Playing for Keeps (Texas Scoundrels), page 19
“I don’t want food,” she told him.
“It’ll keep.”
Thank goodness, because neither one of them moved. They stood there just holding each other while a haunting Brahms melody drifted into the bedroom. Finally, she pulled back and looked up at him. Tenderness and promise were banked in his eyes, and her insides did a funny flip. Oh, but this man was dangerous. To her mind, and her heart.
“I’ve thought about this all day long,” he said, then dipped his head to skim his lips along her throat, gently nipping with his teeth, then soothing with his tongue until he reached her mouth. A shiver passed through her and she moaned as his tongue slipped between her parted lips. She lifted her arms to wrap around his neck, then slid her fingers into his thick hair and returned his kiss with a passion that no longer surprised her.
Need twisted and knotted inside her, and when his hands slid down her back to cup her bottom, she moaned and arched against him. She wanted so much more. She wanted his skin pressed against hers, his body poised over hers, him deep inside her.
His mouth left hers and she whimpered in protest. Her breath came in short gasps, her body burning for him.
He pushed the robe from her shoulders and the silk puddled at her feet. She tugged his t-shirt free from his jeans. “Take off your shirt.” When he complied, she stared in awe. Just as she’d imagined, he was pure masculine perfection. She knew he had a great body. The man was a professional athlete, after all, but she’d been unprepared the sight of all those hills and valleys of his chest and ripped abs.
“Wow.” She was never getting naked in front of him. “Work out much?”
He chuckled. “It’s part of the job.”
She didn’t care. She still wasn’t getting naked in front of him. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy the hell out of him. She smoothed her hands over his torso, using her fingers and lips and tongue to explore all that gloriously hard male flesh.
He sucked in a sharp breath. She looked up to see his eyes darken. Desire ignited in his gaze and his body tensed. He pushed her hands away, then pulled her up against him. He kissed her, and there was nothing gentle or romantic about it. He kissed her hard, demanding, letting her know in no uncertain terms exactly what he expected from her.
She groaned. Need licked through her. Warmth pooled in her belly and there was a heaviness inside her that responded to his sensual demand. She reached for the fly of his jeans and dragged the zipper down, then pushed the denim over his hips. Pressing her lips to his torso, she licked and tasted and teased. When she settled to her knees in front of him, a wave of satisfaction pulsed through her when she freed his erection and heard his sharp intake of breath.
“Griffen.”
“Hush,” she said, then took him inside her mouth.
Making love to Jed had to be most idiotic stunt of her life, but nothing short of a natural disaster could prevent her from charging down that path with him tonight. By his actions, her hardened heart had softened enough to let him inside where she would hold the memory of this night, and him, for the remainder of her days.
Jed clenched his jaw as Griffen loved him with her mouth. He balled his hands into fists, fighting to hold onto the thin thread of his control. He was afraid to move, afraid to breathe, but if he didn’t touch her, he’d go crazy.
She pulled him deeper into her mouth and he nearly lost it. He grit his teeth and growled, the sound low and savage. Good God, she was trying to kill him.
He reached for her, hauling her back to her feet and crushing her against him. He claimed her mouth, his tongue sliding over hers. But kissing her wasn’t anywhere near enough. He wanted more. He wanted, needed to taste her—every enticing inch.
He ended the kiss long enough to toe off his shoes and shuck his jeans. He lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bed where he gently lay her upon the mattress. She gasped, and then he remembered all the foil packets, the dozens of boxes of condoms he’d arrogantly purchased just to shock her. He supported her back with his good arm and shoved the packets aside.
A sweet sigh escaped her lips when he settled her back on the bed. She pulled him with her. “I want you,” she murmured against his mouth.
His blood pressure spiked. God knew he wanted her, too. So much.
“Shhh, sweetheart. We have all night,” he said as he smoothed his hands up her impossibly long legs. He pushed beneath her silky slip of fabric shielding her curves and groaned when he discovered she wore no panties.
He wanted to take things slow. He intended to savor every inch of her long and luscious body, but need pulsed through him in hot waves, making a mockery of his control. He stretched out alongside her and dragged his hands over the dip in her waist and upward to cup her breast in his hand, then lowered his head and suckled her through the silky material.
Griffen moaned and arched against him in silent demand for more. His mouth left her breast and he slowly moved down her body. Pleasure speared through her when his hands slid over her hips to the inside of her thighs, his fingers lightly brushing against her curls. He shifted and moved between her legs. She rolled her hips, seeking his touch, crying out when he lightly teased her clit. He slipped his fingers inside her and his groan of satisfaction heated her blood, pushing her closer to heaven.
His breath fanned against her sensitive flesh as he coaxed her closer to completion with his hands. isHShe felt so reckless, as if she were charging toward a place she couldn't remember ever being before. And there was nothing she could do, or wanted to do, to stop. Whatever she needed, he sensed and gave selflessly.
She widened her legs and he kissed her inner thigh, moving closer and closer to where she craved his kisses the most. When he finally brought his mouth down on her sensitized flesh, every inch of her body responded as spirals of pleasure drew her closer to sweet oblivion. He dragged sensation after sensation out of her, using his mouth, his hands, pushing her ruthlessly toward an earthshattering orgasm.
