She shook her head. “Not okay. You’ll leave.” She pointed to the door just in case he didn’t know where it was.
“Uh-uh. This is my room.”
“Not tonight it isn’t.”
“Yes, tonight it is. As it is every time I come here.”
She crossed her arms in front of her and offered him a smug smile. “You don’t really want me to call your mother to mediate this argument, do you?” She felt empowered after bonding with Margaret. Blood relative or not, she’d take Nevada’s side against Tyler.
“Go ahead. Dad’s a little grouchy when you wake him up, so knock gently.” He moved out of her way so she could open the door.
Damn him for calling her bluff. No way in hell was she going to act like a five year old and shout for Tyler’s mother at the top of her lungs.
“Well?”
“Well what?” How was she going to get out of this one?
“I’m waiting for you to get my mother to referee. Or will you just cry uncle now and be done with it?”
She threw out a laugh. “You don’t seriously expect me to sleep in this room with you tonight, do you?”
His eyes darkened and she felt the heat shoot from him to her in an instant. “Oh, we won’t be sleeping.”
The audacity of the man. “Let me set a few things straight with you,” she said, her ire rising by the millisecond. “First, you dump me here without explaining a damn thing to me, and then you return a day and a half later and announce we’ll be sleeping together. Don’t you find that a bit presumptuous?”
He cocked a crooked grin. “No.”
She pointed a finger at his chest. “And speaking of dumping me, where the hell did you go and why didn’t you take me with you? Or at least tell me what the plan was?” She advanced on him, backing him further and further toward the closed door until he was pressed against it. “Do you know how awful it was to be left here, not knowing when, or even if, you’d come back for me? We’re supposed to be partners. I’m in training. Care to explain to me how I can be trained when I don’t know what the hell is going on?”
Were her eyes playing tricks on her or did his grin just widen? “Don’t just stand there, you moron. Say something!”
“God, I missed you.”
“I don’t care— What?” That wasn’t the answer she expected. She paused in the midst of her finger-poking-in-the-chest tirade, her mouth hung open in surprise.
“I missed you like crazy. You’re like a damn drug in my system, Nevada, and I can’t get you out.”
Oh that was a cheap shot. And so unfair. She scrambled to find the right retort, but only managed, “I…you…we…”
“My thoughts exactly.” He pulled her roughly against him and swept his mouth over hers in a blindsiding kiss.
Chapter Ten
All the careful control she’d planned over her life shot out the open window of Tyler’s bedroom. The second his lips met hers, she couldn’t come up with a single coherent thought, nor could she protest his unconventional way of ending their argument.
Maybe it was the anger she’d held barely in check during the day and a half he’d been gone. Then again, maybe it was the fact that this is what she’d needed and wanted all along, what she’d craved from the first moment his deep, toe-curling masculine voice made her thankful to be a woman. His mouth on her, his hands roaming over her back and shoulders. He pulled her closer until her aching sex pressed intimately against his hard cock.
They still had a lot to settle between them, the least of which was his drop and run escapade yesterday. But she was tired of fighting the passion between them. Everything else could wait. Right now she needed this more than anything.
She clasped her arms around his waist, daring to trail her hands down to his buttocks. She rocked against his erection, desperately wishing their clothes would disappear. More than anything she wanted him inside her, part of her, as she’d dreamed about for so many lonely nights.
“I don’t know where to kiss you first, where to touch you.” His voice rasped in her ear, quick and harsh. She thrilled at his passionate frustration.
She tilted her head back, allowing him access to her neck. He ravaged her like a thirsty vampire, scraping his teeth over the side of her neck, pressing kisses and light nips against her throat until she moaned out loud.
He covered her moans with his lips, drawing her tongue inside his mouth, sucking lightly. She tangled her tongue with his, a lover’s dance of heat that was but a promise of what would come later.
He backed her up—each kiss, each caress moving them toward the bed. She felt the edge of the mattress against the back of her knees and suddenly she was falling.
“I’ve got you, don’t worry,” he whispered as his hands gently lowered her to the bed. He bent forward, his face looming over hers. Not quite touching her, she felt the draw of his heat.
“Please,” she whispered back, unable to tell him exactly what she wanted. All she knew was their bodies weren’t touching intimately and she craved his warmth as if it were bitter January, not sultry July.
His smile told her he’d gotten the idea. He settled his body over hers, a perfect fit. Her heat against his, her softness against his pulsating hardness. She wrapped her legs around him, ran her fingers through his thick, dark hair and pulled his mouth to hers.
“You make me forget everything but you.” He murmured against her lips and slid his hands underneath to cup her buttocks, surging against her until she bit lightly against his lip to keep from crying out. They rolled over the bed, once, twice, until he bumped a lamp with his foot, sending it crashing to the floor.
They bolted upright. She was certain one or both of Tyler’s parents would come running down the hall any second. The noise was a definite mood breaker. They sat on the edge of the bed, trying to catch their breath and waiting to be discovered.
Nothing. He sighed, threw out a vicious curse and ran his hands through his hair.
“What’s wrong?”
His passion glazed eyes fixed on her. “This isn’t going to work,” he said in a low voice.
