Seaside Embrace (Love in Bloom Read online

  “Is that what you want, Jana? A good, hard fuck?” His hips gyrated against her belly, causing any remaining brain cells to shatter.

  She opened her mouth, but no words came. Her body wanted what he offered, but her heart, her stupid, needy heart, wanted more—from him, only him—and that scared the shit out of her.

  His hands moved down the back of her thighs and toyed with the edge of her dress. “You know I can give you that.”

  She closed her eyes, trying to decipher his tone, trying to read between the lines. But the lines blurred, and all she was left with were her desperate, warring emotions. Her greedy heart wanted Hunter, all of him: his caring touch, his possessive protection, and his sexual prowess. But panic roared through her meadow of love, trampling all over the beauty and safety of it and leaving behind darkness she couldn’t comprehend.

  He pressed a kiss just below her ear. “Say the word, Jana, and I’ll take you home and give you what you need.”

  The song ended, and Jana sensed people moving away, but she didn’t want to part from him as they moved to a silent beat. With panic clinging to her heart and her mind whirling, she forced what she truly wanted from her lips.

  “Take me home, Hunter.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  HUNTER CUT THE engine in front of Jana’s house. After trying to practically climb onto his lap as they drove away from Undercover, Jana had passed out leaning against his shoulder. He shifted her gently so she wouldn’t fall as he got out of the truck. He gathered her in his arms, struck by the angelic look on her peaceful face, contrasting sharply with the short dress and spiked heels. That was Jana, one big contradiction, even when she was asleep. He lifted her easily and kissed her forehead. She might be stubborn and antagonistic, but he’d seen her when her guard was down, and he knew this was a facade. She could push him as far and as hard as she wanted, but hell if he didn’t want to make her his even more than before.

  She snuggled against his chest as her arms wound around his neck.

  “Keys,” he mumbled. They’d left so quickly after he told Sky he was taking Jana home that they must have left her purse behind.

  “Under the mat.” She pressed her hand to his chest and blinked up at him with sleepy, sexy eyes.

  Damn if he didn’t get a little shiver. She’d gotten to him, all right. Hook, line, and sinker. He couldn’t resist pressing a kiss to her pink lips.

  “We’re going to have a talk about safety, pretty girl.”

  “No talk,” she slurred as her eyes closed. “Sex.”

  He crouched, holding Jana tightly against him as he retrieved the key from beneath the mat, unlocked the door, then pocketed the key and pushed the door open.

  “We’re going to talk about that, too,” he told her, though the cadence of her breathing told him that she had already passed out again.

  Jana’s house was dark and quiet and smelled like her: Sexy, feminine, and too fucking desirable. He’d been inside her house the other night, but he’d been so overcome with desire, and then, in the bedroom, he’d been bowled over by his emotions, unable to see or think past them. Now he took a moment to look around. The house was only slightly bigger than it looked from the outside, but Jana’s essence was everywhere. The living room curtains were partially closed, willowy and colorful. The pale blue couch clashed with an orange armchair, and the armchair definitely did not match the tie-dyed pillows tossed haphazardly on the chair and floor. The walls were painted pale yellow, but as Hunter turned down the hallway toward the open bedroom door he’d spotted, he noticed that the hallway walls were pink. He smiled to himself. Her furnishings were as busy as her life.

  He stopped at the threshold to Jana’s bedroom and tried to make sense of the sight before him. He wasn’t sure if he was looking at something from a Dr. Seuss book or a fancy high-end catalog. How the hell had he missed all this the last time? The bedroom walls were a muted gold color. A pear-green dresser boasted iron handles in the shapes of flowers. He recognized them because he’d made them to fill a special order from the Eclectic Shop. That made his chest warm. Jana must like armchairs, because there was another one in the small bedroom. The black and white plaid seat cushion conflicted with the pink and purple paisley upholstery that covered the back and arms of the chair, but somehow the gold frilly pillow made it fit right in with the rest of the mayhem in the bedroom. At the head of the double bed—Who sleeps in a double bed instead of a king? One glance at the sleeping woman in his arms answered that—decorative bright green and blue curtains hung from a metal twisted vine rod that he also recognized, as it had come in as a special order from the same store as the dresser handles.