He turned his hand and pressed his fingers upward, finding that spot that had her entire body trembling. Her breathing deepened and she couldn’t help the cries that escaped her lips as a powerful orgasm rocked her body.
“You sound so sexy when you come,” he said. “Come for me again, baby.”
Without giving her time to recover, he suckled her clit. Hard. As if she had no control over her own body, she tensed, her body bowing as she flew apart again almost immediately, the orgasm rocking her so hard she lost her breath and her ability to think. The intensity of her release spooked her. Never in her life had she ever experienced anything so powerful, so all consuming.
As if he sensed her sudden unease, he slid up alongside her and cradled her against him as aftershocks of pleasure pulsated through her. She clung to him, seeking balance, needing grounding, as she waited for her world to turn right side up again.
But he wouldn’t have it. He dragged his hands down her back and held her close as he brought his mouth to hers, urging a renewed response from her with his deep, drugging kisses. His mouth left hers long enough to remove her chemise, and she didn’t care. Nothing mattered now except their two bodies coming together in an explosion of heat and need.
He trailed hot kisses down her throat, his tongue teasing that sensitive spot just below her ear. She held him to her, her breasts crushed against his chest as he slid over her. She parted her legs and he settled between her thighs.
Her world narrowed when he slid his long, hard length inside her. She was slick, drenched with need. His mouth came down on hers, the erotic dance of his tongue, combined with the slide of his body into hers, had her arching her back and holding him to her. He reached down and lifted her bottom, holding her up as he drove into her, increasing the tempo.
“Jed,” she cried, but he didn’t stop. Instead, he pushed her harder, higher. He made her insane, burning her from the inside out, consuming her as he continued to make love to her.
She neared the edge again, straining for the pleasure until her entire body trembled. He pushed her, taking her in a maelstrom of emotion and need. Each stroke of his body was like a match to kindling and before long, she ignited into a flame that burned so hot she feared she’d never survive.
Driven to the brink of mindlessness, he pushed her over that edge one last time. Inch by sweet inch, he plunged deep inside her, sinking to the hilt. Elemental desire, a deep primal need to make him hers, completely hers, overwhelmed her.
He demanded and she gave without restriction. He stripped her emotions bare and without a doubt, she knew there would never be any turning back where Jed was concerned. So she responded with demands of her own, demands he mindlessly met until she cried out and the waves carried her into sweet oblivion, taking him with her until his control finally shattered. He buried himself inside her and together they went to that place where rational thought ceased to exist and only pleasure and heartbeats remained.
Jed didn’t think his pulse would ever return to normal. His doctors would hospitalize him for fear he’d stroke out if they heard the pounding going on at the opposite end of a stethoscope. Sweet heaven, he couldn’t recall another woman who’d ever given herself to him so completely. The thought didn’t sting half as much as he imagined, but he’d been right. There would be no forgetting Griffen.
He rolled, wincing when the edge of a foil packet dug into his back. He took her with him until she lay sprawled across his chest and she shivered from the sudden chill against her creamy skin. Maneuvering them beneath the covers wasn’t easy, and his shoulder caught. He tensed, but she hardly seemed to notice by the time he settled the comforter over them then waited for her to get comfortable again. She snuggled against him, and he held her close, feeling the beat of her heart against his.
Lust didn’t equal love, and the rationalization gave him some comfort. He didn’t know what he felt for Griffen, but he didn’t think his feelings could ever be categorized as something as simple as lust. Sure, his body craved her touch, and now he’d made love to her, he didn’t think he could ever get enough of her. But that was as far as he was willing to examine. Instead, he held her close, liking the way she curled next to him.
“I think I’ve died,” she said against his chest, “and gone to heaven.”
He chuckled and ran his hand down her back to rest on her hip. “Yeah, but what a way to go.”
Her long, slim legs tangled with his. She rested her head against his good shoulder and sighed, her warm breath fanning his chest. “If I had the strength, I’d pinch you for that remark.”
He wondered what she’d do when she found out he’d bought the house, not to mention the stunt he’d pulled at the auction. He’d arrived early and he’d made an offer on the entire lot, more than enough to cover whatever she owed. The guy Griffen had hired was a sly old fox who loved the thrill of negotiations. The old man had haggled until Jed agreed to pay way more than he should have, plus put a thousand dollar bonus in the guy’s pocket just to keep his mouth shut about the whole thing.
He had to tell her. From their conversations, he knew she’d be ticked at him for interfering. Griffen could become pretty damned prickly when it came to her independence. Her reaction to the monthly support allowance he’d arranged should have told him to mind his own business.
He hated the idea of destroying their momentary bliss, wanting instead to keep the real world at bay. For the first time in a long time, he felt a sense of peace. Oh, sure, he had to confess the truth to Griffen, and she’d be angry as hell at him, but he wasn’t too worried about getting her to see things his way. Like he’d told his son, he knew a thing or two about softening up women, and Griffen was, after all, a woman. One hell of a woman, who was bent on taking nothing from no one, himself included.
