Loving Jessie (17 page)

Jessie gasped and took an instinctive step back. Not exactly the best choice if she was trying to preserve her modesty, she admitted as Matt’s electric-blue eyes swept over her, trailing heat everywhere they touched. She fought to control the urge to cover herself. This was what she wanted, she reminded herself. Okay, so maybe she hadn’t thought specifically about standing naked in front of him, but nakedness was part of the whole package, and, even with her heart beating like a trapped thing inside her, she wanted it all, everything his touch hinted at, everything his eyes promised.

Matt felt his mouth go dry as he looked at her. She was all soft curves and warm shadows. Her breasts were full and softly rounded, with dusky pink nipples. His eyes trailed compulsively downward, across the gentle swell of her stomach to the thatch of dark gold curls at the top of her thighs and then down those long, long legs. He’d fantasized about having her legs wrapped around his waist, and now that fantasy was just two short steps and a soft mattress away from coming true.

He closed his eyes for a moment, grabbing for his thinning self-control. Slowly, he reminded himself. He needed to take things slow and easy. Even if it killed him.

Though his silence lasted less than a minute, it seemed an eternity to Jessie. She burst into nervous speech.

“You know, I think this is the first time I’ve been naked in front of anyone since I was a baby. Well, a doctor maybe.” Her hands fluttered nervously with the instinctive need to cover herself. “But not really even there, because they always give you those stupid paper gowns to wear, like they’re trying to preserve your modesty, which is pretty ridiculous, when you think about it. I mean, they’re about to stick their fingers—”

She broke off on a squeak when Matt’s arm swept
around her waist, catching her up against his nearly naked, blatantly aroused body. Long fingers slid into her hair, cupping the back of her head, holding her still for a slow, hard kiss that left her breathless and weak-kneed. Or maybe it was the feel of his muscled chest against her bare breasts that melted every bone in her body and had her clinging to his shoulders when he finally lifted his head.

Caught between laughter and lust, Matt looked down into her dazed eyes. “Not another word about doctors or tonsils or anything remotely medical,” he told her firmly. “I don’t want to hear another medical reference tonight.”

Jessie stared up into those blue eyes and struggled to come up with a coherent response, but his hand was moving on her back, fingers lightly stroking the length of her spine, trailing fire in their wake.

“Can I…” He moved against her, rocking his hips forward, and the feel of him with only the thin cotton of the pajama bottoms between them made both her pulse and her thoughts stutter. She swallowed twice, trying to find her voice. “Is it okay if I moan?” she managed to say at last.

Matt’s smile was slow. “Yeah. Moaning is okay. Moaning’s real good.”

He shifted his hold suddenly, one arm sliding under her bottom, the other across her back, lifting her until her breasts were level with his mouth. Jessie’s fingers dug into his shoulders, her body tensing in anticipation even before his tongue came out to lap one taut nipple, teasing it to aching hardness before taking it into his mouth. She felt the rhythmic tug at her breast and lower, a sharp drawing sensation that teetered on the knife edge of pain. Her fingers slid into his hair, holding him to her as she arched her back, trusting him to support her.

She did moan, and the soft, breathy sound went through Matt like a sword. She was so sweetly responsive, so warm. He lingered over her breasts, savoring the silky taste of her flesh and the increasing urgency of those breathy little moans. His pulse was drumming in his ears when he finally lowered her, letting her slide slowly down his body. Her fingers still threaded through his hair, Jessie brought her mouth to his, kissing him with sweet hunger as she slipped through his arms.

Take it slow
. But the reminder seemed a distant, unimportant thing. How was it possible to take it slow when Jessie was clinging to him with open hunger, all her earlier hesitation burned away in the heat building between them? His mouth devoured hers. Or was she the one devouring him? His arms tightened convulsively around her, and he heard her breath catch at the feel of his swollen sex pressed against the soft curve of her belly.

Matt had to force his arms to release her when she pulled back. If she wanted to end it here, he was going to start whimpering like a kicked puppy. But she didn’t seem interested in ending it. Her slim fingers hooked around the elastic waistband of his pajama bottoms and tugged.