  He drew his brows together and wondered if she’d known he was the one who’d made them.

  There must have been fifteen pillows on the bed with crazy patterns, in every color and size under the sun, piled on top of a fuchsia blanket, which was folded halfway down the bed, with a bright orange blanket beneath, also folded, and finished off with an olive-green blanket lying across the foot of the bed. Even the sight of all those covers made him hot. It was summertime. Who slept under that many blankets?

  He took a few steps, quickly scanning the rest of the room. A bright orange lamp sat beside pottery pieces of various sizes. Surprisingly, they were all in the same electric color. The entire room came together with a painting hanging over the dresser that looked like a child had painted mad streaks of the colors sprinkled throughout the room. He sat on the edge of the bed with Jana in his arms, thinking he’d just learned more about his girl than she ever could have told him.

  Hunter carefully slipped off Jana’s heels, hoping not to wake her. He set them on the floor and debated changing her out of the dress. Her breasts were vying for release from the binding material, plumping over the low neckline. Distracting himself from making the decision, he rose again with her in his arms and tossed the pillows to the floor, then pulled back the soft blankets and sheet. He couldn’t imagine sleeping beneath that many blankets, and wondered why she needed them.

  As he laid her on the bed, she sighed softly. Now he had another dilemma. He didn’t want to leave her. Like, really didn’t want to leave her. And it wasn’t because he was worried she might throw up in her sleep and choke or anything as chivalrous as that. He just wanted to be near her. To hold her and wake up with her in his arms. He’d wanted that since the day he’d met her all those months ago. He sat beside her on the edge of the bed and brushed her hair from her forehead. Even the first time they’d hooked up, when she’d called him the wrong name and he’d wanted to throttle her, he’d been disappointed when she’d snuck out while he was asleep.

  Weeks later, when Sky and Sawyer got together, he went to see Sawyer fight—and Jana walked in. He’d been drawn to her even more strongly than before. They fought, they challenged, they pushed each other to the limits, taking what they wanted and asking for nothing in return. Yet every time they’d come together since, she’d left him wanting more. He couldn’t explain it, but he sure as hell couldn’t deny that she had a string around his neck, and every time she walked away, she tugged a piece of him along with her.

  He headed into her calm-within-the-storm bathroom, which was layered in pastel blue and yellow with a white tile floor and claw-foot tub, needing to figure out if he should stay or go. She had asked him to have sex. That’s kind of like an invitation.

  He was careful not to mess up her sink as he washed up. When he returned to the bedroom, Jana had pulled the sheets up over her shoulders. She looked so innocent, with her hair spread out beneath her. His body ached to hold her, and really, he shouldn’t leave her alone, right? He took off his jeans and T-shirt, tossed them onto the chair, and slipped beneath the sheets. Lying on his back, contemplating his decision to stay when she hadn’t asked him to, he locked his hands beneath his head.

  As if she had a built in cock detector, Jana turned over. Her cheek landed on his chest, her hand palmed his half-alert cock through his briefs, and her le
g draped over both of his. Where the hell were her clothes? Sweet Jesus, she was completely naked. A seductive mmm vibrated through her at the same time a greedy groan escaped his lips. This was not part of tonight’s plan.

  “Jana.” He’d made a mistake. He was not doing this. Not when she was so drunk she couldn’t even open her eyes. Her silence surprised him, and he dared a glance. She was sound asleep and making the not-quite-a-snore sound caused by too much alcohol, but she had a death grip on his now fully alert and ready erection.

  Fuck.

  He closed his eyes and tried to tame his mounting arousal, but all he saw was Jana up onstage, her eyes blazing, her body smokin’, and that dirty little mouth of hers painted and willing. He must be in hell. This was going to be the longest night ever.