He ran his hand from her hip, up the length of her spine, to cradle the back of her head in his palm. She sighed when he kissed her, long and slow, hard and deep. For now, it was just the two of them, and he’d be damned if he’d let the outside world intrude.
Fifteen
GRIFFEN SLOWLY OPENED her eyes, smiling when the morning sun peeked through the draperies of her bedroom. She stretched, then let out a groan when nearly every muscle she could name, and some she couldn’t, screamed in protest. Her body ached, but she’d never felt more fulfilled in her life after a night of making love to Jed.
Turning her head on the floral pillow, she looked over at the cause of all her muscle aches. His hair was mussed and hung low over his forehead, shielding his eyes. The heavy shadow covering his strong jaw did little to abate the illusion of strength. In sleep, his chiseled features were somewhat softened, but she didn’t think anything could completely alleviate that dangerous, bad boy appeal. One arm was thrown back over his head, the other cradled against his chest. The sheet slung over his hips exposed his torso for her viewing pleasure.
The night she’d spent with Jed had been glorious. After a brief rest, they’d ventured downstairs for sustenance but ended up continuing their sensual exploration on the kitchen counter. She fully expected a blush to cover her from head to toe as she thought about some of the things she and Jed had done during the night and into the early morning hours, but all she felt was a rush of exhilaration.
With a dreamy sigh, she slipped from the bed, drawing the silk robe around her. She headed into the bathroom for a shower, glad that Jed still slept because she didn’t think she had the ability to keep her feelings to herself after the night they’d shared. And she simply wasn’t ready to face him, or the truth, quite yet.
Impossible, she chastised herself, picking up the brush and running it through her tangled hair. There was no way he’d know what she felt for him, especially since she wasn’t even ready to put a name to those feelings. Her heart ached for him. Her body ached as well, humming like a well-tuned engine under his expert and gentle touch. He made her feel things she’d never believed possible between a man and woman, and she was a far cry from a blushing virgin.
She turned on the tap and waited for the water to heat. Could she love him? If he walked out her door and never looked back, would her heart shatter into a million tiny pieces? She didn’t want to search for the answer, uncertain she’d like what her heart was trying to tell her.
No, she couldn’t love Jed. No matter how much she wanted him, she would not love him. She would never put herself in a position to trust and depend upon a man to be there for her. Never again. Especially not since she’d proven she could take care of herself.
After she finished working out the last of the tangles, she dropped her robe and stepped into the shower. Determination to pretend nothing earthshattering had happened between them spurred her, but the truth had her wincing. She’d crossed a line last night. Hell, who was she kidding? She’d given a part of herself, and that frightened her. Wherever she dared to venture from this moment on could determine the outcome for the rest of her life. The stakes had shifted and Austin was no longer their only common ground. Oh, no, what she felt for Jed was more elemental, more basic, and more frightening than anything she’d faced in the past six months.
For their son’s sake, as well as that of her own heart, she prayed she hadn’t made a monumental error. Because deep in her heart, she knew the truth. If Jed walked out her door right now and never looked back, her heart would most definitely shatter into a million tiny pieces.
*
Jed looked up from the Sunday newspaper he’d been reading when Griffen walked into the family room carrying two mugs of coffee. He set the financial section aside and made room for her on the sofa next to him.
He took the mug from her, setting it on the table beside him, then slung his arm over the back of the sofa. His shoulder caught and he flinched, then swore.
“I heard your shoulder catch in your sleep this morning. Does that happen often?” she asked, settling in beside him.
“More than it should.” He rested his hand on her shoulder and rubbed, moving his hand to her neck, letting his fingers sift through her silky hair. God, he’d never get tired of touching her.
She leaned forward and set her mug on the table, then scooted back and curled against him, laying her head on his shoulder. She peered up at him, concern filling her eyes. “Can you still play?” she asked quietly.
Could he? He honestly didn’t know any longer. The doctors had never promised him a one hundred percent recovery, but he’d been optimistic. Or was it denial? Denial, he decided. The orthopedic surgeons had been anything but promising when it came to the use of his shoulder as far as his career had been concerned. His rotator cuff was shot, and the clavicle resection hadn’t completely alleviated the pain. He had plenty of strength, but as far as throwing a decent pass, he wouldn’t know until he went out there and tried. He was sure he could play football again, but he began to have serious doubts about his ability to remain on top. And for him, it was an all or nothing proposition.
“I don’t know.” A surge of anger rushed forward at the reluctant admission and he tensed. He couldn’t be over the hill. Not him.
He set Griffen away from him and stood. Damn her for making him look in places he didn’t care to have uncovered. He started pacing the length of the family room, agitation and anger filling every step he took. The sensation of feeling trapped gripped him hard.
“Jed?”
The concern in her voice irritated him. “Don’t.” He didn’t want her concern, and he’d be damned if he’d allow her to pity him like he was some washed up legend.
A spark of fire lit her eyes. “Would it be so terrible if you couldn’t play again?”
