“You look nice,” he said huskily, releasing her lips and letting his gaze roam over her body. “You’re definitely wearing this bathing suit—but not for long.”
With a flick of his wrist he released her top and then bending, he caressed her bare shoulders with the tip of his tongue. That was followed by slow nibbling kisses that he placed on her neck before moving to her breasts, taking the hard tips of her nipples into his mouth one at a time.
When she began to shudder he slowly lowered himself down in front of her and began easing the bikini bottom down her legs.
“Your body leaves me breathless, Dana,” he whispered as his lips trailed kisses all over her stomach. “And your scent drives me crazy.”
His mouth moved downward and he reached out and gently grabbed hold of her hips. Glancing up at her and seeing how she watched everything he was doing while taking measured breaths and gripping his shoulders for balance, he said, “I love kissing you all over.”
He felt a shiver flow through her body and whispered huskily, “But I especially love kissing you here.”
He heard her moan when his mouth closed over her most intimate part, finding her hot and wet. His tongue flicked out and began stroking her slowly and tasting her completely. When she arched against his mouth, he became greedy, insistent and possessive.
“Jared!”
She screamed his name. He felt her buckle against his mouth as every sensitive nerve in her body exploded. He wanted it all and he didn’t let up until her last shudder ended and she became soft and limp. Standing, he swept her into his arms and carried her over to a huge padded bench and held her. Placing her in his lap he tightened his hold on her and drew her closer, needing the contact and not wanting to question the why of it.
“You’re too much, Jared,” Dana whispered on a half sigh, barely opening her eyes.
His smile was intriguing. “Is that a bad thing or a good thing?”
“Umm, I imagine it’s a good thing,” she said softly.
His chuckle was soft and the sound of it sent more sensual chills up Dana’s body. “You imagine? You’re not certain?”
She hooked her arms around his neck. “Give me a few moments to recoup and I’ll let you know for sure.”
“You don’t have a few moments to spare, sweetheart. I want you too much,” he said throatily. And then he was kissing her again, his lips hungry, his tongue hot, intense. Her body immediately responded and began to heat up all over again.
He slowly pulled back. “Come on, let’s swim for a while.”
He stood with her in his arms and walked over to the pool. “The water is temperature controlled, so it’s warm.”
They eased their bodies into the pool. After treading water for a few moments, they swam to the other side of the pool then back again. Going to the edge of the pool he gathered her close. Before she could gasp her next breath, he kissed her, touched her all over and completely shattered her sanity.
Mindlessly, she moaned his name when his finger slipped inside of her, stroking her to heated bliss. “Wrap your legs around my waist.”
Meeting his gaze she placed her arms around his neck, and when he positioned her body just where he wanted it he slowly eased inside of her, finding she was still moist and hot.
And when he had gone as deep as he could go, Jared’s head came down and moments before he covered her lips he whispered the words, “This is as perfect as anything can possibly get.”
And then he began moving inside of her, making love to her, taking, giving and sharing. Water lapped against their skin, absorbing the heat of their naked flesh, stroking their passion to a fevered pitch.
It seemed as if it had been months, years since they had shared passion this way and all the longings Dana could possibly endure broke through, encasing her in a storm of emotions and pleasures that ripped through to her very soul. And when he increased the rhythm, she pressed closer to him, urged him to take more as passion swirled around her, driving her through turbulence that could only have one end. Each stroke he made pushed her closer and closer to release. She dug her fingers into his shoulders as liquid warmth gathered, anticipation hovered and pleasure crested.
Jared let out a deep guttural groan when he felt a shudder race through Dana’s body and she ground her hips against him, pushing him deeper inside of her, to the hilt. And then he lost it, that final, fragile hold on his sanity. His next powerful thrust connected them in a way that made sensations shoot through both of them simultaneously. Blood pounded in his ears and her name trembled from his lips at the same time that his body shook in a release so strong that he was whirled into a massive impact that stole his next breath.
