Champagne Rules (10 page)

He skimmed the panties down her legs and spread the sides of her skirt, then covered her with his body. 

From a few yards away, up on the path, she heard hushed voices, a man and a woman chatting about what they were going to do on the weekend.

Jaxon’s dark body wouldn’t reflect the moonlight the way her pale one would. Surely no one would see them. Not if they were quiet.

He shoved down his jeans and underwear as he settled between her thighs. Their bodies shifted position, adjusting to each other. She felt the press of his naked maleness and spread her legs to welcome him, the sense of wanting almost unbearable now they were touching so intimately. She heard something crackle and realized he was opening a condom package.

“Let me,” she said. Then, awkward in the darkness, she fumbled to roll the sheath down his length. He held unnaturally still and she guessed he was as close to coming as she was. The moment she finished, his mouth came down on hers again and she let her lips and tongue speak her passion. Her hips began to move, telling him she was ready. More than ready.

He ran a hand between them, stroking her moist folds, parting her, and the tip of his penis probed her entry. She wanted to cry out with sheer delight, but instead sighed into his open mouth.

She stroked both hands down his back as he eased slowly into her. Although she was soaking wet, she was tight, and he was the biggest man she’d ever taken inside her. Yet the friction was pleasure, far more than pain.

So much pleasure she was afraid she’d come before he was even fully inside.

Suzanne pushed his jeans down farther and gripped his buttocks, which had the desired effect of making him plunge hard and fast, filling her all the way.

Her body tightened around him, gathering itself, and she knew that, if he moved again, right at that moment, she would shatter.

“Don’t move,” she whispered urgently.

She felt his body tense. “Why not?”

“I’m so close.”

“Me too. I’ve been hard since I saw you.”

“I noticed.”

Voices approached again, this time not from the paved path but from the beach itself. This couple would pass within feet of them. Hurriedly, Suzanne hauled Jaxon’s jeans up again, trying to cover his backside. As her hands brushed his naked butt, he shuddered and the movement rippled through her. She felt her climax coming and tried to hold it off, but the force was too powerful to fight. Burying her mouth against Jaxon’s shoulder and gripping his waist, holding tight, she let the blinding pleasure of orgasm take her.

And as her body spasmed, Jaxon moved too, sliding out and plunging deep and hard, just one tremendous thrust, locking his body to hers. His head went back in a silent cry. Clamped together, his hands on her shoulders, hers at his waist, their bodies trembled and shuddered silently. It seemed to go on forever. 

Finally, Suzanne recovered enough to start taking in her surroundings. The stars shone serenely above them; the ocean breathed in gentle sighs against the beach. The voices had moved past them and were now just a murmur in the distance.

“Jesus, Suzanne.” His hands loosened their grip on her shoulders.

She peeled her own off his waist so she could stroke his back. Her fingers trembled, and so did her voice when she whispered, “I told you not to move.”

He gave a soft chuckle. “You groped my butt.”

She smothered her own laughter against his chest—hot, damp, smelling of sex. “I was pulling up your pants, so those people wouldn’t see that fine butt of yours.”

“Guess they saw a lot more than that,” he said wryly. No! “They couldn’t see us,” she said, wanting it to be true. Or did she? Wait a minute, she was sexy Suzanne. Hadn’t she just proven that? She tried to infuse a Marlene Dietrich huskiness into her voice. “You think they saw us?”

His smile was a quick flash of white in the moonlight.

“Dunno. I was occupied at the time.”

This time she didn’t bother burying her face when she laughed. “Yeah, I noticed.”

“No, you didn’t. You were busy too.”

And how! “Women are capable of doing two things at once.”

“Definitely the superior sex,” he said easily. Hmm.

While Suzanne was wondering whether he really meant that, he asked, “Would you care if they saw?”

There was only one way the sexy twin could answer. “Not unless they call the cops.”

“God, woman, you really are outrageous.”

She smiled with pride. Mission accomplished. A residual tremor shivered through her and she kissed his shoulder. “That was incredible, Jaxon.”

He buried his face in her hair and dropped a kiss of his own.

“It was. There’s something about beaches, isn’t there?”

“There’s something about you.”

“About us together.”

Her fingers danced across his back. “Or even us by e-mail.”

