A Better Man (23 page)

“About how she should trust you and talk to you so you can help her with whatever's bothering her. And that you're a good brother who loves her very m
uch.”

That Lucy had come to his defense touched him deeply. He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed the backs of her fingers. “Thank
you.”

Sincerity flashed like gold glitter in her brown eyes from behind those dark-­rimmed glasses. “I wouldn't have said it if it wasn't t
rue.”

Her soft voice floated over him like a gentle caress that tightened every muscle in his body with awareness. Craving to touch her, he brought her hand to his lips again and kissed the soft skin on the inside of her wrist. When she didn't pull her hand away he drew her in so he could kiss her sexy mouth. When she leaned into his kiss, he lifted her onto his lap so she straddled his thighs with her cute little unevenly cutoff sweats, which she probably thought were unattractive and a safe choice in sleepwear. Yet all he could think about was slipping them off her curvy legs and touching all that bare skin and everything in bet
ween.

When he cupped his hands over the firm curve of her ass and swept his tongue across her full bottom lip, she leaned into him. On a sigh she parted her lips and he took possession of her sweet, minty mouth. Her plump breasts pressed against his chest, and the scent of peaches drifted from her warm, soft skin. It was the most intimate they'd ever been. And he wanted
more.

But wanting and having were two different th
ings.

He didn't want her to think he'd brought her along to
service
him and he didn't want her running out the door because he'd scared her. Though she responded to his touch and his kiss, he didn't know exactly where she stood with the whole sex t
hing.

Maybe because of her past she wasn't receptive to the idea. He needed to be careful about that. Though he'd been a man who'd always taken, this time he had to give. And with Lucy that meant he had to give her time to decide if this was what she wanted, not that she felt she'd been forced into anyt
hing.

Reluctantly he ended the kiss without being abrupt, then he made some lame-­ass excuse about it might be better if they stopped in case Nicki walked in, which was a complete one-­eighty on what he really wanted t
o do.

L
ucy lay in Jordan's giant bed between ultra soft, luxurious sheets, staring up at the ceiling wondering why he'd abruptly ended such an amazing
kiss.

Maybe, like he said, it really had been because Nicole was just down the hall and could walk in at any moment. Or maybe Lucy just didn't push his buttons dressed in a pair of raggedy cutoff sweats and a T-­shirt. Of course, if he'd gone a little further he would have discovered her newest Victoria's Secret lace undies. Those were certainly sexy, if she had to say so herself. And of course she did because no one else had seen
them.

Or probably ever would with her
luck.

Lucy had never had the opportunity to be the aggressor in a relationship. Her ex and whatever this was going on with Jordan was all the experience she had in the world. It wasn't much. Especially since her ex had been so callous and selfish in bed. Not to mention very, very sp
eedy.

Thankf
ully.

Unlike many women who'd gone through abusive situations, she wasn't turned off toward sex. Just the opposite. She was very curious. She wondered if there really was such a thing as multiple orgasms. Or even if it was possible to have an orgasm with a real live man and not a battery-­operated boyfr
iend.

She readjusted the pillow, giving it two punches just for good mea
sure.

Why was she lying there thinking about that kind of stuff when all it would do was bring her another frustrated night of tossing and turning? She needed to think about something else. She ran her fingertips over the fluffy comforter and her thoughts immediately shifted toward g
uilt.

How could she lie there all night in that gigantic bed—­alone—­while Jordan, who was well over six feet tall and built like a god—­was probably uncomfortable sleeping on the sofa? Especially when he had to get up the following morning and hit the ice for another grueling prac
tice.

She sat up, pushed her hair off her face, and got out of bed. She couldn't let him sleep out there. He was right. The bed was big enough for both of them. They'd just have to make sure Nicole didn't find
out.

She'd tiptoed into the darkened living room before she realized she'd left her glasses on the nightstand. Though moonlight filtered through the curtains, she couldn't see anything but a blur because of her nearsighted
ness.

Too late to go back and get them
now.

Careful she didn't stub her toe, she made her way toward the sofa. Jordan was stretched out on his back with one arm thrown over his eyes. The other arm was hugging a blonde stretched out between him and the back of the
sofa.

Lucy sto
pped.

Squi
nted.

Her heart pounded. Maybe he'd ended their kiss earlier because he had someone else in mind and she was on that sofa with him right
now.

No.

He wouldn't do
that.

Woul
d he?

She took another step closer and squinted again. Between the dim light and her horrible eyesight she couldn't see much. Just a mop of golden hair. Beneath her foot a floorboard creaked. The head popped up and relief poured like sugar through her when she realized it was only Z
iggy.

Not wanting to startle Jordan, Lucy crept closer. She reached out her hand to touch his shoulder and gently wake him. Like a bullet his hand shot out and he pulled her down on top of him. Ziggy escaped over the back of the
sofa.

Lucy let out a giggle. “You scared
me.”

Suddenly his hands were on her behind and he was grinning up at
her.

“I didn't know you had it in you to be so sneaky,” he whispered. “I like
it.”

His hands pressed her down and she figured he must really like it, because his sizable erection surged against her most sensitive
area.

Want and need sprang to
life.

“What were you sneaking in here for?” He smoothed his hands down her entire back
side.

“To get you to come to
bed.”

He lifted his head to get a better look at her through the moonlight. “Why do you want me to come to bed, L
ucy?”

His voice sounded hopeful. And though she hadn't intended for him to come to bed for
that
, she had to admit that subconsciously maybe she'd done exactly that very thing. But she'd never be able to say it out
loud.

