Keeping Her Up All Night (11 page)

‘I …’ He lifted his arms from his sides and let them fall again. ‘I haven’t taken a woman out in a while.’ Unwilling at the start, the words finished in a rush.

Her ears pricked up, her heart tensing with thrilled anticipation. ‘Really?’

‘No.’

She waited for more, but he didn’t add anything. Just stood looking like a rock that had reluctantly squeezed out a precious drop of its lifeblood.

She lifted her brows. ‘Is that
it
?’

He drew an exasperated breath. ‘Look, I don’t
talk
about all that relationship palaver. It’s just that you might as well know I had a—’ He swung away to evade her eyes. ‘A break-up, I suppose you’d call it, with a woman a while back, and I’ve probably been avoiding all the—stuff.’

‘The stuff?’ she mused aloud, though inside her spirit was doing cartwheels at having commanded such a grand achievement. ‘And what would that be, I wonder? The
stuff
?’

His eyes glinted and he took her arms in a firm grip. ‘You’re just loving this, aren’t you? You think you’ve got the power.’

She gave one of those tinkling little laughs. But it was filled with excitement, fuelled by the thrilling sensation of electricity tingling where his skin collided with hers. ‘Don’t be silly. As if women ever think about power.’

He gave a brief sardonic laugh. Then his expression lightened. ‘I don’t suppose you’ll be dancing tonight?’

A sliver of excitement shot down her spine. ‘Probably. After everything today, I might have to.’

‘Ah. Do you know …’ the gleam in his eyes intensified ‘… I’d really love to see that?’

A
MBER
had changed into a simple white dress with a hem that floated around her knees. Guy could see through the flimsy fabric to something white she had on underneath.

What he was about to witness was the real thing, he realised, taking in her preparations with a weird thrill down his spine. A sense of how lucky he was, how
privileged
to be allowed into something so essentially private, gave him a pang of misgiving. What if he blew it again? What if he said the wrong thing and somehow bruised her feelings?

She was right, though, about the atmosphere without electric light. The moon filled the room with a ghostly glow, reflected in the wall mirrors she’d placed at either end. Along the third wall she had an empty bookcase turned on its side to serve as her
barre
.

When she moved across the room to the stereo his anticipation sharpened into suspense. She touched something, then the opening chords of ‘Clair de Lune’ shimmered on the air.

He held his breath.

Gliding to stand under the skylight, she extended her arms upwards. Then, after casting him a long, mysterious glance, she started. She rose on her toes and reached up to the moon and danced—a spirit of the night in thrall to the music. She seemed possessed by some elemental
magic. It was spellbinding, every movement perfection, every line of her graceful form lovely.

As she swooped down, then reached up to glide and twirl gently on her toes, the moonlight turned her skin translucent and caught a faint lustre in her dress. Once or twice she sent him another of those long, galvanising glances. It was so—intimate. Almost confiding. He felt as if she was inviting him in to share her experience.

His heart hammered like a schoolboy’s.

He sat motionless on top of the pile on the sofa in the hall, mesmerised, hardly daring to breathe for fear of breaking the spell. Never in his life had he expected to be affected by
ballet
.

But the purity and simplicity of her movements, so expressive of the music, enslaved him.

As the last note faded he sat frozen, moved to his soul.

She turned to look at him. He could see the rise and fall of her breasts from her exertion, then he realised with shame his initial fascination in the whole business had been sensual. Still was, of course, on some level. Face it,
every
level. But the reality had been so much more than that.

‘Amber …’ His voice sounded as if it had issued from the centre of the earth.

Smiling at the crack in his voice, she strolled across to the stereo in her ballet slippers and switched it off. Half turning to deliver him an apologetic shrug, she said, ‘It’d be better if I had more space.’

He clambered down from his perch. ‘Oh, no,’ he said, striding across to her, feeling like a great, hulking clumsy brute. ‘No, it couldn’t be better. It was …’

He was breathing so hard his insides might have been shaking. Faced with her gorgeous eager face, her eyes
shining with comprehension of his appreciation, he felt his best words desert him.

He took her in his arms. ‘Amber, I … Really, I …’

He couldn’t help it. He risked everything and kissed her. Thank the gods or angels or whatever, she melted her soft, yielding curves against his hungry, burning bones and kissed him right back, her wine-sweet mouth so luscious, so arousing, he was instantly harder than a log.

