The Adventurer (23 page)

“You were obviously overcome by the sight of my adorable bottom. “

Jessica was seized by a coughing fit, after which she took a wheezing breath and held up her hand in surrender. “Enough, ” she whispered, gasping. “If you don’t stop making me laugh, I’m going to have an attack” Devon hiked up his jeans before joining her on the floor. He sat cross-legged, elbows on his knees and he leaned forward’ So are you okay or should I start doing the mouth to -mouth thing? ” Still shaky, she propped her head against the wall. “Now that you mention it, a little resuscitation might be just what the doctor ordered. ” The soft glow in his eyes sent shivers down her spine. “That’s a prescription I’d be happy to fill. ” Sliding two fingers beneath her chin, Devon gently tilted her face upward, then leaned slowly forward and fitted his mouth over her waiting lips. The kiss was so sweet, so incredibly sweet, that wave after wave of liquid warmth flowed through her veins. She whimpered deep in her throat and rested her limp fingers on his collarbone. The room was spinning again. Her bones felt like rubber. When the kiss ended, Devon looked as shaken as Jessica felt. He took a deep breath, blew it out and took another. He slid a yearning glance toward the bed. “I suppose your parents are expecting you for breakfast.

She used her fingertip to trace a tiny line ai the corner of his mouth.

“Yes, but it’s early. Besides, they have no choice but to wait for me.

“Why’s that? “

“Because I’m cooking. “

He shuddered as her fingertip slid around to tease his earlobe. “

“You certainly are. ” Smiling to herself, Jessica nuzzled the curve of his throat. “Would you like waffles or bacon and eggs? “

“Hmm? “

“For breakfast. “

“Am I invited? “

She sat back, startled that he would even ask. “Of course. Did you think I was going to hide you in the closet and let you starve? “

“I thought you might slip me a piece of toast or something”

“That’s not funny. ” Jessica used both hands to steady his face and looked him right in the eye. “

“I’m not embarrassed by our relationship. Are you?

He turned his head to gently kiss her palm, then cradled her hand against his cheek. “I think you deserve better than me and I suspect your parents will feel the same way. Having said that, I’ll confess that being with you has made me happier and more at peace with myself than I’ve ever been in my life. ” A rush of relief nearly choked her. “I’m glad, ” she whispered. i want you to be happy. ” His eyes filled with wonder. “I know you do. I’m just not sure I understand why. ” She wanted to grab his head, shake it and shout, Because I love you, you dolt. Instead she managed a serene smile. “Because you’re a good and decent man. ” Devon’s gaze slipped away. “Ah, yes. That’s me, a real champion of humanity. ” His sudden sadness tore at her heart but before she could question him, the poignant mood dissipated as quickly as it had began.

When he looked at her again, his gaze smoldered with familiar intensity.

“How much time did you say we had before breakfast? ” “That depends on what you have in mind. ” The coquettish murmur was nearly drowned out by the sudden acceleration of her heart. Of course, she knew exactly what he had in mind and shivered with anticipation when his hand slid sensually along her thigh. He slipped his thumb beneath the thin cotton robe, drawing back the fabric to expose her bare leg folded demurely and tucked beside the curve of her hip. “I thought I might be able to interest you in a few more minutes of quality time together. ” “I think that can be arranged. ” She barely recognized the husky whisper as her own. But with his fingers grazing a sizzling path across her bare flesh, she was grateful to have any voice at all. Besides, her gaze was suddenly riveted on his chest. She marveled at how truly exquisite it was, tanned and well muscled, with sculpted contours defined by just the right amount of dark, masculine hair. His abdomen was solid, with rigid muscles rippling beneath the surface. It was odd, she thought, that she’d always considered Devon to be a lean man, well proportioned but not particularly powerful. How wrong she’d been. Beneath his loose fatigues and the baggy casuals he favored was a body to die for, a body silently beckoning her touch. The exploration began slowly, more a tentative pet than a sensual caress. Her shy fingers skittered softly around the edges, teasing his ribs, moving along the outside of his arms to his shoulders, then tracing the ridge along his collarbone before starting the circle again. Last night in the darkness, she’d memorized the topography of his body by touch. Now, gleaming by sunlight, his golden skin took on an ethereal glow that made him seem almost omnipotent. She was particularly fascinated by his nipples, swarthy orbs dusted ever so gently with a smattering of silky hairs. They stood like erect little soldiers, rock hard and stoic, each guarding its own muscled hill. She itched to touch them, to feel the roughened tips scrape against her palms. As she worked up courage for the intimate caress, her fingers feathered down to brush each sensitive peak. The reaction was instantaneous. Devon sucked in a harsh breath and went rigid.

