Harm's Hunger (6 page)

When she didn’t answer right away, his thumb made a small circle around the responsive bit of skin, never quite hitting it. Just enough to rev her up. Jena whimpered and rocked her hips, wanting to move, needing the release her body sought. “Only if I get three for him as well.”

Harm’s chuckle rumbled against her back. “Quite the negotiator, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” she said, barely able to think while wanting him to touch her, “and right now I’m ordering you to give me what I want.”

“No, sweetheart, I’m going to give you what you
need
.” He kissed the delicate skin behind her ear. “Me,” he said in a husky tone as he stopped circling his thumb and honed in on the sensitive, aching skin, applying steady pressure. At the same time, his other hand clasped the plump flesh of her breast in a possessive hold.

“Harm…” She gulped. “That feels so good,” she panted, rocking into his hand when he began to slide his fingers in and out of her body once more.

While plucking out a seductive, rhythmic tune against her taut frame, Harm didn’t forget about the rest of her erogenous zones. He twirled her nipple, teasing the hard bud with just the right pinching-pressure. The combination of his actions sent Jena over the edge. Her body trembled through the force of her orgasm. She cried out as pure pleasure spiraled from her breasts to her stomach, to her thighs and beyond.

Once her heart rate slowed, she turned, only to have it speed right back up. She stared in fascination as she watched Harm suck her essence off each finger, one-by-one, rumbling his approval. Pure desire, in its most primal form, slammed into her stomach as she watched him savor her.

Decadent satisfaction had turned his eyes so dark brown, they almost looked black. Just as he started to speak, her stomach made a gurgling sound and Jena laughed to cover her embarrassment.

Harm glanced down at her belly, an apologetic look crossing his face. “Are you hungry? All I have to offer are apples and carrots.” He gave an adorable, lopsided grin. “Horses love ‘em as a treat.”

She returned his smile with a knowing grin. “Yes, I’m hungry.” Reaching out, she wrapped her fingers around his thick, rigid shaft, then raised her eyebrow suggestively as she ran her thumb over the drop of arousal moistening the tip.

Harm eyes blazed with smoldering heat. His gaze dropped to her lips, and his nostrils flared as a predatory smile quirked the corners of his lips. “Never say I don’t know how to provide the most important food group for my woman.”

His woman
. That sounded just right to her. Jena pointed to the kitchen chair in front of the fireplace. “Go sit.”

Harm grinned and followed her orders. He heard her rummaging around in her purse while he moved some wet clothes to another chair. Positioning the empty chair in front of the fire, he sat, waiting for Jena.

She was the most stimulating woman. Why in the world had he let their explosive relationship go on for months before he decided to do something about it? He didn’t know what freight train finally had to hit him, but he was glad he came to his senses. His stomach tightened into knots when he realized his own stubborn convictions could have pushed this wonderful woman into another man’s arms.

Harm clenched his jaw at the mere thought. She was his. Period. He’d never felt so strongly about another person. The tension in his chest, the gnawing feeling in his stomach, and the electricity coursing through him were throwing him off-balance. It all felt like some kind of surreal dream, one that he sure as hell didn’t want to wake up from.

Jena’s hand brushing over his shoulder drew him out of his reverie. Harm clasped her around the waist, intending to bury his face against her silky breasts. “Uh-uh.” She pulled away and stood facing him. “No touching.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Is that the way it’s going to be?”

Nodding, she tapped her finger against her lips as she took a slow circle around the chair. The whole time she sized him up, a sexy smile played on her lips. Desire and mischief filled her gaze. She appeared to be deciding just what she wanted to do with him. Harm’s cock throbbed against his belly. He was ready as hell.

She stopped in front of him once more and laid her hands on his thighs. When she slid them to the crease in his legs and touched his sac lightly with her thumbs, he couldn’t stop the shudder that rippled through him. When she pushed his thighs further apart, Harm gritted his teeth to stay focused. The lightning lust that surged through his body at the mere thought of what she had in mind felt like he’d been punched in the balls. He lifted his hands to cup her breasts, but she backed away, shaking her head.

