Here Comes Trouble (21 page)

He also never wanted to hurt her again, seeing
that emotion in her eyes told him that. He just prayed that she
didn't find out about Karen, before he could get her out of there.
If she did, an apology wasn't going to fix things this time, he
knew. Breathing hard, an odd combination of fear and desire
coursing through his blood, Joel pulled his mouth from hers and
kissed her forehead, then gave her a tight squeeze.

"Let's go home, darlin'...," he said in a
heated voice. "We have some making up to do," he told
her.

Terri nodded then slid off his lap and settled
herself back behind the wheel. She sat there quiet a minute, her
breathing as erratic as his own, then she held out her hand to him
and he put the keys in her palm.

Ten minutes later, they pulled up at the ranch
house and Joel got out of the truck then went around to her side to
help her down. When he set her on her feet, she slid her arms
around his waist and hugged him.

Warmth spread through him and his heart
wiggled in his chest.

This hug wasn't about passion, it went deeper
than that and Joel's arms tightened around her. Forgiveness,
genuine affection and love seeped into him through her hug. Like a
sponge, he soaked it up even though he knew he didn't have a right
to.

Without words, Joel tried to tell her he felt
the same, because he knew even though he felt it, those words
wouldn't pass his lips for a long while. Joel was a coward, because
he was scared, petrified of letting himself love her. All he could
hope was that Terri would wait for him to work through his issues
so he could love her right, say the words she needed to hear. Give
her what he knew she needed.

But right now, he knew they both needed
rest.

With a kiss to the top of her head, Joel
pushed back from her then tucked her under his arm and led her up
to the porch and into the house. He flicked on the light in the
foyer on the way through then led her to the living room and down
the hall to her bedroom.

Outside the door, he stopped and she turned to
slide her arms around his waist and look up at him. Even though the
hallway was dimly lit, he saw the need and invitation in her
beautiful green eyes.

"Stay with me," she whispered then nuzzled her
face against his chest. A tremor passed through Joel and he leaned
down and lifted her into his arms, before closing his mouth over
hers. The small beautiful woman in his arms definitely wouldn't
have to ask him that twice. He had planned to go to the bunkhouse
to get Karen out of there, but that could wait. Blindly, he fumbled
with the doorknob and opened it, then walked inside and kicked it
shut behind him, never breaking the hot kiss that had him hard and
ready to feel her around him.

Terri didn't break the kiss either as her
fingers worked at the top buttons of his shirt. Desire punched Joel
in the gut and he staggered but made it to the bed then laid Terri
in the center, then scrambled onto the bed beside her, kicking off
his boots as he went.

"Take your clothes off, baby," he instructed
and finished removing his shirt. Her hands went to the button of
her jeans and Joel swallowed hard as he watched her unzip them then
shimmy her hips to shove them down. The thin scrap of her panties
taunted him before she shoved those down as well. When she finished
she rolled toward him and put her leg over his thigh then ran her
hands over his chest setting wildfires inside of him.

Joel slid his hand down her thigh and lazily
separated her slick folds before gently inserting a finger into her
wetness. "Looks like arguing is foreplay for you too," he said with
a groan.

Her hips jutted toward his hand and she sucked
in a sharp breath. "All you have to do is smile at me and I'm wet,
Joel," she admitted in a broken whisper.

"Well you must stay wet, because every time I
look at you I'm smiling, baby,"

"You have no fucking idea, now get your
clothes off cowboy," she demanded and her hand went down to his
zipper. "I need you,' she panted trying to slide the zipper over
his erection. In the interest of self-preservation, Joel took
charge of the zipper and eased it down, then pulled his boxers and
jeans off in one motion.

Putting his hand on her hip, Joel rolled her
onto her back and threw his thigh over hers. The heat of his steely
erection pressed into her inner thigh. Leaning up, he unbuttoned
her shirt, then pushed it off of her shoulders leaving it trapping
her arms, before he dipped his head between her breasts and
released the closure of her bra with his teeth and
tongue.

"That's a neat trick, but I need my arms,"
Terri said with a chuckle that turned into a gasp when he licked
her nipple through her bra. Peeling back the cup with his teeth, he
laid it to the side then his hot mouth closed over her breast.
Terri moaned and arched her back, as he swirled his hot tongue
around her nipple and fire shot to her core.

Everything about Joel Rhodes was hot,
everything about him made her hot.

Terri wiggled trying to release her arms from
the shirt, so she could touch him, but he just sucked her breast
harder. His other hand moved to her breast and he nipped one while
he pinched the other, and Terri sucked in short sharp breaths
trying to put off the orgasm trying to carry her away. Never in her
life had she had an orgasm from this alone, but she was damned
close right now.

He rolled her nipple with his tongue and
fingers and Terri realized he wasn't going to let her hold back.
Terri mewled, then whimpered his name as her body trembled and
moisture rushed between her legs, her muscles clenching with heady
release.

"Oh, god..." she panted when he lifted his
head and his heated blue eyes met hers. Terri gyrated her hips
against his erection, trying to coax him to move a little left and
put her out of her misery.

"Mmm..." he murmured and sucked her into his
mouth again, sending another electric jolt through her system. He
let her breast go with a pop, and told her in that deep sexy drawl
of his. "I love those sounds you make when you come," he told her
then lifted his chest off of her body.

Terri scrambled to remove the shirt, so her
arms were free, then she put her hands on his firm shoulders and
slid them up to hold the sides of his head. With a tug, she tried
to bring his mouth up to hers for a kiss.

Joel scooted upward and gave her a quick kiss
on her mouth, but he didn't linger there, he kissed her cheek then
trailed hot kisses down her neck. Tingles raced down her body and
Terri moaned her fingers gripping his shoulders. His chest rubbed
against her sensitized nipples as he moved downward and she gasped
lifting her hips toward him.

