Shine Your Love on Me (11 page)

“Two ‘only’ children,” he said, nodding his
head.

“Every woman’s magazine says that’s a bad
combination.”

“Here’s what I think of that,” he said,
leaning over.

His mouth found hers. His kiss was hungry.
Heat between them had been growing all evening. Brooke could almost
touch it. Now, she could taste it. His tongue swiped across her
lower lip, and she opened. He took her mouth as his chest pressed
closer to her. He was delicious. She lifted her tongue to meet his.
The electricity generated by their tangling flew down her spine and
into her center. She pressed her legs together, but it only made
matters worse. She wanted him.

Pres broke off, staring at her with lustful
eyes. He kissed her cheek then her neck, feathering light kisses
down to her shoulder. He slipped the wide strap of her dress aside.
She gasped when his lips made contact with the swell of her
breast.

Suddenly, he sat up and took a deep breath.
“Sorry. You’re tempting. Almost broke my rule. I don’t make passes
at drunk women or women who are grieving.”

Don’t stop.
“I’m not drunk.” She
lifted her gaze to meet his.

“No, but you are kinda grieving. You’re
upset. I don’t take unfair advantage.”

“I’m perfectly in control. No need to be
condescending,” she sniffed.
Come back. Kiss me.

“I’m not. I’m trying to be respectful, not to
rush you.”

She laughed. “What if I want to be
rushed?”

His eyes widened. “Do you?”

Damn right, I do.
She shot a
flirtatious look at him then pushed to her feet. “Maybe you should
find out.” She headed to the coffeemaker. The heat of his stare
warmed her rump.

“If that’s what you want, I’m your man.”

Brooke placed two mugs of the fragrant,
steaming brew on the table. Pres added a touch of sugar and some
milk to his.

“Is that what you want?” he asked, his gaze
locking with hers.

“What’s wrong with wanting to be held all
night by a man when you’ve had a crappy day?”

“Nothing. Nothing at all.” He took a sip.

“If that makes me needy, then maybe I am.
Aren’t you ever needy? Don’t you ever want a woman to hold you, lie
next to you all night?”

“Every day.”

“So, what’s wrong with that?”

“Not a damn thing. But if a woman’s trading
sex for comfort, well…it’s not a good idea.”

“You’re pretty high and mighty for a horny
guy.”

“Hey, I’m trying to be the gentleman here. I
want a woman to know what she’s doing. No regrets.”

“Because when you disappear the next day,
never to darken her door again, she’ll have gone into it with open
eyes?”

“Who said I’d disappear?”

“Won’t you? If not, then what’s the big deal?
Does every encounter always have to be for the
right
reasons?”

“I don’t want to take advantage.”

“Fine.” She picked up her mug. The ache
inside her quieted down, but didn’t go away.

“I also don’t want to be just any guy.
Sleeping with a woman who just wants to get laid and doesn’t
remember your name in the morning isn’t my idea of fun.”

“That’s refreshing. Most men would jump at
the chance to screw and scram.”

He laughed. “That’s clever. Did you just make
that up?”

She nodded.

“Just because some guys are like that,
doesn’t mean we all are. Hell, to be honest, I did that in
college…”

“And you wrote about it?”

“Yeah. Then I got beat at my own game.”

“Met a woman even colder than you?”

“Ouch! I guess you could put it that way. I’d
rather say I met one who didn’t want to know me afterward. That
blew my mind.”

“Tit for tat…pun intended.”

Again, he laughed. “You’re pretty good with
words.”

“I should be. I majored in English in
college.”

He cocked an eyebrow at her. “Why didn’t you
say so? Maybe we have more in common that we thought.”

Brooke put her coffee on the table. She ran
her finger down Pres’s cheek. “Don’t go away,” she whispered.

“Do you need me?” he whispered back.

Tears filled her eyes as she nodded. Pres’s
sweetness had stripped away her defenses. She was armed to fend off
a mover, a manipulator, but was blindsided by what she got. “You’re
not what I expected…what I thought you’d be.”

“And what was that?” His voice was soft as he
pushed a few strands of hair back from her face.

“One minute, you were part of the wallpaper.
I admit it. Maybe I didn’t notice you much because I was with
Lloyd. The next minute,
pow
! There you are, flirting, coming
on to me. I thought you’d be more of a mover, a seducer. I was
ready for that. Not this.”