“It's not fair for you to sleep on this sofa when you have to work so hard tomorrow. Now that I've seen a little bit of what it is you do I feel selfish being in that big bed all by myself. You're right. There's plenty of r
oom.”

“Is that the only rea
son?”

When she didn't answer—­because she couldn't without lying or being completely embarrassed—­he cupped the back of her head and brought her face down to
his.

“Tell me you want me, Lucy. Because I sure as hell want
you.”

She could lie, but her nipples were aching and hard and pressing into his chest. And surely he could feel the tingle between her legs where his erection was pre
ssed.

She could
lie.

But why would she when she'd wanted him since she was seventeen years
old.

“I want
you.”

“When I make you come . . .” He brushed her hair away from her face and gave her a smile that sent an extra jolt between her legs. “And I will. I want to hear you scream my name from that sexy mouth of yo
urs.”

Oh
. My.

He rolled her beneath him and with the buttery leather at her back he pressed his erection into the soft spot between her thighs. A hot tingle danced down her spine as he lowered his face and kissed the side of her
neck.

No man had ever kissed her neck. Or licked the shell of her ear. Or nipped playfully at her throat. Jordan was a lot of man. She just hoped she could handle
him.

“I love the way you smell.” He ran his nose up her throat, then he gently sucked her
skin.

Panic started to set in. Not that she didn't want this. She wanted it more than she'd ever wanted anything. But even though she'd been married, she had no real experience at sex. That relationship had never been give and take. On second thought it had been. She'd given and he'd taken. In a hurry. Unlike her ex, Jordan didn't seem like he was in much of a rush to get to the end result. As embarrassing as it might be, she needed to let him
know.

“I . . . don't know how to do this,” she whisp
ered.

He lifted his head. “W
hat?”

“Sex. I really don't know how. Not in a loving manner. Not in . . . how to give real pleasure to a
man.”

“And I'll bet you don't know how to receive pleasure eit
her.”

She sighed and looked away. Even though it was dark she could feel his gaze on her face. “This is so embarrass
ing.”

“
You
have nothing to be embarrassed about. A sexual partner is supposed to discover the other person's needs. Their desires. What makes their blood rush, their heart race, and their toes curl. If your past partn
ers—­”

“Partner. Singu
lar.”

“Partner, didn't take the time to get to know you or take care of you, that's not on you, Lucy. That's on
him.”

“So you don't think I'm sexually stun
ted?”

A smile lifted his lips. “I think you're a strong, sensual, fascinating woman who deserves to know what real lovemaking is l
ike.”

Thought stopped. Desire and curiosity took control. She'd never thought of it in those terms before. One of the great things about Jordan was he opened doors to new things. So far they'd all been pretty good. God help her, she trusted
him.

She rolled out from under him, stood, and held out her hand. “Come
on.”

The brief confusion darkening his eyes brightened as he looked up at her. “Where are we going, L
ucy?”

“I want to learn what real lovemaking is like.” She crooked her finger in a come-­here-­big-­boy way. “Time for you to learn a little bit about me, and for me to learn a whole lot about
you.”

T
he minute she put her hand in his, Jordan knew he had her trust. But he wanted more than that. He wanted her to relax, enjoy, and completely give herself over to him. He didn't need to hear the details of what went on in the bedroom when she'd been married to know that her jerk of a husband had been harsh and sel
fish.

To Jordan, Lucy was like one of those brilliant blue orchids—­rare, delicate, and ready to bloom under the right conditions. He had all night, and everything he knew, everything he had to give, was hers for the ta
king.

She led him into the bedroom and quietly shut the door. Then he opened the heavy drape over the window so the moonlight filtered through the sheer white curtain. By the time he turned around she was hugging herself and looking very unsure. The carpet was soft beneath his feet as he made his way back over to her and cupped her shoulders with his h
ands.

“Do you trust
me?”

She nodded without hesita
tion.

“Good. Because I would never ask you to do anything you feel uncomfortable with and I would
never
hurt you. Cl
ear?”

She nodded a
gain.

“First rule . . . no more nodding. I want you to talk to me. Tell me what you want. What you like. What makes you feel g
ood.”

“Oh God.” She snagged her bottom lip between her t
eeth.

“Nope.” He smiled to reassure her. “It's just me and you. Close your e
yes.”

When she did, he cupped the side of her head with his hand, letting the soft, silky curls fall over his forearm. He used his other hand to grasp her hip and bring her closer. Then he whispered against her lips. “Tonight is all about
you.”

He brushed feather-­light kisses down the side of her neck, inhaling her sweet scent along the way. When he reached her shoulder he gently pushed the loose material of her T-­shirt aside and continued his descent. He could hear her heart pounding as he lifted the shirt over her head. She breathed a small gasp when the cool air touched her skin and she lifted her arms to cover her
self.

“You're so beautiful, Lucy. Let me see you.” He moved her hands away, then gently cupped the fullness of her breasts in his hands. When he stroked his thumbs across her nipples they peaked into tight rosy buds. “Do you like t
hat?”

Eyes still closed, she started to nod, then obviously remembered the rule. “
Yes.”

“I want to touch you all over. I want to know what makes you feel good. And then I want to touch you again to be s
ure.”

“I like you touching me.” She spoke in a breathy whisper that was so sexy his cock hardened more with a deep, needy ache. He couldn't remember a time where he'd been so turned on just leisurely touching a woman. Most women wanted to get right to the action. Lucy didn't even know what the action was. But she was about to find out—­the slow and seductive
way.