Now he understood. If he touched her at all, she’d stop. Harm set his jaw and clamped his hands on the bottom of the chair. Damn, it was the only way he’d keep from touching her. She was a gorgeous sight to behold, the fire reflecting off her peach-toned skin and honey-blonde hair made her appear ethereal—like his very own seductive angel. He ached to touch her just to see her cheeks flush with desire once more. Perfect breasts, more than a handful and ruby red nipples, jutted out impudently at him, teasing him, torturing him. He wanted to taste her so bad his mouth watered.

When she went down on her knees in front of him, Harm held back the howl of animal satisfaction that roared deep within his chest. Jena traced the inside of his thigh with her tongue until she reached his sac. His throat tightened when she flicked the ultra sensitive skin with the tip of her tongue. Harm’s hips moved of their own accord, closer to her hot mouth. But she moved to his other leg and repeated the same process all over again until her mouth rested over him. Giving him a minx-like smile, she grasped his cock with one hand and fondled him with the other.

“Taste me, Jena.” The request was out before he could stop himself.

She tortured him with her tongue once more, touching every ridge and crevice as she licked a path along the entire length of his erection. Harm’s balls tightened in erotic anticipation, and his stomach tensed as he waited for her mouth to surround him. He clenched his hands tight on the chair to keep from brushing his fingers along the curve of her spine, to feel her soft skin pebble from his touch. He gritted his teeth and tamped down the urge. Later, he promised himself.

When she closed her mouth over him, stroking his heightened skin with her tongue, the unexpected cool, tingling sensation nearly rocked his world. Harm took deep breaths to keep from coming too soon. He fucking wanted this fantasy to last. As she worked her mouth up and down his length, he managed to rasp out between building, coiling tension and ragged breaths, “What do you have in your mouth? It’s incredible.”

“Hmmm,” she hummed her response and he bucked against her as the vibrating sensation spread like wildfire throughout his lower torso and thighs.

Harm gave into his natural inclination. Without thinking, he placed a hand on the crown of her head and directed her to take him further. Jena’s eager accommodation to his silent request had him groaning his approval. As her sensual nature shook him to the core, an odd sense of déjà vu rocketed through him, making oral sex with Jena that much more exciting.

He lifted his hips and rocked against her hot, moist mouth, murmuring her name as she took a long, sucking drag. When she bit down, then circled his shaft with her tongue, as if soothing her love nip, pleasure-pain shot through him. On the brink of his orgasm, he held back, determined to prolong the thousand jolts of awareness that radiated throughout his body, yet centered with her talented tongue and kissable lips.

When he caught the scent of her own arousal and heard her moan, Harm was lost. A primal growl erupted as he let go, rocking hard against her warm mouth. The knowledge that Jena took everything he offered with pleasure made his orgasm one of the longest, most fulfilling climaxes he’d ever experienced.

The scent of mint surrounded him as she stood, leaned close and whispered, “strong peppermints,” before kissing him deeply. He started to pull her into his lap, but she drew back with a wicked grin.

“You see, the reason I would even consider agreeing to your compromise is because I know who
really
wields all the power.”

“Is that right?” Harm gave a cocky smile and before she could move away, he swiped his finger along her entrance, gathering the sweetness he knew awaited his touch. While she gasped her surprise that he knew how turned on she was, he raised an eyebrow and slid the wet finger into his mouth.

Pulling Jena between his legs, he captured her lips, his kiss intense and thorough. She sighed against his mouth, folding into his body. His heart skipped a beat with the knowledge that he felt so deeply for this woman it scared him. Those three chances were as much for his sanity as hers. Otherwise, she’d have him completely wrapped around her finger even more than he already was. He vowed to himself before the evening was out, he’d have Jena as addicted to him as he was to her.

Harm set her on the floor and pulled the chairs out of the way. “Wait here. I’ll get us some food.”

Jena watched the flex and play of his taut butt cheeks as he walked toward the kitchen. The display of muscles and naked male flesh made her weak in the knees. She couldn’t believe how well they’d connected. What would he say when his memory came back? Would he despise her? Her stomach pitched.

