Husband Hunting 101 (14 page)

"I held an open house to jump start the Christmas season."

"Were you busy?"

She nodded and straightened the wrapping paper station. "Yeah, but with the weather turning cold, people will be heading home for the night."

He strode toward her, then opened his portfolio and removed his sketchpad. He'd created several finished drawings including the new slogan,
It's What's Underneath That Counts,
in soft italics.

"This is wonderful, Zack. They're perfect." Jenna studied each sketch, then glanced up at him as their fingers brushed. She was suddenly riveted by the double meaning of the slogan. "For someone deadset against romance, you certainly designed a romantic package."

"I said I was against marriage, not romance," he said softly. When she frowned, he continued, "But I told you, it's easy with you."

She met his heated gaze. "You mean with the merchandise."

His eyes widened slightly as if he'd just realized his choice words. Then he smiled and the candlelight caught the golden flecks of his brown eyes.

She averted her gaze, fighting off her wayward, lustful thoughts and picked up the champagne. "Let's have a toast to close the deal."
And to say good-bye,
she thought, realizing now that the job was drawing to a close, she wouldn't have any reason to see Zack.

Or any excuse.

He gestured toward the bottle. "I thought that was just for show."

She handed him the bottle. "No, I served it to the customers. Pour us a glass while I close up."

He took the bottle and did as she said while she locked up and pulled the shades, bathing the store interior in the dim candlelight. A light sleet had started to fall, gently slashing against the window- panes.

His strong masculine scent wafted toward her, erasing the feminine scents in the room, as he handed her a crystal flute. Jenna tried to focus on the bubbles in the glass, but she was mesmerized by Zack's broad shoulders and the way his shirt stretched across his taut corded muscles. She raised her glass for a toast. "Here's to a wonderful union."

He clinked his glass with hers, then leaned toward her, a teasing gleam in his eyes. "I assume you're referring to our business deal."

Heat climbed Jenna's neck. No, she wasn't simply referring to their business arrangement.

She wanted a union of their bodies, their minds, their hearts, their souls. She wanted to make love with Zack, wanted to take him inside her and show him how deep her love ran.

He might not want a commitment, he might move on to another woman and break her heart, but she didn't want to go through life without experiencing what she knew would be the most erotic, sensual experience she would ever have.And call her crazy, but she ached to give him the unconditional love he'd obviously never had, didn't even know existed.

Because she knew in her heart she would never love another man the way she loved Zack.

Zack sipped his champagne, every inch between him and Jenna an excruciating reminder of the distance that would soon be permanent. The store had always looked enticing, but tonight with the lacy lingerie surrounding him, candles flickering softly in the darkness, and the wind howling outside, the atmosphere was so sultry he felt hypnotized—and lulled into believing that magic existed, that love really could bond two people together.

The doubts that had troubled him all day vanished at the sight of the heat in Jenna's gaze. Her eyes brimmed with want and hunger and something else... sadness. He'd seen it flicker there for a brief second before she'd hidden it.

Was she sad that their business relationship was coming to an end? Would she miss him the way he was already missing her?

"Zack, I really appreciate all the time and effort you put into the job."

"It was my pleasure." He rubbed his thumb around the stem of his glass.

She moved closer to him, the silky fabric of her slinky red dress swishing around her legs, her movements graceful as if she were dancing in the wind. Then she reached out and touched his cheek. Her finger stroked his jaw, then softly caressed his lips, the scent of roses and desire swirling around them. He kissed her fingertip, awed by the stark passion radiating from her expressive eyes. Soft guitar music echoed in the background, but the words were drowned out by the sound of his roaring heart.

"I want to be with you tonight, Zack."

He froze, her words seeping into the haze of desire engulfing him. "Jenna?"

"Shh." She pressed her finger to his lips, silencing him, then stood on tiptoe and nuzzled her face against his cheek. "Tonight, just for tonight," she whispered.

His hands slid around her of their own accord, his pulse racing.

"No strings. No pressure. Just the two of us, loving each other all through the night."

He swallowed, his hands trembling as he pulled her back and gazed into her eyes. God, he wanted to tell her the words she wanted to hear, that he loved her, that he wanted to hold her until the moon disappeared into eternity, that he wanted to make babies with her and grow old and have grandchildren together, that he believed love would be enough, but his throat felt gritty and his vocal cords snapped tight. "Jenna, I want you, but..."

"No buts," she whispered, brushing her lips over his jaw. "No promises, no expectations."

He cupped her face in his hands, wanting to crush her to him and never release her. "Are you sure?" he asked in a husky whisper.

She nodded, her lashes fluttering down seductively. He drew her mouth to his, and felt her pulse beating erratically at the base of her throat as she sank into his arms. Raw desire surged through him, and he drank greedily, nibbling at her lips and expressing his feelings the only way he knew how—with his hands, with his mouth, with his body.

She seemed just as frantic to touch him, and ripped at his clothes. He groaned as her palms raked across his bare skin, then he threaded his fingers through her hair, gently urging her head back so he could explore the soft skin beneath her chin, behind her ears, down her neck.

He untied the silky sash at her waist and discovered the thread of material had been the only thing holding the wraparound dress together. The fabric slithered to the floor in a whisper of red, then she stood before him wearing the daintiest, thinnest, most erotic pair of red panties he'd ever seen.

They arched up her slender legs and dipped below her navel, drawing his eyes to her smooth, flat abdomen, then lower to the sheer fabric that covered her heat. With his breath tight in his chest, he slowly let his gaze rise to her breasts, and he exhaled. There were no words to express how beautiful she looked with the candlelight flickering across her voluptuous body.

"You're staring," she said with a small self-conscious smile.

