Catch Me a Catch (15 page)

Her pupils
expanded as he rose slowly to his feet. She plucked at the hem of her dress,
but her fingers stilled on the silvery material as he reached out a hand and
pulled her up. Her lips parted slightly. Her skin looked so soft he had to
touch it. Long, dark eyelashes fluttered shut at the touch of his fingers on
her cheekbone. The time for talking was over. Soft lips parted under the
pressure of his, and their tongues tangled in a sensuous dance. His mind went
blank. Her hands slid around him in one smooth movement, holding him tight.

His lips
trailed down the long length of her throat. He pushed her hair back roughly and
his teeth nipped her clavicle. She shuddered, and gripped him tighter. His
breathing quickened and her chest rose and fell in a frantic rhythm.

“You’re
driving me totally insane, do you know that?” The admission ground out of him
at the look of naked desire in her eyes. Heat blazed through him like fire
through a dry forest. He picked her up with one smooth movement. Strode into
the bedroom. Placed her gently on the gold silk bedspread.

She reached
for her shoes.

“Let me.” His
voice was so husky and deep he barely recognized it. With shaking hands he
carefully undid the straps holding the sandals in place, and slipped her feet
out. Her high arch quivered when he ran his finger over it.

“Jack.” She
squirmed, trying to pull him to her.

“Shhh.” He
stroked her foot again. The skin was like soft silk under his fingertips. “Let
me unzip your dress.” He reached around and slid the zip slowly down. The
material glided off her shoulders to reveal breasts barely covered by the ivory
lace of her bra. She shimmied and he tugged the silver sheath off in one smooth
movement. Dressed only in ivory silk and lace panties and an expression of deep
desire, her obvious need of him was the most arousing thing he’d ever seen.

“Come over
here,” she commanded. A long elegant arm reached for him, and his seduction
plan dissolved. With eager fingers he peeled off his jacket and shirt, and then
wrestled with the noose of a tie, which suddenly seemed impossible to rip off.

****

“Jack,” she
breathed. God, she’d thought he was sexy when he’d picked her up without a word
and carried her into the bedroom. Now she was desperate to stroke her hands
over the wide expanse of golden chest dusted with a smattering of black hair
his struggle with his shirt had revealed. He was perfect. And she wanted him.
With an urgency bordering on obsession.

The muscles of
his stomach contracted as he undid his belt buckle. At the sight, her inner
muscles tightened too. He stepped out of his trousers, freeing an impressive
erection barely contained by his black briefs. Stormy ocean blue eyes never left
hers.

The bed
compressed under his weight, and his firm lips claimed hers in a punishing
kiss. Waves of sensation broke over her as the silken warmth of his body
brushed against hers in a totally delicious sensuous onslaught.

“I wish we
could stay here for days. I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be than here
with you.” She felt his words against her mouth. There were darker flecks
around his iris, like planets in his own personal solar system. Their eyelashes
were scant centimeters apart. It was totally absorbing, like drowning in deep
water. The sensation was more intimate than the near nakedness of their bodies.

“Me too.”

Fingers
brushed her shoulders, and trailed over the top of her breasts.

“It’s a front
opener.” She muttered huskily. Clever fingers undid the hidden clasp. Slipped
it off.

 “You’re so
beautiful.”

Her nipples
stood to attention, desperate for his touch. They were not disappointed. He
teased one erect bud between his fingers, while his warm mouth clamped over the
other. Heat blazed, liquefying her core, and she gasped out loud.

He sucked. She
couldn’t stop her frantic fingers from gripping his neck, holding him close.
His clever mouth moved to her other breast; his fingers feathered over her
ribs. Moved over her stomach. She arched into him, desperate have him closer.

“These are
very pretty panties.” His mouth traced the lace border and his fingers stroked
the damp satin between her legs. She couldn’t speak. She was drowning in a sea
of sensation. When his hot mouth covered the satin, her hips pushed towards
him.

“Jack.”

His fingers
caught under the delicate wisp of fabric, pulling it off. He tossed it roughly
aside and grinned up at her.