He drew her lips into his mouth, glorying in their soft, addictive resilience. Her honeyed breath mingled with his, tongue tips touching. When the intoxicating event finally ended, to his extreme relief she took his hand and led him into her bedroom.

Exhilarated after her dance, and drunk with the kiss, Amber turned to face him, her veins ablaze with fever. Excitement made her tremble.

He dropped his jacket on the floor, then opened both hands before him. ‘I’m crazy for you. But are you sure that you want this?’

Even if she hadn’t read the faint sheen on his forehead, the tension apparent in his muscles, there was an intensity in his voice that spoke of his desire.

She moved close and placed her hand flat over his heart. She could feel the big muscle under her palm. Thumping like crazy, all right. Like her own.

‘Oh, I want it,’ she said, breathless in her heartfelt sincerity. ‘Want you.’

He kissed her again fiercely, possessively, pushing her up against a wall, his big hot hands seeking the fastenings of her dress while he pinned her with his pelvis and ground his hips against her.

She could feel the hard bulk of his erection against her abdomen. The friction was great, but it only made her sex burn with more need. She parted her thighs and hooked
a leg around him, the better to rub her maddened flesh against that seductive ridge.

‘Rock me, rock me,’ she rasped, her body yearning for contact of the sexy, masculine kind.

‘Steady now,’ he warned. ‘Not so fast.’

Though he seemed unable to take his own advice. He devoured her with kisses and caresses, including obligingly stroking that delicate spot with his fingers through the thin covering of her body stocking. She clung to him, moaning as waves of liquid pleasure thrilled through her aroused flesh.

The incredible friction was fantastic, but only served to increase the burning demand inside her.

Thirsting for total skin contact, she helped him find the fastenings to her dress. She could feel the heat in his urgent hands as he lowered the zip, interspersing every small act with more hot, greedy kisses. Her face, her throat, her breasts.

‘I could eat you alive,’ he breathed with husky fervour. ‘You’re gorgeous. So beautiful. So—so everything.’

The dress fell to the floor and the body stocking soon followed. Amber bent to untie her slippers.

‘No, leave them a minute,’ he commanded. ‘I want to—look at you.’

Breathing hard, he reached a hand to stroke her, tracing a gentle line from shoulder to hip, as if she were made of some rare and precious material.

The dark flame in his eyes burned. ‘You know, I never expected to be with you again.’ His voice had that deep, gravelly quality.

Her heart lurched. Was he mocking her for her turnaround?

‘You didn’t want to be?’ She searched his face.

He took a moment to answer. ‘I was a fool. I thought I’d ruined my chances with you.’

She saw the seriousness in his eyes and realised there was no mockery.

‘Well …’ Her voice sank to a whisper. ‘Things can change.’

He was silent, shadows she couldn’t read coming and going in his expression.

She stepped forward and put her lips to his throat. At the same time her nimble fingers released his shirt buttons. Hungry for more of his salty, alluring
man
taste, she pushed his shirt aside and explored his muscled chest with her hands and lips.

He put his arms around her and kissed her lips, his chest hair grazing her breasts. Then, seized by a mutual urgency, each of them went for his belt buckle, excited hands colliding.

When at last he stood naked Amber’s eyes widened in awe. ‘Heavens.’

His penis was so thick and engorged, pulsing with the urgent life, she was nearly overcome. In rapturous worship she went down on her knees, held the marvellous creature in both hands and licked the salty tip.

He shuddered and let out a wild groan. Amazingly, his length thickened and grew harder in her hands.

‘I suppose this must be quite tender here?’ With a grin she closed her lips over the end and gave a mischievous little suck.

Guy tensed, making a quick move to quell the delicious procedure before it catapulted him too far, too soon. ‘Hey—no way,’ he bit out. ‘Amber.’ He pushed her away from his too-willing shaft, shaking his head with mock sternness. ‘You could live to regret that.’ Without ceremony he hauled her to her feet and thrust her onto the bed.

With a giggle at his expression, Amber lolled in luxurious anticipation of his next move. ‘You’re being very bossy.’

‘That’s because, sweetheart, right here and right now I
am
the boss.’

‘Promise?’ She fluttered her lashes. ‘I admit I’m finding you really quite—dictatorial. I shudder to think what you might do to me.’

‘Here,’ he said, smiling, ‘give me that foot.’