His body shook with laughter. “Are you typing sexy messages to me?”

“Mmm.” She typed quickly on his lower back. Then she pressed her finger into the hollow just above his buttocks.

“And that was ‘Send.’ ”

“Tell me what you typed.”

“I said, ‘Next time, let’s make it last longer.’”

“Oh yeah!” He eased out of her, off her body, and she missed his heat. She sat up, pulling her skirt across her legs, hunting for her top, then slipping it on. Jaxon pulled up his jeans and fastened them. When he reached for his T-shirt, she put a hand on his arm. “Are you cold?”

“Don’t want me to put it on?”

“I like looking at you. You have such a beautiful body.”

“You’re the beautiful one.” Some men might have said it automatically, but the appreciative tone of Jaxon’s voice told her he meant it.

People often said she was pretty, but she’d never felt beautiful. Only with him. This evening was working out perfectly, as wonderful, in its own way, as Crete. And now she had enough experience to know how rare it was—at least for her—to have such incredible sex.

Sex, she reminded herself. That’s all it was. Not making love, or anything foolish and romantic like that. Just sex. Utterly fantastic sex.

“Now that we’ve satisfied one appetite,” she said, “want to work on another?” She opened the lid of the picnic basket. “I brought white wine. I wasn’t sure if . . .”

“Sounds great.”

She handed him the bottle and the corkscrew, then began to open the packages of Granville Island goodies, releasing the aromas of pepper ham, Greek olives, Italian antipasto, sharp cheddar into the night air. Soon they were sitting with their backs against the big log, toasting each other and sharing treats. After the first few mouthfuls, Suzanne realized they’d reached a new stage, an awkward one. Now was the time for conversation, but what should she say?

Jaxon broke the silence. “This beach is terrific. Do you live near here?”

“No, I—” Wait, there was something wrong about this. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him with her address; it was more that he’d asked a personal question and she was all set to answer. Was this going to lead to a chat about apartments, jobs, friends? The conventional first-date conversation, in which she’d be forced to reveal Suze, the sensible twin?

And did she really want to know whether he was an accountant or a cat burglar?

If she gave him a partial answer, perhaps he’d take the hint and not probe more deeply. The only probing she wanted from Jaxon tonight was physical, not conversational. “Further away from town,” she said casually.

“I’m surprised what a short drive it was from downtown. Once you’re out here, the city seems far away. I can’t think of a comparable spot in San Francisco.”

Relieved he’d accepted her evasiveness, she said, “I don’t know San Francisco very well. I’ve only been there once, and I did the normal tourist things. Fisherman’s Wharf, Ghirardelli Square, Chinatown. A boat ride over to Sausalito.”

He chuckled softly. “Yeah, you hit the tourist biggies. Did you like the city?”

“Very much. It’s colorful, attractive. I got the sense there’s a bunch of interesting places and activities to discover, beyond the standard tourist stuff.” She reflected. “Well, I guess that’s true of most cities. They put on one face for tourists, but the locals learn a more personal one.”

“Sounds right.”

And that was what she was doing, Suzanne thought. Putting on a sexy face for Jaxon, in hopes he’d never look beyond it to the more personal, boring one.

He sipped the wine. “This is unusual, but I like it. What is it?”

“A gewürztraminer from a winery called Quail’s Gate, in the Okanagan.” She’d wondered if she should buy Greek wine, then decided Cretan wine was great on Crete but Vancouver called for BC wine.

“Okanagan?”

“In the interior of the province. The BC wine industry isn’t as old as California’s, but we have some really good wines.” She wasn’t a connoisseur, but having dinner with the Foursome every Monday had expanded her knowledge of all things alcoholic. “You can visit a number of the wineries and do winetasting.”

“I did that in the Sonoma Valley once.”

“Not Napa?” We can do this, she thought as she spread pepper cream cheese on a slice of baguette, and topped it with a couple of olives. We can make interesting conversation without dragging out the ho-hum personal details.

“Napa’s too touristy. Sonoma’s quieter, and the scenery is . . .”

He paused, considering, then said, “Peaceful. Serene. Makes you feel like you could just sit in the sun, breathe in the air, drink some wine, sit there for hours. Or drift into the sky and see the whole thing from a hot-air balloon.”