"You take my breath away." The alluring smile she gave him brought his senses screaming from below his waist, and he slowly slid the strap of her red bra down her shoulder, reveling in the tiny gasps and moans she elicited when his lips brushed her skin.

He tasted roses and sweetness, and something far too emotional to even label, something hot and sensual that would always make him think of Jenna.

Then he teased and trailed kisses down her breasts, slipping off the scrap of lace to reveal rosy pink nipples that were straining toward him. Jenna moaned, and he laved her nipples with his tongue and fingers, gently massaging her breasts as he lifted them to his mouth. A groan erupted from deep in his throat at the exquisite feel of her flesh against his lips.

She clutched at his arms, dug her fingernails into his back, then tore off his shirt, as if she needed bare skin against skin. She plundered his mouth with her tongue, and when her soft, lush breasts caressed the hard wall of his chest, he moaned again, a flash of heat spiraling through him.

He cupped her bottom and pulled her against him, inhaling the spicy scent of her lust. Then she pushed his jeans down his hips, stripping him of his briefs, and he fought to slow his hormones from overload. She closed her fingers around his erection, then whispered words of longing to him as he swelled in her hand. He closed his eyes in ecstasy, knowing he'd been given a brief glimpse of heaven.

Desperate for more, he cupped her bottom and she arched into him, silently begging for more. His body quivered, teetering on the verge of exploding from the excitement building in his loins. Gently easing her hands back to his waist, he searched for a place for them to lie down.

"The pillows," she whispered, nodding toward an ensemble of red and white lacy throw-pillows scattered on the floor beside the Christmas tree.

Joy to the World,
was printed on a needlepoint design. If his body hadn't been coiled with unleashed passion, he would have laughed at the irony.

They quickly spread one of the holiday afghans over the floor and he lay down beside her, stunned at the intensity of the passion flaring in her eyes, and even more awed by the emotions surging in his chest. She was beautiful, so tender and giving, that he had to battle his instinct to throw her down and pound himself inside her.

"I've never craved a man the way I do you," Jenna whispered as he rose above her.

"And I want to sink so deep inside you, you won't be able to breathe from the pleasure," Zack murmured, biting at her neck.

He stroked her arms, her waist, her breasts again, then lowered his head and kissed a trail down her stomach, burying his face in the soft, sensitive skin of her inner thighs.

Jenna moaned, whispering his name in a heartfelt plea that caused his lungs to squeeze in his chest. He gently removed the lacy barrier between them and glanced up to see her watching him, her eyes dazed with hunger, her lips parted slightly, her nipples a dusky rose in the dim light.

Then he lowered his head and kissed her with all the tenderness he had inside him, all the pent-up desire he'd been suppressing for weeks, all the emotions he'd never allowed himself to feel with another woman.

She melted into him and whimpered, her hands urging him to rise above her, but he prolonged the pleasant agony, tangling his fingers in the soft dewy curls surrounding her femininity. His body blazed with heat as he realized she was wet for him.

He plunged one finger inside her and she gasped, the soft little moans escaping her driving him into a frenzy. He rose above her, aching and hard, then held himself over her, bracing himself on his elbows so he could look into her eyes.

A sultry look darkened her face, and ecstasy heated his blood as he lowered his body over hers. She kissed him thoroughly, ravaging his mouth as he pushed himself inside her for the first time.

The heady sensation of her warm body accepting his sent a thrill up his spine, and he withdrew, then plunged inside her again, deeper, filling her. He stroked her inner fires, sucking and nibbling at her neck and breasts until she cried out for more, until she begged for him to drive himself deeper within her. He clenched his jaw, striving for control, desperately wanting to sate her before he spent his own passion.

He took her hot and hard and fast, his breath a mere pant in the dark room, her eyes shimmering with passion, glowing with reckless abandon as she rose and met him, thrust for thrust. Her nails dug into his back, her breath was hot and rasping. She urged him deeper still, and he pulled her legs up around his waist, driving himself so far inside her, he was sure he was lost forever.

When she cried out his name, the first traces of her release drew a shiver from his own body, and he groaned and closed his eyes and let ecstasy claim him.

Then he buried his face against Jenna, simply holding her close and reveling in the afterglow of their passion...

* * *

Jenna lay basking in the soul-shattering moment, knowing she'd given her heart to Zack. But it wouldn't last forever.

She had to savor every delicious moment of the night and show Zack in the most unselfish of ways how much she loved him—without words.

Because the words would kill the mood and send him running.

She rolled sideways and threw her leg over his, curling into the crook of his shoulder, rubbing small circles on his hair-dusted chest with her finger. He hugged her tighter, angling his head so she could see his face. The emotions she saw brimming in his eyes made her blink back tears.

He seemed touched, awed, just as she felt, and if she hadn't known how set he was against commitment, she would have thought she'd seen love. Maybe even possessiveness.

But love was what she wanted to see and she was certain it was her own wishful imagination fabricating the emotions she yearned for. She'd promised herself, and him, no strings, no pressure, unconditional love, and she would keep her promise—even if it destroyed her.

"You are incredible," Zack whispered. He wound a strand of her hair around his finger and she smiled, touched anew by his gruff voice.

"I've never had a lover like you," she said softly.

He frowned, his eyes searching her face. "I don't want to hear about any other men. In fact, I want to make you forget anyone else ever existed."

Jenna smiled. He'd already succeeded. He'd ruined her for ever wanting another man. "There's you, only you tonight, Zack."

He brushed a kiss across her forehead, then rose above her and cupped her face to look at him. "I've never,
never
been with anyone that made me feel the way you do. I've never been this close to another woman, Jen." He exhaled shakily and Jenna realized he was sincere, but that he was on the verge of some sort of apology. "I—"