  ***

  WHAT IS THAT yummy smell? Jana inhaled deeply as her senses came awake, recognizing the familiar scent of the only man she’d been with for months. Her body was splayed across Hunter’s, only she was blissfully naked and he wasn’t. She unfurled her hand from around his hard length. Wow, even in your sleep you’re ready. She smiled to herself. That’s my Hunter. Always ready. She tried to piece together what had happened last night, as panic tiptoed into her body again. She couldn’t pick up her keys and disappear into the night. She certainly couldn’t wake Hunter and ask him to leave. Well, she could, but that would only start a fight, and she rather liked this peaceful moment with him, when there was no tension between them.

  Her eyes dropped to his erection.

  Well, other than that.

  She moved quietly off the bed, reminded of when she’d slipped away in the middle of the night in Provincetown the last time she and Hunter had been in an actual bed together. When I promised I’d never sleep with you again. The last time they were in her bedroom came rushing back. The night he’d bound her wrists. The tenderness he’d shown her afterward as he’d held her in his lap.

  She felt a little dizzy knowing how much of herself she’d shown Hunter. She needed cold water. She needed space. A little room to think.

  She tiptoed into the bathroom, brushed her teeth, and washed the makeup from her face. She debated her dilemma as she returned to the bedroom. Why wasn’t Hunter naked? He always slept naked. At least after their hookups he’d never put on any clothes. Why was he here at all if they hadn’t had sex? And she was sure they hadn’t, even if her mind was fuzzy, because having sex with Hunter Lacroux was not something a girl forgot. Ever.

  With her nerves doing a little uneasy dance, she slipped on his T-shirt and debated waking him again and asking him to leave. She quickly decided that it wasn’t worth the fight. At least that was the story she tried to believe as she climbed back into bed with a smile on her lips and curled up with her back to him. The bed dipped as he rolled onto his side and his strong arm wrapped around her, tugging her back against his chest. Her body molded perfectly to his. She tried not to move as her heart went a little crazy and she debated this encroachment of her personal space.

  “Close those pretty little eyes of yours and go to sleep.”

  Her eyes sprang open. “You’re awake?”

  “You glommed onto me all night. Of course I’m awake.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek. “But I’d like to sleep, if you don’t mind.”

  She smiled, loving that he wanted to stay, even as her rebellion left her lips.

  “Then maybe you should go back home.”

  “No, pretty girl. This time I win. Sleep. Now.”

  “Hunt—”

  He tucked her beneath him and gazed into her eyes. His arousal burned against her thigh. How he managed to take her brain apart with nothing more than one hot stare, she’d never understand.

  “You never listen.” He shifted his weight, pressing his rigid length between her legs.

  “Now that we’re awake…” She arched up and nipped at his chin. He searched her eyes with a hungry gaze. “I’m not still drunk, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

  He reached below the sheets and traced the curve of her waist. “I think I can tell when you’re drunk.” He clutched her hip. Hard. She sucked in air between her teeth. “I want to stay until morning. Right here. Holding you.”

  “Then let’s fool around.”

  He scowled, but the rock of his hips told her he was fighting the desire, too.

  She rolled her eyes. “Why do you have to make all the rules?”

  “Because your rules suck.” He lifted his hips, and she felt him pushing out of his briefs. “Fuck, Jana. I can’t ever deny you.” Seconds later the base of his hard length pressed against her wetness. “I should walk out the fucking door, because giving in to you is like feeding a kid candy. You’ll keep coming back for more.”

  “And that’s bad why…?” She rocked her hips against his.

  He gritted his teeth and lifted his eyes away from hers for a moment as he groaned. She gyrated beneath him, pressing her hands to the back of his hips, knowing she’d get her way.

  “Because you’ll never agree to anything more than this if I keep giving in.” She reached between them and fisted his cock. “Fuck,” he grumbled. “You must enjoy torturing me.”

  “Almost as much as I enjoy pleasuring you.” She pushed at his chest and he rolled to his side. Jana scooted lower on the bed, and without a moment’s hesitation, she took him in her mouth.