When he grabbed her hands from his shoulders
and pushed her arms over her head forcefully, Terri swallowed hard
and excitement flitted through her.

"But I want to touch you too," she pleaded and
her eyes met his.

"Right now, I'm touching you, so keep your
hands up here...or I'll find something to keep them there," Joel
threatened sensually and Terri's core throbbed.

She nodded and he kissed her lips again as if
in reward, before he went back to kissing her neck as his hands
skimmed down her sides, before he buried them under her ass. Joel
raised up and eased back on his knees then lifted her hips to rest
them on his thighs, so she was spread open to him. Terri burned as
his heated gaze moved over her intimately and his eyes glittered.
She didn't think she'd ever been so turned on in her
life.

"I want to watch you come again," he told her
in a dark gravelly voice, his breathing short and uneven. Sliding
his left hand up her thigh in a trail of fire, he moved it to the
apex of her thighs, but he didn't touch her. Begging Joel to touch
her there was on the tip of her tongue. He was so close to where
she needed to feel his touch, she could feel an invisible pull
there toward his fingers. In the mood he was in though, it probably
wouldn't do her any good and he'd just tease her more.

His eyes caressed their way up her body then
stopped at her nipples where he licked his lips and her body
tingled and her nipples hardened painfully. A buzz started between
her legs, and she thought for sure she would come again just from
his heated gaze. That would be another first. Her fingers curled
into her palms and she clenched her fists.

Not being able to touch him, not being able to
move was a new experience for her and it heightened her arousal,
but was both pleasure and pain. The thought of moving her hands to
stroke his arousal, which she could see standing proud peeking over
her mons flitted through her mind.

He must've seen her intent, because he warned
again, "Don't do it, baby..."

A tremor moved through her and she whimpered.
"Touch me," she begged in a broken whisper.

She almost breathed a sign of relief when his
left hand moved to her core and he slowly circled her. "Is that
where you want me to touch you, baby?" he asked his voice dark and
sensual.

"Yes," she breathed as a slow burn built
inside of her. She tried to rotate her hips to increase the
pressure. "Faster, please," she begged in a strangled
whisper.

He stopped and his hands clamped her hips to
still them, his thumbs on the inside of her thighs so close to
where she needed attention it was torture.

Terri wanted to scream out her frustration,
she was throbbing and needed more.

"No helping, Terri...I'll get you there, I
promise," he told her and waited for her to settle. When she did,
he went back to his slow aggravating pace and soon it was so
frustrating it was actually painful, but goddamn it was
good.

Inside, her blood felt like it was at a slow
boil and her chest constricted with the slow steady stream of
pleasure he allowed her. Terri closed her eyes and savored each new
wave, waiting to see if he would ever bring her to the edge. She
wanted that so badly right now she would do anything he asked to
get him to take her there.

Surprise and pleasure gripped her and she
moaned loudly when he inserted a finger inside of her. Her muscles
clamped around him and she fought the urge to rock her hips against
his hand, not wanting him to stop again.

"More,
please
...more," she begged
hoarsely through gritted teeth, her hands still above her head, but
gripping the sheets now. Her toes were curled she was trying so
hard to try and please him and not move. When he didn't give her
the more she wanted, just moved the finger inside of her at the
same pace as he circled, she begged again loudly, "Please, Joel...I
need
more
!"

"Is this what you want baby?" he asked then
slid a second finger into her as he inched up the pressure and pace
of his fingers on her clit. Circling her faster and harder, Joel
curved his fingers inside of her and hit a spot that had her
throwing her head to the side and taking the sheet between her
teeth just to bear the pleasure. Lifting her hips to him, because
she could no longer stay still she made short strokes in rhythm
with him, then screamed his name as her body was rocked by the most
elemental, earth-shattering climax she'd ever had in her
life.

"Fucking beautiful," he said in a hoarse voice
then eased her hips to the bed, before he relaxed on top of her and
positioned himself at her opening. Tremors still wracked her body
and she could barely catch a breath as she tried to piece back
together her soul. Good god, she'd never ever in her life,
ever
had such an exciting sexual experience.

Endorphins flowed through her veins instead of
blood and Terri felt drugged.

"Slow is good, huh?" he asked and chuckled
when he kissed the pulse pounding at her throat.

"If it got any better, you might need to give
me CPR," she told him in broken breaths.

"I'll just go for the mouth-to-mouth part of
it," he murmured then closed his lips over hers.

His hips shifted putting him right where she
needed him and Terri wrapped her legs around him and pushed her
hips forward taking him inside her body. Joel moaned and his
muscles tensed, but he held still and put his forehead against
hers, "We need a condom, baby..." he reminded huskily and his body
twitched.

"Just for a minute," she begged knowing it
wasn't smart, but she wanted to feel him skin to skin.

With every sexual encounter she'd had since
her divorce, and they weren't many of them, Terri had always
insisted on a condom. After she'd left Craig, she'd been tested for
every disease under the sun and was clean. Thank god, he'd
evidently used protection with his other women, at least he'd had
that much sense.

With Joel, right this minute, she just wanted
to feel him. "You always use a condom right?" she asked him
softly.

"Yeah, always...and after Karen I got tested
to make sure she hadn't given me anything," he replied and Terri
saw a muscle working at his jaw.

"I'm on the pill," she offered and his eyes
darkened.

"Are you sure?" he asked and running a finger
over her cheek.

Terri nodded then pulled him down and kissed
him. She wasn't sure about a lot with Joel Rhodes, but she was sure
she loved him, and wanted this.