Hotblooded (24 page)

She headed for the bed and sat, watching him. His eyes roamed over her body, knowing he would never get tired of it. Thirty pounds, wrinkles, sunburn, scars—nothing would make her less beautiful to him.

“On your knees, Jack,” she ordered.

“Whatever you say.” He sank to the floor in front of her. It was like every fantasy coming true. She was taking charge even more than she had the last time. She was not only willing to ask him for what she needed—obviously—but she seemed to have a really good idea of what she wanted.

He ran his hands up her thighs as she had done to him the night in his motel room in Honey Creek. “Just tell me what you want.”

She lay back and parted her thighs. “I’m thinking you can take it from here.”

Okay, well then. He couldn’t take his eyes from the wet, pink folds on display for him. And yeah, he knew exactly what to do.

“Thank you, Brooke,” he said sincerely. He slid his hands up and under her ass, pulling her hips closer to the edge of the bed. “Making you scream will be a pleasure.”

She smiled and lifted a hand to her breast, playing with her nipple. “No one’s ever done this to me.”

He stopped halfway there and looked up. “What?”

“I’ve read it in romance novels, but never actually done it.”

“That,” he said sincerely—thanking God that the men she’d been with were total idiots—“is the best thing I’ve heard in a long time.”

He kissed his way up her inner thigh, adding little flicks of his tongue, running his hand up and down the other thigh at the same time. She shifted restlessly, her breathing uneven.

When he was sure she was ready, he put his mouth over her clit and breathed. The hot air made her arch toward him.

“God you smell good,” he told her gruffly. “You’re so beautiful, so amazing.”

She moaned and wiggled.

He brushed a finger over the soft hair on her mound, preparing her for the more intimate touch, then slid the pad of his index finger to her clit.

“That’s good.” Her head pressed back into the mattress, arching her neck.

“Oh, you have no idea.” Good was going to be an understatement. Then he put his lips on her, kissing softly. His hand under her butt lifted her slightly and he kissed her again with more pressure. Her gasp spurred him on and his tongue flicked out to lick her.

The touch of his tongue against her clit made them both moan. She tasted like everything good he’d ever had. Tracing his finger along her hot cleft, he forced himself to go slow, to work up to more but she arched up.

“Please.”

He loved having Brooke need him.

He slid a finger inside of her and lifted his head slightly. She was spread open on the bed, offering herself up to him, and he had to taste her fully.

Withdrawing his finger he replaced the touch with his tongue, licking long and boldly.

Her fingers gripped his hair. “Jack. Oh, my…”

He did it again, then sucked her clit into his mouth, sliding two fingers into her. Flicking her clit with his tongue he pumped his fingers deep, curling them into her G-spot.

She came apart a moment later, crying out his name.

The tremors subsided slowly and he lifted himself from between her legs. “What do you think?” he asked, stripping out of his shirt.

“I can’t believe I went that long without that.”

He undid his fly. “Anytime you want more just say the word.”

She slid her legs up and down on the slick sheets and gave him a sexy grin. “More.”

Well, he was dedicated to her happiness. He started to kneel again when she laughed.

“Keep undressing. I want more of everything.”

He stripped his clothes off. “Whatever you want, Brooke.”

“You. Deep and hard.”

She was still on the edge of the mattress, she was wet and hot, and she’d just said two of his favorite words. “I can do that.”

She bit her bottom lip and looked unsure for a moment.

He didn’t like that look at all. “What is it?”

“I just… I wanted…”

“Anything.”

“No judgment?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Well, I’m in the mood for trying new things.”

He was more and more interested. “Such as?”

“New positions.”

He swallowed hard. “What haven’t you done?”

Her gaze wavered, her eyes going to his collarbone instead of his face. He knelt on the mattress next to her and gripped her chin between his thumb and finger. “Never be afraid to say anything to me. I want you. In every way. Nothing you could say could change that.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

“So what do you want?”

“Hands and knees.”