Seemed to be working just fine for her. “What’s not going to work?”
He swept his hand over his room. “This. Here. With my parents down the hall. Dammit, I feel like a sixteen-year-old again, trying not to get caught while I make it with one of my classmates in the garage.”
“The way I heard it, it wasn’t a classmate, it was a neighbor in her early twenties. And you did get caught.”
“I can’t believe my mother told you that story.”
At his look of shocked horror, she lifted an eyebrow and grinned. “Your mother told me a lot of stories.” She pursed her lips together to keep from laughing.
“What kind of stories?”
“All kinds. From sucking your thumb until you were six, to getting caught with the blonde nympho from down the street.”
He shook his head. “Damn. I knew I shouldn’t have left you alone with her. That’s why I never brought women over. She blabs about everything in my past.”
This time she did laugh. “It’s not her fault you, um, misbehaved when you were younger.”
His eyes half-closed, he bent his head toward her, grasping her waist and pulling her on top of him. “Misbehaved, did I?” He moved, lifting his hips against her. “Is this misbehaving?”
She shuddered at the feel of his hard shaft against her pussy. “Oh yes.”
“And do you disapprove?”
Breathing deeply as his hands roamed over her back and buttocks, she shook her head. “Absolutely not.”
“Want more?”
“Yes.”
“How much more?”
The way his hands evoked her body’s response should be outlawed. It simply wasn’t fair. “Everything. I want everything.”
“Now?”
She lost herself in the darkening depths of his eyes. “No. Next month. Of course, now.”
His body shuddered against her. “Let’s go.” Gen
tly, he pushed her off and went to the closet, grabbing a blanket.
“Go where?”
He grasped her hand and pulled her to her feet. “Someplace where we can do what we want, be as loud as we want, without having to worry about waking my parents.”
A good plan. It didn’t matter if they went to the backseat of his car. At this point she’d follow him anywhere.
He led her downstairs and quietly opened the back door, leading out to the covered veranda. The scent of roses filled the air. She remembered seeing the red climbers earlier in the day, skirting their way through the open lattice of the porch.
The path led past landscaped gardens, tall trees and perfectly trimmed bushes, providing a privacy wall for the pool area.
It was magnificent, lit up by the moonlit sky. Deathly still, not a single ripple marred the glass-like surface of the Olympic-sized pool. Here, fragrant gardenias climbed the walls of the surrounding white lattice, their scent bringing to mind tropical nights. The humidity and water only added to the illusion.
The pool house was small, no bigger than a three-car garage. It was bright and airy, double windows on either side of the door providing a visual of the pool. An oversized white wicker chaise sat against the inner wall, its plump lavender cushion inviting and roomy enough for two people.
“Want a drink?” Tyler threw the blanket on the chaise and turned to the wet bar.
“Yes, I’d love one. Whatever you’re having is fine.”
“I’m having a beer.”
Just what she needed to quench her thirst. At least one of her thirsts. Her eyes followed him like a desert flower searching out the single drop of rain that sustains its life.
“Let’s sit down,” he said, motioning her to the chaise. He leaned back against the cushions and pulled her down between his outstretched legs, her back against his chest.
It seemed almost awkward now, sitting with him and quietly sipping a drink. After their heated argument and rushed frenzy of passion, followed by relocating, how were they going to get back to where they were before?
Did she even want to? Had she foolishly gotten caught up in their kiss, only to act recklessly without considering the ramifications of her actions?
“What are you thinking about?” His question, whispered against her neck, made her shiver. “Nothing.”
“Liar.” His laugh vibrated against her back. “You were thinking about what we were doing earlier, weren’t you?”
Did she have a mirror in the back of her head? How could he so easily read her thoughts? “Maybe.”
“Second thoughts?”
Damn if he didn’t do it again. “Maybe.”
“Still want me?”
Definitely. “Maybe.”
She waited for his next question, but he went silent. She shifted to search his face, his silence unnerving her. Maybe he was having second thoughts now. Finally, she couldn’t stand it. “And you?”
“What about me?”
“Are you having second thoughts?” After all, they’d started and stopped so many times she was beginning to wonder if he really wanted her at all.
His sensuous smile devastated her. “Hell, no. I don’t have second thoughts. I want you, Nevada.”
His words slid right into her heart. He wanted her, wanted to make love to her. And she wanted him too, more than just physically. She wanted to crawl inside his heart and set up permanent residence.
In past relationships, this was the point where she usually begged off, ended whatever might happen. This was the road she usually didn’t take. Whenever emotions took over, she went running.
But not with Tyler.
Her feelings for him were escalating, turning into more than just simple fantasy and attraction. Part of her was scared to death. The other part was simply tired of fighting against love. What would happen if she opened her heart and let love inside?
His face held no expectation, only interest. He’d put the ball in her court, letting her decide what happened next. Any hesitation she may have felt disappeared. She wanted this. As far as what would happen afterward, she’d deal with it later.
She turned halfway to lean against him, her eyes making contact with his. “Make love to me, Tyler.”
His fingers trailed against her cheek before sliding behind her neck, pulling her face toward his. “About damn time.”
