Enticing Interlude (Tempest #2) (21 page)

He leaned his face into my hand but his eyes remained on mine. “You know what my first thought was when Marcus told me?” he whispered his emerald gaze glittered with deep emotion. “I thought thank God I brought you and Carter out to meet him this weekend because I might not get another chance.”

“Justin, I...”

“Shh. You don’t have to say anything.” He framed my face and kissed my lips, a feather light touch of his mouth to mine. I was disappointed when he ended it so soon. “I just want you with me right now.” He turned me around, his hands settling on my shoulders, our eyes meeting again inside the framed surface of the dresser mirror.

“Justin what are you doing?” I closed my eyes. I didn’t want to look at us like this. I don’t want to look.

“Baby, open your eyes,” he insisted. “Tell me what you see.”

I did as he ordered, giving our reflection a quick glance and then blowing out a breath that lifted the bangs off my forehead. “I see a wonderful, gorgeous guy and a woman who’s in way over her head and way out of her league.”

I felt his body go rock solid behind me before I’d finished, and I knew instantly that I hadn’t given him the answer he’d been seeking. “That’s total bullshit.” His gaze grew scary intense and his auburn brows formed an angry crease. “I’ll tell you what I see. I see a man who’s fallen for a woman so fair her beauty can’t be hidden…no matter how hard she tries to disguise it. Hair like polished platinum, eyes as clear as a summer sky, lips that are utterly addictive. I see a man who wants that woman to know how he feels, how much he admires her, how beyond privileged he is to be with her, and l…”

“Justin.” I tried to turn around in his arms, but he kept me immobile with his hands resting heavily on my shoulders. “This is too much.” I shook my head since I couldn’t do anything else. “And it’s not true.”

“It is. Every bit of it. I love you Bridget Dubois. I’m not going to bottle that up inside when it’s the way I truly feel. I don’t want to waste any more time. My parents were the same age as we are when my dad told my mom. What if he hadn’t told her when he did? In the end they only had eight years together.”

My eyes filled and my throat burned with the effort it took to hold back the threatening tears. I felt sad about his father and I understood where he was coming from. I wanted to believe him, but I was just too scared to take the leap that he had.

He brushed a calloused thumb softly across the apple of my cheek. “Everything changed when you blazed unexpectedly into my life, showing me a brand of love so generous, so beyond my imagination or hope. The fact that you don’t even realize how special you are only adds to your allure. It may be too soon for you, but I’m standing right here, right now ready to offer you my heart. I can only pray that one day you’ll take me up on the offer. But honestly, even if you never do, I’m already yours.”

Damn.
Damn. Damn.

I started to tremble, once again his powerful words penetrated the protective armor around my heart and this time they soaked deep into my parched soul, scaring me and thrilling me all at the same time.

He threaded his fingers into the hair above my ears, tilting my head back so he could look even deeper into my eyes. “You’ll be mine eventually Bridget Dubois,” he said the words like a vow. “And I promise I will always be there when you and Carter need me. No more going it alone. Nothing’s going to come between us. No evil stepmother. No ex-boyfriend. Nothing’s going to prevent me from making that promise into a reality.” His eyes searched mine. They were swimming in tears and my throat burned with the effort it took to hold them back. “I realize that you might not feel the same, not yet. But I think you’re closer than you’re willing to admit.”

I nodded. He was right. The ground was crumbling beneath me and I was teetering just on the edge.

“For now, can you just let me be with you? I want to touch you. I want to see you. All of you.” His eyes practically incinerated the mirror they were burning so bright.

Reason screamed.
Don’t do it! You know how this will end
. But this time I tossed caution aside and allowed my heart the deciding vote. Acting braver than I felt, I brought my hands up to the knotted towel between my breasts and released it. My eyes remained on his as I felt it slide down my body. I heard his sudden intake of breath and watched his eyes darken in the mirror as he took in everything.

“You’re incredible, Bridget.” His fingers tightened on my shoulders. “So beautiful. Since I saw you in that swimsuit, I’ve imagined how you would be without it. But you’re so much more.”

I shook my head watching my hair brush over his hands. “I’m not…”

“You are. Baby, you have a body that would drive any man insane. Watch. Look in the mirror. See for yourself what you do to me.” His hands moved to cup my breasts. Arms at my sides, I found myself mesmerized by the erotic scene playing out in front of me.

His warm masculine fingers slowly traced the pale skin of my curves. Seeing and feeling what he was doing to me was a potent combination, a seductive spell that made my heart race and my breath shorten. I noticed that his emerald eyes had gone almost completely black. His hard body behind me, he leaned over my shoulder concentrating on his task while I continued to be transfixed by our reflection. A lock of his hair slid over his eyes. I longed to reach back and brush it aside.

When his head came up, our eyes met again in the mirror. I watched the corners of his mouth curve into a dark smile before he rubbed the stubble on his chin back and forth along the smooth line of my shoulder. I loved the feel of the roughness against my skin, but the encore, a barrage of popcorn style kisses followed by a touch of his warm lips and then just a hint of his wet tongue, was even better.

My knees started to tremble and went completely out from under me when he rolled a nipple between his finger and thumb. “Justin,” I moaned.

“I’ve got you, babe. I’ve always got you.” One of his arms wrapped around my torso and held me up while his other hand lightly tugged on the supersensitive peak.