He almost came right then. He breathed deeply to slow himself down. When he had some control back, he slid his hands to her hips, bent and kissed her, then flipped her to her stomach. He ran his hand up and down over her spine, then gripped her hips again and pulled her ass toward him. She went up on her knees, bracing her hands flat on the mattress. Goose bumps erupted down her back and he bent to lick the base of her spine.

“God you’re beautiful,” he said gruffly. “In any position.”

She wiggled her hips. “Show me how much I like this one.”

Hands on her hips, he thrust forward, sinking deep. Her breath hissed out while he groaned. He felt the heat and friction all the way to the soles of his feet. Unable to stay still for even a second, he moved immediately.

It only took a few thrusts for her to match his rhythm, pushing back, meeting his strokes. His release built quickly and he wanted her with him. He reached around and found her clit, but it wasn’t necessary. She was right with him. She bent, lowering her head to the pillow and pushing her ass higher in the air, taking him even deeper.

“Brooke,” he groaned.

“Yes,” she answered.

They went over the peak together a moment later.

“Yep, definitely in the top three,” she gasped as they sprawled on the mattress together, her butt against his groin.

He laughed into her hair. “Duly noted.”

After she fell asleep, Jack couldn’t relax. He ran his hand through her hair over and over. This was a breakthrough. She’d come to him—again. She’d asked him for what she wanted, even things she’d been hesitant to admit she wanted.

She trusted him. She wanted him. And he was staying here, with her, for good.

“I love you, Brooke,” he whispered, kissing the top of her head. “You’re all mine now.”

Brooke was, not surprisingly, in a great mood the next morning as she drove home from Amarillo, in spite of the early hour. It was Sunday, but she wanted to get back to Honey Creek before everyone was up and going to church—before anyone could notice that she’d been gone overnight. Or worse, that Jack had been too.

Still, even with only a few hours of sleep, she was happier than she’d been in a long time.

She was also famished.

Of course, that wasn’t a surprise considering how she’d burned the calories the night before.

Jack had awakened her twice more in the night, encouraging her to tell him about her fantasies, try new things. She was quite fond of hands-and-knees but also found that with him even missionary was damned good.

She’d shown up at his room when she realized that being without him was going to hurt no matter when or how it happened. She was already in love with him. She was already going to cry. In fact, she’d been crying alone in her room before deciding to have one amazing night, one night where she let go and gave him everything.

It didn’t matter that she might end up like her mom. It didn’t matter that he was going to leave.

If this was how her mother had felt about Walter, Brooke couldn’t blame her for risking it all.

Then at one point, as they’d been drifting in that delicious dream-like place between conscious and unconscious, she could have sworn he’d said he loved her.

It might have been a dream but lying there in his arms and when he’d made love to her the next time…she’d felt it.

And finally she’d whispered that she loved him too.

How she was going to manage when he went back to San Antonio, she wasn’t sure but she only had a few more months in Honey Creek. Then they could be together. Just a few more months.

In honor of her newly optimistic attitude, and to show Jack that she appreciated being able to be herself, she chose to wear a shirt in a deep red that had been relegated to the back of her closet.

She was actually humming as she stood at the counter in the kitchen preparing to slide two pieces of bread into the toaster. She wondered if Jack was similarly ravenous. She’d worked him hard last night. He’d probably be at Vi’s now, ordering a large breakfast.

Brooke paused with the first piece only partially in the slot.

She’d always heard that Vi made great muffins. In fact, the rumor was that Vi made great eggs, pancakes and coffee too. Brooke didn’t know firsthand, but suddenly all of the above sounded great. Her stomach rumbled in approval.

After her workout last night, she needed something more substantial than toast, she reasoned as she put the bread back. She knew that her decision to brave the diner had more to do with seeing Jack as soon as she could rather than filling her stomach, but she
was
hungry, and with him there it wouldn’t be nearly as intimidating to walk into Vi’s.

She hoped.