“Off.” She lifted eyes gone dark and hungry to his face.

She didn’t have to ask twice. The pajamas landed in a heap somewhere behind him, and he stood before her, as naked as she was. But different, Jessie thought. So very different. She’d seen naked men before—in photographs and movies—but she’d never been quite so up close and personal, and she’d certainly never seen a fully aroused male. And Matt was definitely that.

Matt saw her eyes widen and her tongue come out to moisten suddenly dry lips. He waited, wondering what
she was thinking, wondering if his self-control was going to last long enough to make this good for her, wondering if it was going to last long enough to get her into the damned bed. And then she reached out and stroked her fingers lightly down the length of his erection.

Matt’s breath hissed between his teeth, and Jessie’s eyes lifted to his face, watching him with a wildly erotic blend of innocent curiosity and womanly knowledge. She stroked him again, just her fingertips moving lightly along the length of him, her eyes on his face, watching his reaction.

“Your skin is so soft,” she murmured, curling her fingers around him and squeezing gently. Matt shuddered and steadied himself with his hands on her shoulders. “And so hot.”

Matt groaned as her hand slid up and down, stroking him, driving him to the limits of his self-control. His teeth gritted, he endured her curious exploration as long as he could. Her hand eased down, and he hit the end of his tether, his hand clamping over her wrist.

“Enough,” he muttered, drawing her hand away from his aching flesh. His laugh was shaky. “If you keep that up, we’re going to end this before we get started.”

He lifted her up onto the bed, laying her back against the cool linen sheets, and followed her down, leaning on one elbow next to her. His self-control shredding under the brutal pressure of his hunger, Matt cupped his hand over her, threading his fingers through the downy softness of honey-colored curls to find the damp flesh between her thighs. Her breath came out on a startled little cry, and she bolted against him, her legs closing instinctively, clamping his fingers against her.

“Let me touch you.” His voice was low, guttural. His struggle for control was revealed in the tight drawing of
his skin over his cheekbones, the glittering blue of his eyes. “Open your legs for me, baby.”

Jessie drew a shaky breath and gave him what he wanted, relaxing the tense muscles in her thighs. “I’m sorry, Matt. I don’t mean to be so—”

“Hush.” His mouth took hers in a hard, almost bruising kiss, forcing her head back against the pillow, his tongue plunging into her mouth with an avid hunger that was at odds with the gentle pressure of his hand between her legs. His fingers played over her lightly, separating soft, damp folds and stroking her tender flesh with a sure knowledge that brought her breath from her on a sob. He lifted his head and looked down at her, his eyes holding hers as his hand moved on her.

Sensation spread outward from his touch, rioting through her system, setting every nerve ending on fire. It was too much. She wanted to pull away but his eyes held her as surely as his touch. She couldn’t look away, couldn’t stop the rocket-fast climb.

“Matt?” Her voice quivered on the edge of fear.

“I’ve got you, baby,” he crooned, pressing quick kisses over her flushed face. “Just let go.”

The pressure was too great. If she let go, she would fly apart. She surged upward, half struggling against him, against the pleasure swelling like the tide inside her. Murmuring soft reassurance, Matt threw his leg over hers, pinning her to the bed as his hand moved on her, gently ruthless, driving her toward a goal she could only half imagine. And then his thumb slid up along her soft, slick folds. Seeking. Finding. Stroking. Stroking.

Jessie’s fingernails scrabbled against the sheet, her body arching as the orgasm slammed into her like a fist, driving the air from her lungs in a high, thin cry of ecstasy. He’d said he couldn’t promise fireworks, but that
was what he gave her—flashing swirls of dazzling white light that played along her body. She stayed poised on the very tip of the peak for a long, breathless moment, alive with sensation, caught up in pleasure as dark as night, as bright and shining as the sun.

Matt saw her eyes go blind, felt her slender body quiver and tremble in his arms, and fought to hold on to the control that had always come so easily and now seemed so elusive. He’d never had so much trouble controlling his own needs, never felt this driving need to take, to claim, to make a woman his own.

