pleasure at the way he made her feel. They were hungry for each other and couldn't seem to get enough, no matter how much they touched each other.

Ki grasped Syd's hips and rolled them both over until he now lay on top of her.

"l want to make time stand still for us," he told her, sweeping his hands along her body, noting the lean muscle and feeling the soft skin quiver beneath his palms. "I want us to have this pocket of time where nothing else exists but us. We won't have to worry about the outside world, because it will be frozen in time."

He cupped her breasts, feeling the slight weight in his palms, the peaked nipples pressing hard. He nuzzled the soft area of skin along the side of her throat, inhaling her fragrance that was as erotic as her body. He held on to her, afraid to let go. He wasn't sure what was happening between them, but he knew neither of them would be the same again.

Syd felt the same disorientation, the same need to reach out and hold on, even as she felt the tremors within her body from his touch. She encircled him with her fingers, felt his heat and steely strength, felt the pulsing, the seeking for his other half that could only be found within her. What Ki made her feel was like nothing she'd ever experienced before.

Ki wanted more than to touch Syd physically. He wanted to imprint her in every nerve in his body. He wanted to memorize her taste. He wanted all of his senses to know her. But more than that, he wanted their souls to merge until they had no idea where one began and the other ended. Ki wanted what he sensed no man ever had from Syd. He wanted her to give him everything she had hidden within herself, everything she'd never before been willing to share.

He began his seductive task with nibbles scattered along her throat. He listened to the small sounds she uttered as he made his way down across her collarbone and to the tops of her breasts. Her skin was cool at first then rapidly warmed under his lips as he nibbled and tasted the slight salt of her skin. When his mouth fastened on her nipple and suckled, her body bucked against him. He could taste the salt of her skin and couldn't imagine anything more delicious. Her body was a sinuous delight to him.

"Ki." Her voice caught as she felt the flames flicker along nerve endings wherever he touched her. She began to undulate under his grazing fingertips, rising up so the feathery touches would be intensified. He ignored her signals, her silent pleas for more, her murmured words.

"Soon," he promised, breathing softly on her ultra sensitive skin. "Come on, Taylor, you're a spy, didn't you ever have to endure torture?"

Syd blindly reached out, grabbing hold of his wrists, but he easily slipped them from her grasp.

Syd closed her eyes as she struggled to keep her breathing even, but she was rapidly losing the battle. A frantic part of her brain realized she had never experienced the roller coaster effect Ki's caresses were creating. No man's mouth slid across her skin with the leisurely nonchalance his did. No man's hands had ever created such an inferno of need within her. And no man with his wry wit and lazy smile, had ever given her the emotional pleasure he had given her. She drew in a deep breath, inhaling the sharp odor of Ki's scent that was the perfect counterpoint for her own. She gasped and blindly reached for him. "Ki, I don't think I can take much more."

His chuckle sent a waft of warm air across her damp skin. She shivered but not from the cold. "Sure you can."

Ki wondered how much longer he could last when he felt her skin melt into his and her lips move so wantonly over his body. Syd's lean body looked so delicate he couldn't help but fear he'd hurt her. The muscles quivering under his fingertips told him he had nothing to worry about. He laid his hand on her abdomen, marveling how his splayed fingers could easily reach each hip. But it was her feminine heat that coaxed him below to delve into the bright curls at the apex of her thighs. He parted the satiny petals, feeling the moisture from her arousal coating his fingers. As he dipped two fingers inside, she moaned softly. She surrounded him with a tight, moist heat that he wanted to know more intimately. He sensed once he thrust into her he wouldn't want to leave.

"Jones, if you don't do something very soon, I will do you a great bodily harm. You will never be able to get yourself in this situation again," she promised, curling her legs around his calves and pulling him closer against the sensuous cradle of her hips. She lowered her hand to encircle him, and then trailed her fingertip down his length.

"Anything to please a lady." He fumbled with the nightstand drawer and pulled out a foil packet. Syd was determined not to make it easy as she boldly caressed him. But the moment he thrust deeply within her, she knew their lovemaking was a meeting of their souls.

As her moist heat engulfed him, drawing him in even farther, Ki knew he would never feel the same again. He wanted to take it slow and easy, but her movements were sending skyrockets shooting through his veins. When Syd looked up at him with wonder shining in her eyes as her muscles contracted around him in a tight caress, he knew there would be no holding back.

Syd was instantly transported into a world of bright lights and brilliant sounds that seemed to invade her head and travel through her body. She felt as if Ki was doing more than filling her body. He was reaching inside her head and seeing her dreams. She lifted her hips to his as she felt him thrust into her in a slow motion, but that wasn't what she wanted. She wanted the explosions. She wanted the mind blowing experience. She wanted Ki!