  He let out a hiss and a needy moan that spurred her into action. She loved the taste of him, the feel of him growing impossibly thicker as she stroked and licked, sucked and teased him. He fisted his hand in her hair, guiding her, controlling her speed. She shouldn’t like it as much as she did, but she loved shattering his resolve.

  “Fuck, baby. Come up here.” He reached for her and she swatted at his hand.

  Dragging her tongue along the tip of his arousal, she smiled up at him.

  “Greedy, aren’t you?”

  “When it comes to you?” His eyes darkened. “Hell, yes.”

  She straddled his hips and pressed her hands to his wrists, her arousal heightened by the spark of restraint in his eyes. She knew he could easily break free of her hold, but she loved holding this particular man captive. Six-plus feet of sexual power and domination bending to her will. Glorious.

  His gaze fell to her breasts. “Lean down here so I can taste you.”

  His command sent shivers of heat rippling over her. She lowered her left breast to his mouth. The first swipe of his tongue brought shocks of heat between her legs. She arched against his eager mouth, and he sucked the tip of her breast against the roof of his mouth. Her head fell forward with the delicious friction, and her hair curtained their faces, amplifying the sounds of their breathing and the sweet suckling of him devouring her. His mouth moved to her other breast; then his hands fisted in her hair and he crushed his mouth to hers. Fireworks sparked behind her closed eyes, and in the next second she was beneath him and the look in his eyes was pure sin.

  “Condom.” His eyes darted around her room.

  “I don’t keep any here.” His face screwed up, and she explained. “I never bring men to my room.”

  “Fuck.” His head fell heavily forward.

  “Don’t you have any?” She was on the pill, but she’d never chanced sex without a condom before.

  “No, I don’t have any. I was out to dinner with Clark, not you.”

  The way he said not you made her feel like she was the only woman he’d ever consider sleeping with, and she knew that wasn’t true, but it still stopped her heart for a split second.

  “I thought guys were always prepared,” she snapped, as if this were his fault, when she’d initiated the sex.

  “I am, when I’m expecting to get laid.” He kissed his way down her body, hovering over her sex as he pushed her legs open wide.

  “Hunter. What are you doing?”

  Without hesitation his mouth did what it did best, giving her the answer she sought as he dragged his tongue over her wet center. She was still enjoying the tingle of the slow
drag when his mouth claimed her, his hands splayed across her thighs, holding them down. With determination and expertise, he brought her to the edge, and just when she was on the verge of coming apart, he withdrew that talented tongue and used his thumb to tease her sensitive clit, blowing lightly on the wetness between her legs. She ached against the tease, needing to feel him, wanting him to quell her desire.

  “I’m taking care of my girl.” His words came hard and fast, like he couldn’t wait to take her over the edge.

  She rocked her hips, his words playing in her ears like a threat—or a promise—as he pressed her thighs harder to the mattress. The rebellious words I’m not your girl were on the tip of her tongue, but when his mouth came down hard and his tongue drove deep as he masterfully shattered her last shred of control, lights exploded behind her eyelids. As her body rocked and pulsed against his mouth, the lie she’d nearly shared faded to bliss.

  Chapter Eighteen

  HUNTER WAS SITTING on Jana’s couch in the living room when she stumbled out of the bedroom at ten thirty the next morning wearing his shirt from the night before. She was rubbing her eyes, clearly oblivious to his presence as he watched her go up on tiptoes to reach a cup in the cabinet. Her shirt inched up, revealing her bare ass. Hunter smiled. He loved that ass. As she came down on flat feet and set her cup on the counter, he realized that there was a hell of a lot more than like going on inside his chest for the rest of her, too.

  She reached for the coffeepot, which he’d brewed earlier, and a second later she whipped her head around. Her gaze found him and her eyes bloomed wide.

  He smiled. “Morning, beautiful.” He made no move to go to her, wanting to give her a moment to get used to seeing him there, in her living room, fully dressed and comfortable. Luckily, he kept an extra shirt or two in his truck in case he had to see a client with little warning.