“I’m not a kid. I’m a man. I don’t want to
seduce a woman. Been there, done that. I want her to come into my
bed willingly, gladly.”

“That’s so…unusual.”

“It’s so much more fun that way,” he said,
his lips brushing over her jaw, his hand pulling her closer. Chills
pebbled her skin. He raised his hand to cup her breast. Brooke let
out a low moan as his thumb made contact with her peak through the
thin material.

“Should I stop?”

“Don’t you dare,” she whispered.

“Do you want a man to lie next to you
tonight?” He nibbled on her ear lobe.

“Yes.”

“Me?” His hand continued massaging her.

She nodded as her breathing became ragged.
“You.” Her eyes closed.

“If I’m in that bed, I’m going to make love
to you. I can’t resist.”

Her eyes opened wide. “Can’t resist?”

“I’ve been lusting after you for months,” he
confessed, his breath hot on her neck.

“You have? How come I didn’t know?” She
turned to face him.

“Didn’t think you’d be interested. I’m not a
corporate kinda guy.”

“I don’t care.” She was practically panting.
Brooke unbuttoned his shirt and moved her fingertips up through his
brown chest hair, pushing into his hard muscle. Heat rocketed
through her veins to her core. Only having him inside her would put
out the fire.

“Enough talk,” he said, reaching for the
zipper up the back of her dress. He slid it down slowly, his gaze
burning each inch of skin revealed. Brooke watched his eyes, her
chest moving faster. He eased the straps down then pushed the
bodice off, exposing her.

“No bra?” His eyebrows shot up.

“Not with this dress.”

“Beautiful, gorgeous,” he murmured, staring
at her. He licked his lips before he bent to taste her, kissing his
way down her neck to her breast. Brooke smoothed his hair down then
ruffled it up as he made contact. She pushed his shirt off his
shoulders. Pres lifted his head long enough to strip to the waist.
Brooke pulled him to her, pressing his chest to hers. He wound his
arms around her, drawing her in tight.

Tears stung her eyes. The warmth of his
embrace threw the switch on her tight controls. She’d beaten her
emotions down, stayed her tears by sheer force of will. Pres’s
affectionate hug melted the constricting band around her feelings.
Blinking couldn’t stop the water in her eyes from dripping down her
cheeks onto his shoulder.

Pres clasped her shoulders and moved her
back, a quizzical look on his face. “What did I do?”

She shook her head, emotion wadded into a
hard ball in her chest, cutting off speech. He raised his eyebrows.
She stroked his cheek with her thumb, lowering her lids to avoid
his gaze. He tipped her chin up, but still she turned away.

“Is it me?”

She waved her hand at him.

“Then, what is it?”

“I’m scared,” she whispered.

“Of me?” he asked. His eyebrows shot up.

Brooke shook her head then lowered it to his
shoulder as a sob escaped her throat. The flood of repressed
emotion bubbling up like lava in a volcano frightened her, but she
was powerless to stop it. She clutched his arms, burying her face
in his neck to muffle the sound. Pres pulled her flush up against
him and tightened his grip. He rocked her slightly while planting
kisses on her head.

“It’s gonna be okay. Everything’ll work out.
You’ll see.”

She pushed against him and sat back, reaching
for a tissue. “How can you say that? My whole life has been
destroyed. I have no job, no career, no way to pay the rent.”

“You’re smart. You’ll get your life back,
maybe a new life. A different one. A better one.”

“But I—”

“And if you need money for the rent, I can
lend you some. I’m sure Ruth’ll help, too.”

She stared into his eyes. He brushed a stray
tear off her cheek and smiled.

“You’d lend me money?”

“Of course. I’m doing okay since I made that
sale.”

“You’d do that for me?” Again, water crept
into her eyes.

“Hey, no waterworks! It’s just a loan.”

“But you don’t know me.”

“I’ve known you for several months. Ruth
thinks the world of you. And I think the world of her. You’re not a
deadbeat, are you?” He made an exaggerated worry face.

“No, no, I’d never leave you holding the bag.
I always pay my debts. I’m very—”

Pres put his finger over her lips. “I get how
hard this is for you. Dreams, plans shattered to bits. Now, you
have to regroup. You can do it. You’re smart, and you’re strong.”
He leaned in to brush her lips with his. “Enough talking.”