She lifted the foot and playfully wiggled it at him. He caught it, and with eyes gleaming untied the strings and peeled off her slipper.

‘Aha,’ he said, taking her foot in his big, warm hands.

It felt so pleasant, having her foot held. Comforting, even.

‘There’s magic in this pretty foot.’

He undressed the other foot, then kissed her toes and kneaded her soles with his thumbs. Guy’s touch was far more exciting than the physio’s at the ballet company. Her very soles felt aroused.

But what he did with the backs of her knees was pure devilry.

‘Oh, yes,’ she cried at the sensations tingling up her leg. ‘There.
There
.’

Breaking from her, he bent down to where his clothes lay on the floor and searched. Then he sat on the side of the bed and sheathed himself.

Leaning up on an elbow to watch the operation, she observed with a smile. ‘Well, well. I see you came prepared. In
spite
of your misgivings.’

He cast her a gleaming glance. ‘And aren’t you glad I’m an ever hopeful, upbeat kinda guy, even against all odds?’

‘Oh, I’m glad, all right. I’m celebrating.’ She giggled and kicked her legs high.

She was feeling so deliciously high and aroused, it occurred to her that what she was experiencing right here and now was happiness. Guy Wilder was
sorry
, still gorgeous, and here they both were. Against all the odds.

He stretched out beside her and took her in his arms. Then he kissed her lips. When he drew back, his eyes were warm and tender. ‘You’re making me feel so good I want to do something for you.’

‘Oh, yeah?’ She was suddenly breathless. ‘What sort of thing?’ Though she might be studying him cagily, the truth was she was eager. Wildly eager.

His eyes brimmed with amused comprehension and desire. ‘Roll over,’ he instructed, and when she complied he groaned with a conviction that was truly flattering, ‘Oh, this gorgeous peach of a behind. I’ve dreamed of this.’

She was happy for him to enjoy her behind, or any other part that took his fancy. So when he started kissing the insides of her knees, and continued a fiery journey to the silky skin inside her thighs, divining where he might be headed, she co-operated with every move in a mounting ecstasy of hope and suspense.

And she wasn’t disappointed. Soon his clever fingers were lighting tingling little fires as he stroked the highly aroused and sensitive skin of her bottom.

And
then
, thank the Lord, they slipped between her legs to softly massage the burning folds of her feminine mound.

‘Ohh …’ She sighed in helpless bliss, lifting her hips a little to accommodate the fabulous friction.

Time slowed. The temperature in the room skyrocketed. There was no sound but the rasp of their breathing, her moans, and her heart booming in her ears. Then softly, tenderly, Guy Wilder put his mouth between her legs and sucked. Creating the most intense and trembling
rapture she could ever remember experiencing, he licked her sweetest, most intimate spot with his tongue.

Streams of intense delight irradiated her flesh. Blissful sensations swelled inside her like the sun on a spring morn, building and building to an irresistible, ever-beckoning pinnacle, and then when they were too much to endure, bursting into a thousand glorious rays of pleasure.

And that was only the beginning.

Amber O’Neill was floating. It felt so fantastic to be made love to. To share passion with a lover who laughed one minute, then in the next moved her heart unutterably.

‘You’re the real thing, aren’t you?’ he said at one point.

Bemused, she gazed at him. ‘The real …
woman
?’

He laughed. ‘Oh, no worries there. No, I mean …’ His grin faded. ‘You’re a genuine ballerina. Do you do all the stuff? Swans and everything?’

She nodded, trying not to grin at his enthusiasm. ‘Sugar plum fairies, princesses, firebirds—I do them all. Though swans are my specialty.’

His voice thickened. ‘I’d love to see that.’

She smiled, though she didn’t say what she thought.
I doubt you ever will
. Instead she said casually, ‘You can come to see me at the Spanish club doing flamenco some Saturday evening, if you like.’

There were few long heartbeats. Then he said, ‘I
would
like.’

And then there was that amazing moment when he entered her with one searing, virile thrust. He gazed down at her, his eyes fierce and at the same time so tender her heart shook.

‘I never thought I could have this again with another woman.’

Questions sprang up in her mind, but were soon discarded as he took her higher than high, making love to
her in every which way, bringing her to multiple orgasms, holding back on his own pleasure until at last, hot, hard and convincing, he reached his own shuddering climax.

After that, she slept in his arms.