“Very much.” Her voice shook.
“And this?” He laid his hand on her nest of curls. He kissed her mouth, quick and hard, before he moved down her body.
Jack kissed and suckled her breasts until their nipples pebbled in his mouth. He licked his way down her torso, stopping to tease her navel and nip at her waist. Her skin was sweet and scented, smooth and soft. She was his fantasy with the power to draw him from the cold cave in which he’d been sleeping and back to the land of t
he living. He surged back up and over her.
Breathing hard, Audra shoved against him, causing them to roll across the bed until she lay on top of him.
“Tell me what you like,” Audra whispered into his ear.
Jack grinned up at her. “Everything you’ve ever done to me.”
Audra smiled back. “Good answer.”
She straddled him, leaning closer to kiss his neck. A cool breeze from the air-conditioning brushed over her heated skin. She feathered her lips over his molded pecs and six-pack abs. The man was a work of art. She took her time, exploring his clean lines and fine angles.
Her ministrations left him with a thin sheen of perspiration and a great deal of heavy breathing. She did that to him. He gave her the courage to be the woman she wanted to be: assertive, strong, confident. Unafraid to give pleasure—or to take it.
Audra sat up. She met Jack’s heavy-lidded gaze and knew he was feeling as hot and restless as she was. She stretched toward the nightstand for the condom. Her fingers shook as she tried to tear open the packet.
Jack covered her hands with his. “Let me.” He took the packet from her, opened the foil, and offered her the condom.
Audra sheathed him, smoothing the latex over his length. Jack throbbed in her hold. Audra slowly lowered herself onto his erection. His length and breadth stretched her deliciously. She closed her eyes and gave herself up to the sensation.
She controlled their rhythm, rolling her hips, loving the feel of Jack deep inside her. His hands gripped her thighs. His hips flexed and lifted as he matched her movements.
Audra arched her spine, letting her head fall back. Jack’s hands covered her breasts, molding and shaping them. His fingers teased her nipples, causing the pulse between her thighs to deepen.
His hand slipped down her torso to the juncture of her thighs. He touched her there, pressing, rubbing, moving against her. Audra’s body burned. Her hips sped up. The muscles in her thighs tightened.
Beneath her, she sensed Jack’s increasing urgency and knew he was racing toward the fall with her. She clenched her inner muscles, squeezing him. She heard him groan, felt her desire flowing over him. Jack stroked her harder, faster. Audra’s nipples tightened. Her thighs tensed. Jack surged up into her, again and again. Audra gasped as the tension exploded inside her. Jack lifted her one last time before she fell, limp, onto his chest. He gathered her close and their bodies shook with pleasure.
A long time later, Audra rolled to Jack’s side. “My Prince Charming. ‘And they lived happily ever after.’”
Jack’s laughter rumbled in his chest. Audra kissed his neck. She snuggled closer and went to sleep.
The next evening, Audra surveyed Trinity Falls Cuisine’s beige-and-gray stone walls and wood trim. The lighting was low, creating a romantic ambience. “When you suggested we go out to eat, I thought you meant something more modest.”
“Like McDonald’s?” Jack sounded dubious.
Audra’s cheeks heated. “Maybe.”
“I’ll pretend you didn’t say that.” He opened the menu their hostess had left behind. “You must have gone to fancier restaurants in L.A.”
Audra had an unpleasant flashback to the business lunches she’d attended. “They’re opportunities to see and be seen by other industry professionals. But I can’t pronounce the food and I’m always hungry when I leave.”
Jack chuckled. “And I bet the meals cost a pint of blood as well.”
“You’d win that bet.” Audra was pleased to recognize several proteins and carbohydrates on the menu.
“I still don’t understand why you don’t sing your own songs.”
Audra considered the dinner choices. Her mouth watered as she went down the list: roasted chicken, wood-fired steak, rosemary salmon. “You’ve asked me that before. I don’t know how else to explain it. I don’t enjoy performing, especially in front of crowds.”
“Have you ever tried it?”
“In high school. Stage fright doesn’t begin to describe how I felt.”