Guardian Angel (12 page)

When Jared next took Alex into his arms, an explosion erupted. This was no time for gentle caresses or for learn
ing about each other. The sheer sexual tension that had built up between them for the past six months fulminated now in ecstasy. He dropped to his knees and pulled her down with him. Jared lay back, drawing Alex over his body and fitting her to every male angle. Her fingertips eagerly explored his ches
t, her lips following the lust-
arousing path. With eyes closed he tipped his head back, groaning when her teeth nibbled his tiny nipples until they stood at attention, mimicking hers. Unable to take any
more, his hands grasped the curve of her buttocks to hold her to him as he rolled over to imprison her under him and to fill her with his driving heat.

They were caught up in the fiery sensations until they could only be considered a part of each other. One couldn't breathe without the other; they were caught up in a glittering world neither had known existed. When Alex felt she couldn't go on, she moaned Jared's name and sunk her teeth into his shoulder. Her last coherent thought was hearing him breathe her name when his body stiffened to join hers in a torrent of desire.

Alex was gradually aware of the air chilling her body where the pressure of Jared's wasn't wanning it
.
Faint tremors were still running through her because his hand was idly stroking the curve of her bare hip and thigh.

"About all I have the energy to say is 'wow,'" Jared murmured, his eyes filled with warmth for the woman beside him.

She pressed her lips against the tiny indentations her
teeth had left in his shoulder. "Tired you out, did I?" she teased.

"I sure didn't expect a volcano hidden deep inside th
at sexy body of yours." His own
lips wandered over her forehead, tasting the faint salt on the damp skin. A nag
ging thought persisted in Jared's mind, wondering how many other men had tasted the white-hot passion Alex had just displayed. He couldn't deny the other women in his life, but for some selfish reason, he wanted only her passion to be given to him.

"I certainly didn't expect to
be
made love to in a smelly old hayloft, a roll in the hay so to speak," she snickered softly, her gentle laughter proclaiming the play on words.

"A roll in the hay!" Jared pretended to be offended. "I'll have you know this took a lot of planning, lady. Do you realize how difficult it is to get reservations for this place?"

She turned, slightly curving her body against his. "No wonder, these mattresses are as hard as boards." Her forefinger traced a random pattern over his chest, circling each nipple, then spiraling down to his navel. She twisted suddenly and dropped a moist kiss in the center of it, drawing a sharp breath from Jared. "Got to you, didn't I?" she teased, looking up.

Jared reached down and pulled her on top of him. "You got to me in more ways than one," he said thickly, cra
dling his hand behind her head and drawing her down for his kiss that deepened as soon as it began. He knew no woman had ever tasted like her, felt like her, or moved against him like her. Alex gave as good as she got, which only sent Jared further into oblivion. "When was the last time a man made you feel like this, Alex?" he punished himself by asking. "When was
the last time you sent a man to
heaven and hell at the same moment?"

The moment was gone. Alex's eyes clouded over at his question, not seeing the difficulty it took for him to ask.

She sat up and groped around for her shirt and jeans. "Damn you for ruining this," she snarled, picking up the shirt and starting to pull it on only to find it was Jared's. She threw it from her and found the right one this time.

"Oh, no." He sat up and reached for her. "A few min
utes ago you were purring like a kitten, no more wildcat around me, Alex. I know better now."

"Know what?"

His smile was boyish and endearing. "That deep down you have a wild and passionate nature," he confided in a mock whisper. "A regular wanton woman."

Alex didn't want to smile at his words, but she couldn't help it. "You're incorrigible."

"Just sex-crazed." His eyes darkened with remembered passion. "I want you again, Alex," he said roughly.

She didn't want to reveal how badly she also wanted him. "Isn't lovemaking in the barn just a bit adolescent?" She picked up his shirt and threw it playfully at his face. "My God, this is something straight out of high school!"

Jared stood up and winced when a few of his muscles protested after the hard floor of the loft. "I guess there wasn't enough hay for our mattress." He groped around
for his socks, but could find o
nly one. "You're right; I am too old for this."

Alex finger-combed the tangles and wisps of hay from her hair. "If Mavis sees us like this, she'll know for sure what we've been doing up here."

"Then the best thing for us to do is to continue with o
ur adolescent ways and sneak in
the back way." Jared was busy pulling on his jeans.

A few minutes later Alex followed Jared out of the barn and around to the side of the house near her bedroom.

"What are you planning to do, push me through my bedroom window?" she asked him when they reached the end of the wing.

He shook his head. "Something much better." He led her to a sliding glass door and inserted a key into the lock and opened it.

Once inside, Jared reached over and tapped a wall switch, bringing the room to light. Alex blinked her eyes to adjust to the brightness and looked around with inter
est.

A good part of one wall was taken up by a stone fire
place and another revealed a king-size platform bed with a cinnamon and gold striped quilt on top. A nearby book
case was filled to capacity with volumes on many subjects.

"This is your room?"

"A brilliant piece of detective work." A smile curved his mouth.

Alex shook her head, finally realizing a lot of things. "No wonder you heard me cry out that night," she mused. "You're only a couple of doors away from me, right?"

"Right."

Alex shook her head in silent wonder. She had allowed Jared to make love to her, and for all intents and purposes, by remaining here in his room invited his lovemaking again. At that moment she wasn't sure what to say. What did one say to the man who was not only her employer, but the man who just made love to her?

"I guess I can find my room easily enough from here," she said casually, turning toward the door.

Jared swiftly crossed the room and slid his arms around her. "The bed here is more than large enough for two people," he coaxed silkily, angling one warm hand under her shirt.

The fires which had been smoking embers moments before were rapidly stoked back to flames by his touch. Alex couldn't comprehend how this could happen so quickly. Where was the casual employer/employee rela
tionship they had shared? She licked her suddenly dry lips.

"You're not playing fair, Jared," she said huskily, wish
ing the moist tip of his tongue wouldn't send shock waves throughout her body.

"You're right." He seemed to be fascinated with the shape and taste of her ear.

Alex tried to swallow and even found that a chore. Her fingers rested on his crossed arms but made no move to disengage his grip. She co
uld feel the mounting heat flow
ing through her veins. For one insane, crazy moment she wanted to turn around and tear his clothes from his body so that he could drive her insensible the way he had in the barn.

"Umm, sounds like a great idea to me." He apparently had read her thoughts.

"You're a dirty old man, Mr. Templeton." Her voice was hoarse and filled with mixed emotions.

"That's because you have the kind of body a dirty old man craves, Mrs. Page," he chuckled, turning her around in his arms. When his mouth fastened on hers, there was no coherent thought. As before, they silently communicat
ed with lips, teeth, tongues, and hands.

Alex's clothes were swept from her as she was lowered onto the cool sheets of Jared's bed. She arched up to meet his warmth as his hand teased her inner thigh, seeking all her secrets. Again there was a passionate outburst between them. Jared's thrusting body matched Alex's pulsing form perfectly. She clung to him, afraid that losing hold she would lose hold of herself. Now she knew what it felt like to be in the middle of an explosion. An explosion Jared shared with her as his body sent her over the edge only to follow her in the descent.

Afterward Alex lay limply in Jared's arms and took deep breaths to slow her racing pulse. Her heart beat so rapidly, she was afraid it would leave her body. Her only consolation was that his heartbeats weren't any slower.