He felt Dana tremble in his arms, her response shameless, total and complete. The effects tore through him, ripped him in two and demanded that he give up everything, all that he had, whatever he possessed, to the fury of passion that consumed them both.
And as he crushed her to him, he surrendered to the multitude of feelings that drew them together. She was his.
Ten
“I want my wife back, Jared. She refuses to see me or talk to me so what do you suggest that I do?”
Jared sighed deeply wondering how Sylvester expected him to answer a question like that when he had his own personal issues to deal with. It had been almost two weeks since his mother’s surgery and tonight was the night of Thorn and Tara’s anniversary party—and the final act of the play in which he and Dana had been participants. They were supposed to officially end things tonight by breaking their engagement.
“Jared? Are you listening to me?”
Jared turned his attention back to his client who’d been pacing his office for the past half hour. Evidently, Sylvester thought that as his attorney Jared had all the answers, which was a completely false assumption. He was in the business of ending marriages and not trying to find ways to save them.
“Have you tried begging?” Jared decided to ask. The last time he had spoken with Jackie Brewster’s attorney, he’d been informed that she was adamant about giving her husband the divorce he’d asked for. She refused to remain married to a man who had wrongly accused her of being unfaithful.
Sylvester frowned. “I’m serious, Jared.”
“So am I. According to your wife’s attorney, she wants us to proceed. She says there’s no chance of reconciliation.”
Sylvester, with a defeated expression on his face, dropped down in a nearby chair. “I can’t lose her. I love her, Jared, and I will do whatever I have to do to save my marriage. I was wrong. I knew what a good woman she was, yet I was quick to think the worst. It was so hard to accept that someone could actually love me and give me their complete devotion.”
Behind his desk, Jared leaned back in his chair. It was odd to watch Sylvester this torn up over a woman. In the past, he’d been quick to end things and move on, usually because he had some other woman waiting in the wings. But that wasn’t the case this time. It was obvious Sylvester was in love with his wife.
Love.
With that one word, Dana quickly came into his thoughts. He blinked, refusing to go there. What he felt for her was desire, gut-wrenching desire, lust of the strongest kind. He’d been in relationships before and was an ace at getting out of them whenever things got sticky. And he would be the first to admit that things between him and Dana were definitely getting sticky. It was time to split—with no regrets.
“Isn’t there something you can do, Jared? I’m desperate.”
Sylvester’s words recaptured his attention. He stared up at the ceiling in deep thought for a moment. “Maybe there is,” he said, making a quick decision. “I’ll do my best to arrange for you and Jackie to have a private meeting, without me or her attorney present. I can’t make any promises, but I’ll try. Once the two of you are alone, it’s going to be up to you to convince her that you’re worthy of forgiveness.”
He saw the hopeful gleam that appeared in Sylvester’s eyes and the optimism that lined the man’s features. It was evident he was struggling to hold on to his composure. If there had been any doubt in Jared’s mind of just how deeply Sylvester felt about his wife, it vanished at that very moment.
“Are you okay, Dana?” Cybil asked, studying her best friend’s face.
Dana looked up from the papers on her desk and forced a smile. “Yes, I’m fine.” She quickly glanced away, knowing she couldn’t hide her emotions from Cybil.
“If you’re fine then why have you been crying?”
Dana began studying the papers on her desk again. “Who says I’ve been crying?”
“I do,” Cybil said quietly, crossing the room to stand in front of Dana’s desk. When seconds ticked by and Dana didn’t say anything, Cybil spoke again, her voice low and imploring. “I didn’t want you to get hurt.”
Dana slowly stood from her desk and walked over to the window. She stared out until she was certain that her voice wouldn’t tremble with each word she was about to say. “I didn’t get hurt. I enjoyed each and every moment I spent with Jared.”
“And you fell head over heels in love with him,” Cybil said, stating the obvious.