He groaned, his breath coming out hard between his very sexy parted lips. I felt vibrations shoot straight down to my melted core as I watched and experienced a delicious shiver as he did the same roll and tug with the other nipple.

It was too much. My eyes drifted closed and my head lolled back onto his strong shoulder. I could feel warm shimmery sensation in every cell in my body.

When I felt his hands skimming lightly down my ribs, I opened my eyes again to watch. Fingers darker than my pale skin spread wide as they smoothed over the flare of my hip. I looked at his face in the mirror, his eyes were smoldering. Mine were dazed. He had made me damp and throbbing from just a few simple caresses, though I was beginning to realize nothing was ever simple when it came to Justin Jones.

“Do you believe me now?” His tone was light, but roughened by desire and his fingers flexed insistently against the tender flesh at my hip. “If anyone’s in over their head in this relationship, it’s me. You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen or touched, Bridget Dubois.” He continued to stare at me and I knew without him having to say so that he was waiting for me to make the next move.

I swallowed, my throat was so dry. I wanted him, badly, more than I’d ever wanted anything in my life, but I knew I wasn’t ready to go to bed with him, not yet. As he continued to watch me, I finally spoke, “Justin, you’re wonderful. But you’re right. It’s too soon for me.”

I saw the flicker of disappointment in his eyes though I could tell he tried to hide it from me as he stepped back. I immediately felt the loss of his heat and hugged my arms around my body to ward off the sudden chill.

Justin bent and retrieved the towel from the floor. When he straightened, he held it open wide before he draped it back around me. My hands brushed against his as I brought the edges tightly together and lowered my head. Behind the curtain of my hair, I bit my lip, suddenly feeling a little shy and maybe even a little bit afraid he’d be mad at me.

His warm fingers slid under and lifted my chin. “I want you, Bridget, in my life and in my bed, I think you get that now, but I can wait. I only want you to go there with me when you’re a hundred percent certain.” “But I promise,” his voice was still a thick whisper, and I blinked wordlessly up into his drawn face knowing it was going to take quite a while for my own passion to cool, “it’s going to be phenomenal between us.”

Throughout dinner, I couldn’t help but watch her. Her cheeks blushed whenever our hands touched or our eyes met. I knew she was remembering how it’d been up in my room earlier. I was thinking about it, too. That had been the single most sensual thing I’d ever experienced in my life. One I would never forget. She’d been equal parts shy and responsive. And her body!
Holy hell
, my woman was a total knockout. I shifted uncomfortably. The cold shower hadn’t done me a bit of good. I still had a boner that was as hard as a rock.

“Too hot?” Rheta asked me.

“Huh?” The question yanked my mind abruptly from the zone that I had been in.

Bridget helped me with a pointed gaze directed toward my plate.

“Oh, yeah. Way too hot.” I stared back at Bridget instead of the plate, my intent just as clear. Her blushed cheeks meant she followed me. “I’m just waiting for it to cool down,” I continued flirting, “before I eat it.” I brought a bite to my mouth, blew on it, and arched a brow while Bridget’s gaze dropped to my lips, her eyes all warm and glittery.

Across the table, my sister cleared her throat. I looked over to find her smirking at me. A quick glance around the table confirmed pretty much everyone was on to us, except for Carter. He was completely oblivious digging greedily into his food.

I lifted my glass to Avery and the smirk dissolved, though her eyes continued to hold a trace of a smile and something more. She kept my gaze a moment longer, bobbed her head, and then turned to talk to Marcus. I understood. She was happy for me, letting me know in that wordless way that only a twin could communicate.

“How do you like Vancouver so far?” Mrs. Anthony asked Bridget.

“The ocean and the mountains are beautiful, and the people are really friendly.” She smiled wistfully. “I miss the warmth of Florida, but Vancouver’s definitely growing on me.” That last part was said low and meaningfully with her eyes on me.

I beamed a bright glance back at her, distracted by her yet again. She was a seductive temptress without even trying. I wanted her so badly, and though I knew it was the way to go, and that it’d be worth it in the end, it was getting harder and harder to be patient.

Harder in more ways than one
, I thought wryly.

Eventually I quit staring at her and distracted myself, tuning into the conversation going on at the head of the table where Rheta sat, catty corner to Carter.

He was excitedly recounting his day, the seaplane adventure, to petting the calves, to everything he’d seen out on our walk. Rheta just smiled and listened attentively, chin on her folded hands, as if remembering her owns sons as young boys.

Unable to wedge any words in, I turned back to Bridget. “I notice he cleared his plate.”

“Yeah. Rheta’s an excellent cook.” Bridget’s eyes dropped to her empty plate and then came back up, a ripple of sadness ebbing across her features. “I haven’t had food this good since Meemaw passed.”

I reached over under the table and brought her left hand to my thigh, to let her know that I was there for her without drawing everyone else’s attention. The coolness in her eyes warmed. Taking that as an encouraging sign I powered on with my mission. “I gained ten pounds when I lived at the farm during Avery’s tour. Wait until you try her fried pies. You’re gonna flip.” I lowered my voice, eyes pointing to the other end of the table. “And watch Don. Right before dessert, he always untucks his shirt and loosens his belt to make more room.”

She gave me a small smile that made me feel like the richest man on earth. “They’re sweet together, Rheta and Don. So are your sister and Marcus.”