Wow! It sounded amazing, but not exactly . . . hot. Out of character, for him. “You did that?”

“Oh yeah.” His expression, in the moonlight, held a strange combination of warmth and wryness, and suddenly she got it. He’d gone wine-tasting and hot-air ballooning with a woman. Just what was he remembering?

“That sounds like fun,” she said, trying to sound carefree, not curious or jealous.

“Maybe you’ll come visit one day, and we’ll do it.” He tickled her arm with something and she realized he was holding the tiger lily. “Ever had sex in a hot-air balloon?”

Was that what he’d been up to? Oh yeah, they certainly were avoiding the prosaic first-date topics. “I have to admit I haven’t, Jaxon. But I’m game to try.”

“I’d have to get my license to fly one.”

Aha! Sounded like he hadn’t actually
done it
—literally—

with another woman.

“Unless you wouldn’t mind having sex in front of the pilot?” he went on, one eyebrow cocked.

She shook her head quickly. “That’s a bit much.” Oh my gosh, had he done
that
? Did she sound hopelessly naïve?

“For me too,” he said, to her relief. “It’s one thing if people happen to wander by on the beach, on a dark night. . . .”

“Exactly.”

He glanced out at the still ocean, then turned back to her, with that eyebrow cocked again. “So, outrageous69, what do you think about going skinny-dipping? This beach is pretty close to deserted.”

“Oh! But Jaxon, the water’s freezing cold.”

“Kids were in swimming earlier,” he teased.

“Kids never notice the cold.”

“I’ll keep you warm. Or are you chicken, Suzanne?”

Those were fighting words. Besides, she couldn’t resist the thought of Jaxon naked under the stars. She skimmed her top over her head and undid the buttons at the waist of her skirt. He gave a startled laugh and she paused. Perhaps he hadn’t expected her to accept the dare?

Her fingers attacked the buttons again. So much the better. She wanted to astonish him, keep him off balance, give him the most erotic, exotic adventure he could ever imagine. He was unfastening his jeans. She stood and let her skirt slide down her hips, wondering briefly where he’d tossed her panties. Jaxon froze in the act of pulling his jeans down, and stared at her. “God, you’re beautiful. Are you a woman, or a mermaid risen from the sea?”

She glanced down. Her pale skin reflected the moonlight so much better than his. If anyone walked by now, they’d sure get an eyeful. But Jaxon’s dazed expression told her that eyeful was something to be proud of. “Follow me in and find out,” she dared him.

Then, without hurrying, she walked as gracefully as she could in the sand, to the edge of the water. Knowing his eyes followed her made her nipples tighten. The ache began again, low in her belly. He could arouse her just by watching her. She toed the water. Had she said cold? Yikes, it was freezing!

She forced herself to take a few cautious steps in, feeling goose bumps rise on her whole body. Now there was a picture: female nude, with giant goose bumps.

Was he going to leave her standing here alone?

Jax watched, mesmerized, as Suzanne strolled away from him. She was breathtaking: straight-backed, that amazing mass of red-gold hair hanging halfway down her back, curvy hips and backside, then long, gorgeous legs.

Tonight, as the water lapped her knees, he could almost imagine those legs joining together, forming a tail. She’d flip her tail, swim out to sea, and he’d never see her again. Instead, she turned, and, if such a thing were possible, the view improved. Graceful female curves in absolutely the right quantities. She crooked a finger, then turned again, and walked deeper into the ocean.

He cast a quick glance up and down the beach. Oh hell, he wasn’t going to wuss out. He had a mermaid to catch. Hurriedly, he dragged his jeans and boxer briefs down, struggling to free his erection. Then he strode the few steps to the waterline and splashed in. Jesus, it was ice! On the other hand, there was the sight of Suzanne to heat his blood. He was almost surprised the water around his legs didn’t boil. Trying to keep his balance on the pebbly bottom, he walked toward her. She held out her hand and he took it. He leaned forward so his breath tickled her ear and whispered, “You are one x-rated woman.”

She gave him a cat-smile. “I’m not the one who’s doing hard-core porn.”

He glanced down. The water came to mid thigh, and its chill had done nothing to discourage his jutting cock. But he was positive he wasn’t alone in this sweet agony. He slid a hand between her legs, making her gasp. “You’re as turned on as I am.”