“Patience,
Darling.” His mouth returned to its languid meanderings. Deliberate hands eased
her legs apart, his tongue found her swollen nub, teasing it until she could
bear no more.

His soft hair
brushed her sensitive inner thigh. “I want you. I want you
now
.”

At the note of
desperation in her voice, he stopped what he was doing. Kissed slowly up her body
again. Nuzzled her neck.

“I want you
too,” he whispered in her ear, taking her ear lobe into his mouth and nipping
it.

His warm chest
covered hers and he reached for the bedside drawer. With shaking fingers he
pulled out a small foil packet, shucked off his briefs and quickly sheathed
himself. His smooth hardness nudged her once, and then sank deep inside.

She sighed as
her body adjusted to his length. His chest brushed against her sensitized
nipples, goosebumps erupted over her entire body. It was like being on a roller
coaster; emotions coming so hard and fast she could hardly breathe. Her inner
muscles contracted at the sensation of his body moving slowly, deliberately
inside her. Her fingers caressed the smooth flex of muscles across his back,
her thumb wandering of its own volition to trace his ribs.

Mine
. A
possessive wave of sensation flowed into her when he gasped.
You’re mine.
She closed her eyes loving the feel of him inside her.

“Open your
eyes,” he commanded. His eyes were deep navy pools, the expression in them so
intense she could barely breathe. This was so much more than sex
. I love
you.
The words hovered on her lips, but remained unspoken. She couldn’t
speak the words aloud, it would change everything forever and she knew he
wasn’t ready to hear them. An invisible, unbreakable thread bound her to him.
She was in a world of trouble.

They hadn’t
spoken of love, this was just a fling, a fling they’d both agreed on. She’d
changed the rules by falling in love with him.

He moved
faster, withdrawing slightly and then filling her more completely. The
delicious pressure of his body transcending anything she’d ever felt before.

“Annie.” His
deep tone reverberated through the hard tips of her nipples. Her fingers
caressed his ribs, holding on for dear life. Her breath stuttered out in quick
gasps, every inhalation breathing in his essence. Every cell reached out to
him, the heady thrill building and building. She clenched her jaw. Her thighs
trembled. His lips moved over her jaw line and her mouth instinctively turned
toward his like a flower seeking the sun. Their tongues tangled frantically as
the waves of orgasm flooded over her. Inner muscles contracting again and again
as his big body followed hers over the edge into bliss.

Eventually,
her breathing steadied, and her heart rate slowed to near normal. The weight of
his body on top of her was delicious. She tilted her hips, and moved sinuously
against him.

“I’m too
heavy.” He tried to push himself up away from her, but she held him in place.

“Stay where
you are, I like it.”

“You’re a
complete masochist,” he teased. “I’m heavy, I must be squashing you.”

“You are.” She
grinned. Loving the weight of him. “Nothing better.” She wrapped her arms
tightly about him, nipples tingling against his hard chest. “You can’t tell me
you’re not enjoying this.”

“I could try,
but somehow I know you wouldn’t believe me.” He undulated slowly and she gasped
as he grew within her again. “Yes,” he answered her unspoken question. “I want
you again, which is pretty spectacular, even for me.”

“Sex god?”

“Apparently
so. But I don’t think the condom can take it.” He carefully extricated himself.
Climbed out of bed and walked toward the bathroom. “I’ll be back in a moment.”

She linked her
arms behind her head shamelessly admiring every inch of his naked body until he
disappeared from view. It was chilly on top of the blanket. On shaky legs, she
slipped off the bed, pulled back the covers, and climbed in.

Her lips were
swollen and tender, she probed them carefully with the tip of her tongue. Then
she snuggled under the warm cloud of duvet. Stretched out her legs and pointed
her toes under the covers.

The muted
sound of running water trickled in from the bathroom.

Where do we
go from here? Our lives are on opposite sides of the world.
An unwelcome
little voice nagged, but she pushed it away. She rolled onto her side, pulling
her knees up to her chest to assume the fetal position. If she won the
competition, she’d have a perfect start to her chosen career. The Dublin
chocolate shop came complete with a fully stocked chocolatier’s kitchen, and
the competition organizers would pay a contribution toward the cost of
employing an assistant. The deal was only for a year, but after that her
business should be well enough established that she could move out and find a
premises of her own. It was the chance of a lifetime. She’d spent long hours
working on the figures, and by sharing the flat, had saved enough to cover her
startup costs. It was her one chance at success. A success she’d dreamed about for
years.