Shaking her worried thoughts away, she vowed that if Harm didn’t get his memory back by tomorrow, she’d tell him the truth. She didn’t want to think about what might happen between them as a result. A crackle and hissing pop from the fire drew her attention. The heat felt so good against her skin. She touched her clothes and sighed. The material was still damp. While she waited for Harm, she stretched out on her belly across the rug and basked in the fire’s warmth.

When the smell of apples invaded her senses, Jena lifted her head from her cradled arms. She smiled as Harm drew the apple slice away from her nose and popped it into his mouth. He’d apparently turned out the lantern, and the surrounding darkness made the glow of the firelight even more intimate.

“Hey, sleepyhead.” Harm leaned back against the foldout bed and propped his elbow on his bent knee, totally at home with his nakedness in front of her.

Why did it seem perfectly natural to be lying here naked in front of him?
Jena stretched and smiled. “Guess the fire put me right to sleep.”

“Didn’t have anything to do with your earlier exertions,” he said, winking at her.

Damn, he was one sexy man. Jena chuckled and rose up on her elbows to take a slice of apple from the plate he’d set between them. “Oh, I suppose it might have something to do with that.” She nibbled on the piece of fruit. “Your turn. Tell me what you’re looking for in a wife.”

He shifted his gaze to the fire as if the flames held the answer. “I want someone who accepts what I am—a rancher, no more, no less—who’s willing to live that lifestyle with me. Someone who attracts me both mentally and physically.” His eyes met hers. “Someone I can enjoy the give and take of debating with just as much as the give and take while making love…” Heat curled in her belly as Harm paused to rake his gaze across her naked back and buttocks. His dark eyes met hers as he continued, “And I’ve found her.”

Jena swallowed the piece of apple that threatened to lodge in her throat. She rolled onto her side, propped up on her elbow and faced him. “Harm, all I said was that I would come and stay for a while.”

Her heart raced as Harm pushed her on her back and leaned over her, his hands braced on the floor around her. “I thought I said this already. You’re not going back to Maryland.” He punctuated his words while kissing a path along her throat.

She pushed at his shoulders until he lifted his head. “And I told you I make my own decisions.”

There was arrogance in his low laugh, but his expression was dead serious. “Didn’t I tell you? I’m exercising my right at a unilateral decision on your behalf.”

Jena laughed at his self-assured confidence. “But that was as my husband.”

He raised an eyebrow. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s a done deal. And as you know, I don’t commit lightly.”

“All the more reason for you to really think before you commit yourself.” Panic clawed in her chest.
He’s going to kill me when he gets his memory back. At the very least, he’ll never forgive me
. Jena pushed at his arms, needing space. Harm leaned back and let her rise. The look on his face was so inscrutable she couldn’t decipher what he was thinking.

Without a word, he stood and lifted her in his arms. Setting her on the bed, he climbed in behind her, then pulled her back until her butt rested against the cradle of his hips and thighs. As he settled his chest against her back, then splayed his hand across her belly in a you’re-mine hold, Jena wished he’d never bumped his head, that she’d never set this whole fabricated fantasy in motion. But if she hadn’t taken the reins with this whole amnesia thing, Harm would’ve felt vulnerable in a total stranger’s presence. He would’ve held the most important parts of himself back, and she would never have gotten to know the real Harmon Steele.

* * *

“Don’t move,” Harm whispered in her ear. Jena surfaced from deep slumber when he laid his hot, naked body across her back. Pinned to the bed, her heart beat faster as he laced his fingers with hers, silently directing her to curl her hands around the mattress edge above her head.

Her skin prickled with sexual excitement as he slid his palms down her back to the indention of her waist. The fire had died to dull red embers, and the sound of rolling thunder sounded far off. Only an occasional flash of lightning illuminated the otherwise pitch-dark room.

Jena sucked in her breath when he lifted her hips. She started to rise up on her hands and knees, but Harm put a hand on her back, silently telling her to remain as she was—her butt tilted in the air, her face on the pillow, arms stretched above her, hands clutching the bed.

When he slid a finger inside her and slowly turned it around, finding and pressing on her g-spot, she bucked against his hand. His touch disappeared and she started to sit up and complain, but the sensation of his thumbs spreading her and his mouth finding just the right spot had her collapsing with a sigh of pleasure.