She yanked her hands away. “I-I’m sorry-”

“Shh. It’s okay. ” He caught her wrists, kissed the throbbing pulse of each, then pressed her hands to his chest. “

“Don’t stop. “

She hesitated, amazed by his rapturous expression. She’d never considered a man’s breasts as an erogenous zone but as she gently rolled each nipple with her thumb, his shudder of sheer delight proved the fallacy of that errant assumption His entire body vibrated beneath her touch, empowering her to bolder and bolder exploration. When at last she leaned forward to kiss him there, he groaned low in his throat while a final, violent tremor shook him to the bone. Suddenly Devon scooped his hands under Jessica’s arms and rose to his feet, lifting her with him. With trembling fingers he parted the bodice of her robe, exposing her throat to his seeking mouth. As he kissed the curve of her neck, he pushed the duster over her shoulders, then reached down to tug at the knotted belt. In a moment, the robe slithered to the floor. With sun-warmed air caressing her back, she grappled with the button on his jeans, sighing in relief when it finally sprang open. Devon’s bulging anatomy completed the chore. The zipper parted; the jeans slid lazily down his lean hips and were kicked aside. The next moments were a frenzy of searching hands and desperate kisses, of passions aroused to the breaking point and beyond. Each ragged breath floated in the thick air; soft whimpers harmonized with ragged moans until the room was filled with the seductive symphony of their love. He cherished her body with his lips, touching and tasting every curve with delicate flicks of his tongue. Then he knelt before her, pressing his face against her soft belly. As he slid her silken panties slowly down her thighs, he whispered her name like a prayer and kissed her inner thighs. The sensation was so exquisite, so incredibly erotic that she tangled her fingers in his thick hair and bit her lip to keep from crying out. Devon rose up on his knees, wrapped one arm around her waist and the other around her hips, then placed a gentle kiss on each lace-clad breast before nesting his face in the valley between her ribs. “I’ve never met anyone like you, ” he whispered against her skin. “You do things to me, things I don’t understand. Sometimes it scares me to feel this way. ” Cradling his head in her arms, Jessica leaned down to rub her cheek against his soft hair. “How do you feel, Devon? ” “Thays the thing… I’m not sure. ” He twisted his head to look up at her, his eyes filled with wonder. “Maybe I just want you so bad it hurts. ” ‘ She smoothed a mussed strand of hair from his face. “I’m right here. ” “Yeah, ” he murmured, as though shocked by the realization’ You are, aren’t you? ” Still holding her, Devon stood in the circle of Jessica’s arms. His kiss was deep and sweet, with a trembling intensity that betrayed the fierce passion pulsing just below the surface. Their bare torsos moved sensually, stroking, caressing, pressing closer, tighter, teasing themselves into an excited frenzy. Gasping and half-crazed, they broke apart long enough for Devon to discard his briefs, When he reached for her again, she held him back with a gentle hand on his chest. As her gaze slid down his battered body, her heart filled with compassion and with love. He’d trusted her enough to bare himself, body and soul. She could do no less. Raising her gaze, she looked deeply into his eyes and slid each bra strap over her shoulder in a slow, sensual striptease He questioned her silently, found the answer he sought, then reached back between her shoulder blades and pinched the clasp. The bra, weighted by its padded contours , lurched drunkenly forward, slid down her arms and plopped to the floor. Jessica swept it aside with her foot, then continued to stare at the rumpled garment and was overwhelmed by a sudden urge to cover herself. Her arms instantly folded across her chest with fisted hands tucked under her chin.

Without speaking, Devon caressed her arms with long, gentle strokes.

After a moment, her knotted muscles relaxed like melted butter and her arms dropped to her sides. She held her breath, unable to meet Devon’s eyes. Tender fingers feathered below each breast. “Is it still sore to the touch? “

She clamped her lips together and shook her head.