After sleeping
with Jack, her mind had wandered into unfamiliar territory. She’d always wanted
to travel, and errant visions of them living together in New York made her head
ache. She rubbed her forehead, willing the pain away. This dalliance with Jack
had started as a quick affair, but had quickly morphed into something else
entirely.

I don’t
want to be on the opposite side of the world from Jack.

She slipped
the flat of her hand under her face on the pillow, her other hand resting on
her wrist. And jumped when the telephone rang loudly on the bedside table.

“Jack, phone!”
He didn’t hear her above the sound of the water, so she scooted up in bed,
reaching for the receiver. “Hello?”

“Hi, is Jack
there?” The American accented voice was hesitant, as though the caller thought
maybe she’d got the wrong number. Obviously she wasn’t expecting a woman in
Jack’s hotel suite.

“I’ll just get
him for you. Who’s calling?” It was a reasonable question, but she wasn’t
fooling herself. She wasn’t being efficient. She wanted to know the identity of
the stranger on the other end of the phone.

“It’s Roxie,”
the voice proclaimed confidently.

An arrow of
jealousy skewered her.
Who the hell was Roxie?
She swallowed it down,
forcing her ‘efficient’ voice. “Okay, just a moment please.” She slipped out of
bed, not bothering to cover her nakedness and pushed open the bathroom door.
“Roxie’s on the phone.”

He grabbed two
white robes from behind the door, and handed her one. He toweled his body
quickly and put the other one on. “It’s work,” he kissed her neck. Strode to
the phone. “Roxie, what’s going on?”

He sat on the
bed, his eyes rising heavenward at the sound of Roxie’s voice leaking from the
receiver. “No, Roxie, you don’t know her. She’s a friend, someone I met in
Durna. Yes, during the matchmaking festival.” He glanced at Annie
apologetically. She climbed back into bed next to him, too fascinated by his
conversation to do the decent thing and give him privacy.

“Look, Roxie,
I’m sure you rang for a reason, not just to interrogate me about my private
life.” He was all business suddenly, the harsh edge to his voice letting the
caller know he wasn’t happy about her questioning. “No, I haven’t seen your
email.” He listened for a moment, frowning. “I’ll power up the laptop. Set up a
conference call and call back in five minutes.”

He hung up and
turned to Annie. “I’m sorry, there’s a problem at the office. I’m going to have
to deal with it.” He walked to the closet and pulled on a pair of jeans and an
old sweatshirt. “Do you want a cup of tea or something?”

His smile
didn’t quite reach his eyes. His attention was completely focused elsewhere.
The familiar Jack was gone; the man in front of her an efficient stranger.

“I’ll make us
some.” She followed him into the sitting room. Made her way to the corner unit
where basic supplies were set up.

“Thanks.” He
opened his briefcase wide on the table and turned on his laptop. By all
indications getting ready to settle in for a solid few hours work.

“I’m taking
mine back to bed.” She put the cup down next to him. Willing his eyes to look
her direction, wanting him to kiss her softly before she left.

“Thanks.” His
eyes never left the screen.

The phone rang
again as she walked away. She entered the sumptuous bedroom and closed the door.
Weakness stole over her body and she slumped against it. She could just make
out the deep murmur of his voice. How could he turn off so quickly? Her entire
body was still rioting at his remembered caresses. She put her tea down on the
bedside table, climbed into bed, and pulled the covers up to her nose.

What on
earth had she gotten herself into?

Chapter Eleven

It wasn’t
every day a major client had a tantrum. In fact, Jack couldn’t remember the
last time it happened. Unfortunately, Mecredi Cars took an immediate and
violent dislike to Mark’s campaign and wouldn’t be mollified.

They wanted
Jack. He was the head of the company and the client’s happiness was his
responsibility. Talk about bad timing.