Brooke wound her arms around his neck. His
clear, blue eyes looked back into hers with warmth and a touch of
lust. She smiled. Arching her back, her nipples grazed his chest.
The tickle from his hair made them hard.

“Feel better?” he whispered in her ear,
snaking his tongue out to lick her neck.

She sighed. “Much.”

“Nothing like a good cry.”

“I know. With the right person…cleansing.”
She kissed his shoulder.

“Hey, don’t waste that,” he said, lowering
his lips to hers.

His kiss was sweet at first then he swiped
over her lips with his tongue. She opened, and he entered,
possessing her mouth. His hands caressed her back as he gently
eased her down on the couch. She ran her palms up and down his
back, feeling the strength of his muscles. She dug her thumbs into
his shoulders and spread her legs. Pres settled between them,
resting his weight on his knees, his pecs pillowed against her
breasts.

Brooke forgot to hop into the bathroom to fix
her makeup, to put a cold compress on her puffy eyelids. What she
looked like never entered her mind. Unlike Lloyd, Pres didn’t seem
to care. His ardor increased as he kissed his way to her peak. A
hard suck from him made her gasp.

“Too strong?”

“Maybe. A little.”

He continued to inflict sweet, but gentler,
torment on each nipple with his lips and tongue. Heat settled in
her abdomen, making her squirm. Need pushed her past any qualms she
had about Pres, a man unlike any others she had dated. His expert
touch stoked her fire. Growing trust allowed her to let go. Maybe
it was his connection to Ruth, or the way he had behaved with her
this evening, but she believed he wouldn’t hurt her.

Desire took over her body. She wound her legs
around his waist. His erection pushed against her through his
jeans. Thrusting her hips up, Brooke rolled them against his shaft.
He moaned.

“Oh, God, Brooke.” He closed his eyes. Her
fingers detected a slight shake in his shoulders as she continued
stroking him. He dropped his head to kiss her belly then sat up. He
pushed to his feet and shucked his jeans and boxers in one motion.
Then, he slid her dress off, placing it carefully on a nearby
chair. She arched again and wiggled her hips. He stared at the lacy
white panties with hot eyes before hooking his thumbs in the
waistband.

He slid them down slowly, a flush stealing
into his cheeks. The underwear didn’t have far to go before Brooke
was totally naked. Although it was her first time with Pres, she
wasn’t embarrassed or shy. She opened her arms to him. He tossed
the silk garment aside and removed the back cushions from the sofa,
placing them on two chairs. Brooke stared at his erection as
anticipation ramped up the heat growing between her thighs.

He fished in his pants for his wallet and
withdrew a condom.

“I’m on the pill.”

“Would you prefer to use one, anyway?”

“Do you have any STD’s?”

He shook his head. “Not a very romantic
topic.”

Her gaze traveled his length, taking in his
wide shoulders, perfect chest, and firm abs, though not washboard.
Shows he doesn’t spend all his time working out.
His shaft
was impressive, and his thighs thick with muscle. His calves were
in perfect proportion.

Then, she noticed it. A fit of giggling
grabbed her gut. She covered her mouth with her hands as she rolled
from side to side.

“What? What?” he asked, looking around.

She pointed to the floor. There he stood,
stark naked except for his socks. His flush deepened, this time
from embarrassment. He yanked at them.

“Now, where were we?”

She patted the pillow next to her, and he
grinned broadly as he lowered onto one knee. “You’re stunning. I
hope you know that.”

“You think so?”

“You’ve got everything. Face, body, hair,” he
said, combing his fingers through her long, dark locks. “You’re a
wet dream come to life.”

“Nice talk.”

“Sorry. Yeah. Sorry. Guy talk. Can you shift
over a bit?”

“Shall I open the sofa?”

“Yeah.” He offered her his hand and together
they pulled open the couch. The bed had pink striped sheets. Pres
stretched out on his back and waved Brooke toward him. She crawled
up the mattress. He grabbed her under the arms and lifted her on
top of him. His hands went to work. One closed over her breast
while the other squeezed her rear end.

She felt him get even harder as she lay atop
him. Brooke kissed him, letting her passion flow. She drew her
knees up, flanking each of his thighs. He moved one hand over her
rear and up into her wetness. His touch startled her. Then, as he
set about exploring her with experienced fingers, she relaxed,
focusing on the sensations he was creating.