The horrible truth was she did want him. Held close against him, she could feel his rising awareness taut against her belly. But the mention of last night reminded her of her humiliation. She had come apart in his arms, only to hear him say she disgusted him... She strained away from him but the action pulled her shirt taut across her firm breasts, without giving her the freedom she wanted. She could feel her pulse beat faster, the blood flowing thickly through her veins. She tilted her head back to look up into his darkly brooding face. ‘I disgust you. You told me so. Why the change?’ she queried, fighting to still the tremors curling her insides.
‘I wasn’t telling the whole truth; your mercenary nature I can do without,’ he said with casual insolence as his indigo eyes slid from her upturned face to her breasts. ‘But your body I want.’
She saw the darkening gleam in his gaze, and felt the subtle increase of pressure in his thighs. ‘Well, I don’t want you,’ she croaked, her throat closing on the lie.
‘Liar, you don’t mean that.’ And, holding her fast, he lifted his free hand to the buttons of her blouse and slowly unfastened them one by one, adding silkily, ‘But perhaps you need me to convince you...’
Her violet eyes were trapped by the sensuous deepening gleam in Jake’s, she knew she should stop him, but was paralysed by the hypnotic magnetism of the man. She felt boneless in the circle of his arm, her senses coming alive with every touch, every brush of his hard body.
His fingers quickly dealt with the front fastening of her bra, and her lush breasts broke free from their confinement as if leaping for his touch. ‘You have developed into a very luscious lady, Lexi.’
She breathed a jagged breath, and tried again to push at his broad chest. ‘Wasn’t Lorraine enough for you this mor—?’ she tried to strike back, but his strong hand closed over one naked breast, cupping the fullness, and words failed her.
‘Forget about Lorraine; we have an agreement, you and I. Fidelity for the duration,’ he drawled huskily as his thumb delicately grazed over the soft pink tip. ‘And it won’t be any hardship for either of us, if this is anything to go by, my darling wife.’
Lexi shuddered. He was seducing her with words and actions, and she had no defence against him.
‘Look, Lexi, you do want me. See how this tempting pink bud aches for my touch,’ his deep voice murmured sexily, as his fingers teased the rosy nub into pulsating rigidity.
She closed her eyes in shame, unable to bear the humiliation of knowing she had no control over her own body, as arrows of heat darted from her breast to her groin. She knew she should protest, but instead a soft moan escaped her.
‘Don’t close your eyes, Lexi. Look at me,’ Jake commanded, his fingers nipping on the rigid tip of her breast.
She opened her eyes as liquid fire swirled through her, and glanced down. She saw his long, tanned fingers contrasting sharply with her soft, pale flesh, caressing, cajoling. It was madness, she hated Jake for what he had done to her, but it was a madness she could not resist. It had been too long...
‘Tell me what you want, Lexi.’ His hand stroked softly to the valley between her breasts then gently cupped the other one in his large palm, his forefinger tracing circles on her hardening flesh, but stopping well short of the hungry peak. ‘Is this one feeling left out?’ he teased sensuously as his dark head bent lower and his mouth closed over hers in the lightest brush of a kiss.
‘Ask me nicely, Lexi, and I’ll ease the ache for you...’ he murmured, smiling wickedly as he watched her body arch instinctively towards him in helpless response.
Then his mouth once more closed over hers, his tongue slipping between her softly parted lips, and desire as sharp and piercing as a knife sliced through her. Her tongue touched his in thrusting response. She moaned as his fingers finally captured the taut nipple, tugging, rolling her between his sensitive fingertips; she raked her hands down his broad back, her lower body moving into him, pressing against him in a urgent need.
Jake raised his head, his dark eyes glittering triumphantly down into hers. ‘You want me,’ he grated ‘Your body doesn’t lie.’ And his dark head swooped down to her aching breast and, as one hand caressed and teased her aching flesh, his mouth curved over its partner, nibbling, kissing then suckling long and slow until she thought she would go mad with pleasure.
‘You’re so responsive there, so ready for my mouth,’ he rasped throatily as his dark head moved to her other breast. ‘But we must make them both the same,’ he chuckled, his mouth replacing his fingers, as he treated the rigid nipple to the same ecstasy as its partner.
Hardly aware of what she was doing, Lexi’s hands crept up his spine to the nape of his neck, her fingers tangling in the dark hair of his head, holding him against her. She never noticed as he swept her up in his arms and carried her to the bed, because his mouth covered hers in an all-consuming kiss of passionate intent, his tongue plunging into her mouth, seeking to devour all the hot, sweet taste of her.
She felt the mattress at her back as Jake eased his mouth from hers, and, sliding on to the bed at her side, he deftly removed her blouse and bra, his hand stroking from her throat, his palm caressing over her full breasts, first one and then the other.
‘Jake...’ she murmured his name. Her tongue licking out over her swollen lips, she stared up into his handsome face; his mouth was a taut line in a face flushed dark with desire.
‘Yes, Lexi...’ he rasped, one hand sliding her skirt down over her slender hips. ‘I’m going to make it so good for you.’
Jake’s mouth brushed a soft kiss from the hollow in her throat down the valley of her breast. He lifted his dark head and looked slowly from her beautiful passion-flushed face to the wild mass of red hair spread across the pillow, like molten gold gleaming in the rays of morning sun cutting across the huge bed. His sensuous gaze slowly traced the thrust of her naked breasts, hard and pouting for his touch, the soft curve of her waist and gentle flare of her hips. His hand slid beneath the fine lace of her briefs and eased them down her shapely legs.
Lexi shivered uncontrollably, aching to feel his naked flesh. Her rational mind knew he was deliberately seducing her in broad daylight, but it had been so long... She reached up to his chest, her fingers fumbling with the fastening of his shirt.
‘Let me,’ Jake grated and, pushing her hands away, quickly shrugged out of his clothes.
Lexi’s violet eyes skimmed his golden body, gloriously naked stretched alongside her, the dark swirls of chest hair arrowing down past his flat stomach, the curve of his buttock, the long, muscular legs. Five years had only enhanced his male perfection, she thought wonderingly. She reached her small hands up to his chest, her slender fingers weaving in his body hair, finding the hard male nipples. She smiled, a slow, sensual curve of her mouth, as she tweaked the rigid little nubs.
Jake groaned deep in his throat and pushed her hands away yet again. Leaning over her, he spread her arms either side of her head, and his dark eyes burned down into hers—passion, desire, she saw them all, and something else besides that slowed her rapidly beating heart.
‘I’ve waited five long years for this moment,’ he growled huskily.
He was lying; five years ago he hadn’t wanted her, couldn’t get rid of her fast enough. The errant thought flickered in Lexi’s head, but vanished as his lips brushed against her brow in the lightest caress.
‘I’ve dreamed of having your exquisite body pinned beneath me, of making you cry out my name once more, begging me to take you, and I will not be hurried, my darling Lexi.’