This time his kiss wasn’t gentle. It was demanding, physical and loaded with passion.
Never before had she felt so wanted, so desired. Tyler’s heart pounded against her breast. She was lightheaded, like she’d been running for hours and couldn’t take in enough oxygen to fuel her starving brain. Everything seemed surreal, including this moment, with this man.
His lips performed magic, weaving a spell over her senses until all she could focus on were the sensations of his mouth. She caressed the side of his face, feeling the scratch of his unshaven jaw against the sensitive skin of her palm. Lightning-like tingles shot straight between her legs.
He pulled his mouth away from her. “You keep making those sounds and I’m going to go through the roof in record time.”
“Sounds?”
“Yeah. Moans and little whimpers in the back of your throat. Drives me crazy.”
She liked the thought of driving him crazy. She tried to do it consciously, but he only laughed at her.
“You can’t force it. It comes naturally when you kiss me.”
“Let’s see if we can replicate it naturally, then.” A quick shift on the chaise and she was in his lap, facing him, her legs locked behind his back. Sliding her hands once more to his face, she leaned in and pressed her mouth against his.
Such soft, full lips for such a tough guy. So damn sexy she whimpered for what only he could give her.
“There it is again,” he murmured against her lips.
She gasped as his hands slid up her rib cage, under her shirt. Her stomach jumped at his touch. Their eyes met, locked on each other as he continued his exploration of her skin.
The shirt bunched under his hands as he pushed it up toward her breasts, his thumbs lightly scraping her already sensitized skin. She lifted her arms and he pulled the shirt over her head, baring her breasts to his gaze.
His lips brushed her hair, his hands continuing their exploration of her breasts. “You have the softest skin. And you smell like vanilla. God, I love that.” The contact of his fingers on her nipples was electric, shocking them into hardened nubs at his slightest touch.
As if the feel of his hands weren’t enough to make her mad, he leaned forward and lightly fit his mouth over one distended nipple.
She arched her back as if she could somehow fit more into his greedy mouth. He circled her nipple, sucking it gently between his lips, his teeth lightly scraping against her. Instinctively she pushed her hips against him, needing to assuage the nonstop agony his touch created.
He laid her against the cushions and leaned over her, his midnight eyes black as a moonless night. Then he bent down and swirled his tongue over each upraised nipple, once and then again, until she threaded her fingers through his hair and pulled his head toward her face, desperate for the contact of his mouth against hers.
Relentlessly, he continued his assault. He kissed her long and thoroughly, at the same time unbuttoning her shorts. With one highly skilled hand he pulled them over her hips, using his feet to push them off.
She was completely bare except for her panties, while he was still fully clothed. That wouldn’t do at all.
“I want you naked, too,” she said in a raspy voice that didn’t sound like her own.
His half-hooded eyes opened wide along with his smile. “Then, undress me.”
Returning his smile, she sat up and grabbed at his shirt, pulling it over his head. Without hesitation she wound her fingers through the crisp hair spattered across his chest, seeking and finding his sensitive nipples. She trailed her fingers around them, satisfied when they beaded under her touch.
There was so mu
ch about his body she wanted to explore and yet she was torn between taking the time to learn every inch of him and the desire to rip his clothes off.
Time enough for slow exploration later. She wanted him naked, now. The zipper on his jeans gave way easily. Without bothering to slide his pants down she dipped her hand inside, reaching for his hot, throbbing cock. He groaned and thrust against her palm. She pushed his jeans partway down and pulled his shaft free of his boxers.
Finally, she touched and stroked the part of him she’d been desperate to for over a week. Thick and hard, it pulsed against her hand as she drew her palm from the base of his shaft to the tip. Drops of silken liquid spilled over the top of his cock and she swiped it away with her thumb, circling the sensitive head.
Hissing out a ragged curse, Tyler grasped her wrist and pulled her hand away, gently pressing against her shoulder to lay her down.
“I’ve thought about this a hundred times. Every time I heard your voice on the phone, whispering to me in a way I’d want you to if I had you naked underneath me.”
Heart slamming against her chest, she watched with a mixture of curiosity and appreciation as he stood before her and slid his jeans, then his boxers, completely off.
He took her breath away, his body all chiseled angles and planes. Tanned, well-muscled in all the right places, but not too much. His body could grace the cover of any magazine. Broad shoulders, lean hips and a cock that made her lick her lips in anticipation. Before she could sit up he crawled onto the chaise beside her, stroking her hip as they faced each other.
“You have a magnificent body,” he murmured as his lips took hers in a soul-shattering kiss. “I want to kiss and explore every part of it, but not now. Now I need to be inside you more than I need to breathe.”
Her pussy wept its response, her hips flexing against him like a magnet in search of steel. He turned her onto her back again, grasping her panties and sliding them down her legs.
Despite his comment about moving things along quickly, he stilled, staring at her, his gaze traveling over her body in a way that should have made her feel self-conscious, but didn’t. He touched her, beginning at her thigh and moving up her hip, his fingers drawing lazy circles in random patterns on her skin. She grasped his shoulders, moaning long and low as he sought and found the slickened slit that begged for him.