She was proud of how confidently she approached the front door of the diner seven minutes later. The morning sun glinted off the huge front windows making it nearly impossible to see anything inside. She kept her chin high and her smile firmly in place in case anyone was watching her from inside.

And she kept repeating to herself, “There’s no reason you shouldn’t walk right in there like you belong. There’s no reason you shouldn’t walk right in there like you belong.”

The bell tinkled above her head as she pushed the door open, halting her mantra…and, evidently, the conversation near the door.

She
felt
the heads turn in her direction even before she saw them.

More conversation quieted, like dominoes tipping over one by one from where she had figuratively started the cascade.

It was as if it had been scripted.

She hesitated, for just an instant. And was immediately annoyed with herself. This was a public place, it was during business hours. She wasn’t brandishing a weapon, she didn’t have two heads, she wasn’t carrying a banner that declared
Down with Diners
. She was prepared to give Vi money in exchange for some of her muffins. Nothing strange, nothing funny, nothing to worry about. There really was no reason that she shouldn’t walk through that front door as if she belonged there.

“Hi, honey,” Vi greeted, breaking the strange, uncomfortable silence. “What can I get ya?”

“A dozen muffins.” Brooke stepped to the counter.

She was in a great mood, Brooke reminded herself. She took a deep breath as Vi retrieved a box from under the counter and moved to the bakery display case.

“You want a little of everything?” Vi asked, her smile friendly and her eyes a little sympathetic.

“Sure. Thanks,” Brooke answered, glad her voice didn’t waver. But she kept her eyes firmly on the muffins Vi was choosing from the case. She couldn’t even make herself look for Jack.

While she waited on her order, she tried to boost her confidence. Speaking of Jack…

She’d had the best sex that anyone on the planet had ever had. And so had he. She was
not
going to let these people ruin her mood.

But she still couldn’t pull her eyes from watching Vi fill the white cardboard box.

Vi was almost finished when Brooke heard, “Interesting that you would come in. Jack just finished telling us the news.”

She closed her eyes as her ex-father-in-law’s voice penetrated the thick silence. Two more minutes and she would have been free.

She should have known better. Walter was at the diner every morning and he would never think of letting her escape unscathed.

Of course, Walter had never, ever been afraid to say anything anywhere.
He
had certainly never hesitated at the front door to an establishment he wanted to go into, public or not.

But as she turned to face him she wished that she had opted for a conservative navy pantsuit and had put her hair up rather than wearing it down the way Jack liked. Her usual appearance was like a suit of armor. And she needed as much protection—even that which was mostly in her head—as she could get with Walter.

“Really. The news?” she asked innocently. If Walter was going to make idle conversation with her, fine. She could be an adult and participate…for the one minute it would take Vi to finish her order.

Walter laughed. “Well, there’s really no way you could keep it a secret.”

Oh, no. Brooke jumped from resigned to panicked in two seconds. She felt her face heat and her breathing quicken alarmingly.

There was no way that Jack had told anyone about them, she told herself.

Was there?

“I, um,” she stopped and cleared her throat.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Jack appeared at her side. “After our meeting last night how could I not tell everyone?”

She’d been so excited to see him. She’d been anticipating that first smile between them, a knowing wink, a covert touch. Now all she could do was barely resist grabbing him and shaking him and yelling,
What were you thinking? You ruined everything!

“Tell them what?” she, somehow, asked instead.

“That I’m staying.”

He was looking at her like he was concerned she might throw up. Which she was seriously considering.

She knew exactly how this was going to go. “Staying,” she repeated.

“Maybe we should let her negotiate all of the contracts for the City Council,” someone said.

Scattered chuckles met the comment.

Yep, exactly how it was going to go.

“I’m not sure we can afford her rates,” Walter said, with a mild smile. “But then maybe you’re giving him a break. Professional courtesy and all.”

The light laughter died and the tension in the room heightened.

“After all,” Walter continued, typically pleased with the rapt attention his words were getting. “Jack has helped you out a lot around here.”