Part 24 (1/2)

”What're you thinking?” she asked as he lowered her to the bed and hovered over her. ”Right in this second, what are you thinking?”

”That I can't believe I get to hold you and kiss you and touch you and make love with you after thinking about doing all of that-and more-for so long.”

Her arms curled around his neck, and her eyes went soft with affection as she looked up at him. ”You could've said something sooner.”

He shook his head. ”I was afraid to.”

”Why?”

”I'm not exactly your sister's best friend. I figured she'd poisoned you against me, and I had no chance with you.”

”I know you think she hates you, but she doesn't. It's more that she thinks you hate her.”

”I don't.”

”Sometimes you act like you do.”

Ashton couldn't deny that was probably true. ”I don't want to talk about her.” His lips found her throat and neck on his way to her earlobe, which he bit down on gently. ”I want to talk about you and this tiny mole, right here.” His tongue dabbed at the crest of her breast, making her squirm beneath him. ”I want to talk about this nipple. And this one. And your skin. G.o.d, it's like silk. So soft and s.e.xy.” Once again her fingers tightened in his hair, letting him know she liked what he was doing. ”I can't get enough.”

”Neither can I.” Her voice was husky and s.e.xy. ”Ashton...”

”What, honey?” He moved farther down the bed to press his lips to the damp patch of silk between her legs, inhaling her tantalizing scent.

Her hips surged.

He took advantage of the opportunity to slide his hands under her, cupping her supple cheeks and squeezing.

”I...I don't know what I was going to say.”

Chuckling, he ran his tongue over her outer lips, using the silk of her underwear to stimulate her. After a few minutes of that, it wasn't enough for him-or for her. He retreated only long enough to remove the sc.r.a.p of fabric before returning to where he'd been, using his shoulders to part her legs. Not since he'd played football in high school had he been so thankful for extra-broad shoulders.

”So pretty,” he whispered as he bent his head to lick and suck and stroke her to a series of o.r.g.a.s.ms that had her screaming from the pleasure. He was like a man possessed. Giving her pleasure did more for him than taking it from any other woman ever had. His entire world was reduced to what was right in front of him, and nothing mattered more than taking care of her.

Carrying her essence on his lips and tongue, he kissed his way from her belly to the valley between her b.r.e.a.s.t.s to her lips. That was when he saw the streaks of tears on her cheeks. ”What's this?” he whispered, dabbing his tongue over the trails they'd left behind.

”I...I don't know. I didn't know I was crying.”

”Was it too much?”

She shook her head as she welcomed him into her embrace. ”It was incredible.”

Ashton came to his senses the second before he would've slid into her equally welcoming s.e.x. ”Condom.”

Moaning, she released him.

He moved quickly to find his wallet and retrieve the strip of condoms he'd stashed in there before they left Malibu. As he returned to her, he rolled one on and was inside her two seconds later.

She gripped his a.s.s and pulsated around him, stretching to accommodate him.

Afraid to hurt her by giving her too much too soon, he forced himself to stay still, to restrain the need that pounded through him, threatening to end this far too soon. ”Jill,” he said through gritted teeth. ”I need to move.”

”Wait.” She pressed tighter against him and held perfectly still, which triggered another release for her.

Ashton had never felt anything more erotic in his life.

When she relaxed her hold on him, he finally snapped, pounding into her with all hope of finesse abandoned in a flurry of pa.s.sion unlike anything he'd ever experienced. He drove into her one last time, coming with a deep, guttural groan torn from his chest. That was when he discovered he'd wrapped an arm around her leg and pushed it into her chest so he could go deeper.

”Christ,” he muttered as he released the tight hold he had on her leg. ”I'm sorry.” Mortified by his total loss of control, he was almost afraid to look at her.

”For what?”

He finally dared to meet her gaze. ”I went at you like a prisoner who's just been released after twenty years of hard time.”

That made her laugh, which made her muscles squeeze intimately around him. His p.e.n.i.s surged with interest, as if he hadn't just had the most explosive o.r.g.a.s.m of his life.

”In case you didn't notice the four o.r.g.a.s.ms, I rather enjoyed it.”

”I didn't hurt you?”

She smoothed the hair from his sweaty forehead. ”No.”

He stared down at her. ”You make me crazy. I've never felt anything like this.”

”Neither have I.”

”What I said to you earlier-”

Her finger over his lips stopped him. ”The phone rang before I was able to reply.”

”I noticed.”

Her smile was warm and sweet and loving. ”Have you been twisting in the wind all this time, thinking it might be only you who feels that way?”

”Sorta.”

She wrapped her leg around his hip, and her arms tightened around his neck. ”It's not just you.”

Until she said those words, he hadn't realized he'd been holding his breath since earlier in the day. Relief flooded through him, making his skin tingle. ”I don't think I'm falling anymore.”

He felt her stiffen beneath him. ”You changed your mind?”

Raising his head, he met her gaze. ”No.” He touched his lips to hers, lingering to revel in her sweetness. A thousand emotions pa.s.sed through her eyes as she watched him, trying to gauge his meaning. ”I've already landed.”

In the morning, Reid woke Kate with the news that an incoming storm would keep them on the island at least one more day. Since they had some extra time, he'd decided to go across to St. Kitts to deal with his belongings at the house and speak to his landlord. He leaned over the bed to kiss her before he left. ”Rest, relax, and I'll be back before you miss me.”

”No, you won't.” She hooked her arm around his neck to bring him down for a better kiss. ”You'll be back before the storm comes?”

”Long before.”