"Now," she panted, feeling the quivering deep within her body.

"Wait." He grazed his teeth across her earlobe. By now his breathing was labored and his body felt so tight he wasn't sure he'd survive this.

"Now!" She felt the tremors begin and quickly escalate to major explosions.

Ki was ready to fall over the edge, too, but he wanted Syd to remember more than a night of wild sex. He wanted them to reach the stars together.

"Soon."

Syd dug her nails into his hips and arched her body toward him.

While Syd was thrust upward into the bright lights, Ki felt as if he had been shot straight from a flaming volcano. Syd's cries of ecstasy were muffled by his covering mouth, and by the time they floated back to earth, neither was aware of their surroundings.

Ki slipped an arm under Syd's prone body and brought her close to him

"Am l alive?" he wondered out loud, struggling to bring his breathing under control.

"I'm not the person to ask," she whispered, sliding her hand across his chest. Damp hair curled around her fingers. "You won't get a swelled head if I tell you that was absolutely incredible, will you?"

His laugh sounded rusty. "Honey, right now I don't think anything could swell, no matter what you say."

She lay back and stretched her arms over her head, then casually brought one arm down across Ki's middle. She smiled as she heard his breath catch and felt his muscles contract. She smiled even more widely when she slowly slid her hand downward. His sharp hiss told her he was just as surprised by his arousal.

She rolled over onto her side, propping her head on her free hand.

"Guess what, Jones. You're wrong again."

Ki rolled over onto his side to face her. "This is one time when I don't mind being wrong."

 

SYD's EYES SUDDENLY flew open. When she realized it was dark, she breathed a sigh of relief. Ki lay sleeping next to her, his hand splayed possessively on her middle. She carefully inched her way toward the side of the bed.

"What?" Ki opened his eyes a slit.

"I have to go upstairs," she whispered, as if afraid the kids would overhear her. Although if they hadn't woken up a few hours ago after what had happened, she shouldn't worry now.

He looked momentarily confused. "Why?"

"I don't want the kids to wake up and find me gone." She climbed out of bed and started hunting for her clothes. She pulled her sweater over her body, then bent one knee on the bed and dropped a kiss on his lips. As if one wasn't enough, she kissed him again.

"Are you sure they won't sleep late?" he asked, grabbing hold of the front of her sweater to keep her almost where he wanted her. If he had her exactly where he wanted her, she'd be right back in bed with him.

“Are you kidding? They have built in alarm clocks." She looked regretful at the idea of leaving him. "Will you miss me?"

He kept her sweater bunched up with his fist and lifted it up so be could press a kiss against her bare middle. "You could stay down here and I could show you how much I would miss you."

Syd muttered something about his not being fair and straightened up when he released her sweater.

"Tomorrow -- today," she quickly corrected herself, "you will work on your book and we'll get out of the cabin so you'll have peace and quiet to work. I'll even take the dogs with us and find a grooming parlor that will take them in for baths. I'll take the kids in to Tahoe and find Santa Claus at one of the shopping centers. I think if Heidi can see and talk to him, she'll feel as if she hasn't been forgotten."

It wasn't until Syd mentioned it that Ki realized that Christmas was barely a week away, although Heidi had daily restated her wish for a Talking Taffy doll. She had even gone so far as to drag Ki to the television set one day when a commercial came on showing the doll with the ten phrase vocabulary. Heidi confided that the doll would be her Barbie's new friend. Jamie only rolled his eyes and refused to talk about anything to do with Christmas, including what he might want.

"Don't worry about taking the dogs with you. They've turned out to be pretty good company when you're gone. You might have enough to worry about with Heidi. Maybe she'll need more than just seeing Santa to cheer up." He lay back among the sheets, feeling sated. But when he looked at Syd with her sweater barely covering her thighs, he began to feel more than a little aroused. He wondered if he could tempt her back into bed. He shifted enough so the sheet would slide off his body. He was pleased she snuck a look. He only wished she would do something about it!

"I think she'll be happy as long as she can talk to Santa and believe he'll show up Christmas Eve. Hopefully, he'll explain to her he'll have no problem finding her." Syd carefully opened the door and turned to blow him a kiss. Pleasant dreams, Jones." She slipped out, closing the door after her.

Ki lay back, straining to hear Syd's footsteps creep up the stairs but heard nothing. He pulled the pillow she'd slept on closer to him. He breathed deeply, pulling her scent into his lungs. It wasn't until he was almost asleep that something occurred to him. He started chuckling.

"I can't believe it. We forgot all about, the hot tub."