“Good, ” he murmured, moving his hands up to cup both breasts. “Now it’s my turn. ” Ignoring her tiny gasp of surprise, he instantly stroked both nipples with his flat palm, adjusting to their directional differences as if it were perfectly normal for one breast to point north and the other northeast. Before she could mentally assimilate what had just happened, an electric excitement skittered down her spine. Her lips parted; her eyelids fluttered shut. She automatically arched, moaning as he had done when she’d teased and tantalized him in the same way. In less than a heartbeat, her body was alive with sensation , a million tiny sparks traveling every nerve, igniting every cell, arousing every fiber of her being. And when she thought she could endure no more, he used his lips to drive her into an aroused frenzy. A moist heat exploded deep inside Her body convulsed. At the moment she cried out, Devon lifted her hips. Embracing him with loving thighs, she took him into her body, into her heart and into her soul. She felt whole. She felt loved. And for that sweet, delicious moment, she forgot that nothing is forever.

i.

Chapter Twelve. Devon entered the guesthouse and tossed an empty soda can in the kitchen trash. He leaned against the counter as Jessica hurried out of the bedroom with an armful of lingerie She glanced anxiously around the tidy sitting room.

Did you put my suitcase in your car? “

“No. IYS over here. ” He went to retrieve the suitcase flopped it on the sofa and opened it for her. Her relieved smile turned into a sheepish grin as she tucked the garments into a silky pocket inside the luggage.

I forgot about the things on the shower rod. “

“Why doesn’t that surprise me? ” “Now be nice, ” Jessica admonished cheerfully. She clicked the fasteners into place and straightened. ” There. That’s everything. “

“Have you checked the sofa cushions for socks? ,

“Very funny. ” She flopped down on the sofa, propped an elbow on her suitcase and absently fiddled with the ban s of her wig. “Did you enjoy touring the aquarium? “

“As a matter of fact, I did. “

She looked relieved. “You and Frank both seemed rather taken with the shark exhibit. ” “Frank wants to put one in the fountain. ” Devon sat in the chair, amused by her stunned expression. “He thinks it would add a bit of biological interest to your mother’s garden”

“Surely he was joking. “

“I doubt it. Beneath your father’s dignified exterior beats the heart of a true bohemian. “

Jessica gaped for a moment before waving the ludicrous statement away. “

“You ought to drop journalism and take up creative writing. ” Feeling pleased with himself, Devon laced his fingers behind his head and grinned. “I had you going there, didn’t I?” She tried for an apathetic shrug but her lips twitched into a grudging smile.

“You’re impossible. “

“I know. It’s part of my charm. ” Her smile widened slightly, then a peculiar wistfulness clouded her lovely eyes. She looked away, chewing her lip, and gazed across the room with a faraway expression that was strangely unsettling.

“Is something wrong? ” he asked.

“Hmm? ” She glanced toward him. “No, nothing’s wrong. I was just thinking. “

“About what? “

A thoughtful frown creased her brow. “There was a big article in the paper this morning about a South American journalist who was killed covering an attempted coup. ” Instantly alarmed, Devon leaned forward. “I have a lot of friends working for the South America press corps. Did the article give a name? “Not that I recall. ” She hesitated as if choosing her words y ” care full It made me think, though, and I was, well, wondering if you’d ever considered any other line of work. ” ‘

“Not really. “

She didn’t try to disguise her disappointment. “Oh. “

“No job is completely without danger. “

“Perhaps not, but some are certainly less hazardous than others. Besides, when you first arrived in L.A.” you were so-I don’t know-burned out and exhausted. You’ve seemed so much happier since then, I thought perhaps..

“She sighed and rubbed both hands across her face. ” Never mind.

Obviously you enjoy your work. ” “I enjoy being a reporter, ” Devon said slowly. “IYS what I do and I’m damned good at it. ” ‘ She nodded miserably. “I know you are. ” A strained silence stretched between them. Devon pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to compose himself. The discussion of his mental state had touched a raw nerve, forcing him to acknowledge secret doubts that had been plaguing him for months. Jessica’s perceptive observation had been right on the money. When Devon had left Europe , he’d been a walking shell of a man, incapable of feeling any emotions beyond bitterness and helpless anger. But Jessica had changed all that. She’d given him a new vision, shown him that life was more than a daily dose of tragedy. Because of her, Devon had met a man he’d never known before-his own father. And he’d liked what he’d seen. The man Devon had now discovered was one who’d earned the respect of his peers and the trust of his friends. He was a man worth knowing; a man Devon was finally beginning to understand. That meant the world and without Jessica’s encouragement it never would have happened. “I’m sorry, ” Jessica said suddenly. “I’ve stuck my nose into something that’s none of my business, haven’t I?” He looked up and the mere sight of her warmed his heart. “I’d like to think that everything about me is your business . and vice versa. “