He watched her, keeping his hand on her, easing her down from the peak with slow, gentle touches. He waited until she sagged back against the bed, her breathing ragged, her eyes still unfocused, dazed. Blood rushing in his veins, he leaned over her, taking her trembling mouth in a long, drugging kiss, tasting her pleasure, swallowing her soft moan when his hand moved on her with sudden purpose.

“More,” he whispered against her mouth. “Give me more.”

If she’d had the breath, Jessie would have told him that she had nothing left to give, but he was already proving her wrong, his skillful, clever fingers taking her up again, making her whimper with new fires, new needs.

He waited until she was arching into his touch, those big dark eyes nearly blind with need. Only then did he allow himself to move, quivering like a stallion as he mounted her, his hips sliding into the cradle of her thighs. The feel of her damp, swollen flesh nearly shattered his shockingly fragile control. He wanted to plunge into her, wanted to sheath his aching hardness in the warmth of her and find the sweet oblivion of release.

Jessie stilled at the first brush of his erection against
her. For the first time since he’d carried her to the bed, she felt fear nip at the shimmering edge of arousal. This was Matt, she reminded herself, and she trusted him, but the man lying so intimately between her legs looked suddenly unfamiliar. Arousal tightened the skin over his cheekbones, turned his eyes a searing blue, made him almost a stranger.

Keeping his weight braced on his arms, his eyes locked on hers, Matt brought his hips forward.

She’d wondered if there would be pain, and there was, a tight, pulling sensation as her tender flesh resisted his slow, inexorable invasion. But beyond the discomfort was a shocked awareness of the intimacy of the moment, this first time sharing her body with a man. The pain was minor compared to the incredible sensation of feeling him inside her. She drew in quick, panting little breaths, her hands lifting, fingers wrapping around the rock-hard muscles of his arms, clinging to him as her body reluctantly accepted his possession.

The feel of her soft flesh slowly yielding to him had Matt shuddering. She was tight and wet, clasping him in the most intimate of embraces. The pleasure of it was so intense, it was almost painful. He fought the urge to thrust hard and deep, to bury his aching flesh in her hot depths. He knew he was hurting her; he could read it in her eyes, feel it in the way her fingers dug into his arms, but she didn’t ask him to stop, didn’t try to pull away.

“I’m sorry it’s hurting you,” he said, his voice low and taut. “But I’m glad that this first time is mine.”

And then he was seated in her to the hilt, her body clasping his like a hot, wet glove. His breathing ragged, he let his head drop, his big frame tense with the effort of hammering his fragmented control into place.

When he didn’t move, Jessie drew a slow breath. The
initial discomfort was easing, leaving behind the amazing sensation of having him inside her, hard and firm, filling an emptiness that was more than physical, an emptiness she was only just now aware had existed.

And there was more to come. Anticipation began to edge out fear, and still he didn’t move. She shifted experimentally, tightening muscles that felt new to her, arching her hips to take him deeper. The effect on Matt was startling. His whole body tensed, hands clenching into fists against the sheets.

“Don’t,” he ordered hoarsely. “Jessie. Don’t. Move.”

Looking up at him in the soft golden spill of lamplight, she saw his eyes, electric blue and wild with need. Need for her, she realized, feeling a quick flutter of feminine power. Her power. She’d put that look in his eyes. Fascinated, she arched her hips again, rocking ever so gently against him.

“You mean like this?” she whispered.

“God, Jessie. Don’t. I can’t—” His voice broke on an almost tortured moan as she slid her hands down his damp back, fingers curling into the taut muscles of his buttocks.

“Yes, you can,” she murmured, feeling him tremble against her, nearly drunk on the power of his need. She brought her knees up, cradling his hips as she raised her head from the pillow and trailed quick, stinging little kisses along his collarbone before moving lower, finding the flat disc of his nipple with her teeth.

Matt groaned, a harsh sound of surrender wrenched from his throat. His back arched, and Jessie felt the slow, dragging pull of his withdrawal. The pain was gone, leaving behind slippery friction and burning pleasure. Her head fell back against the pillow, her eyes wide brown
pools as she stared up at him, her breath coming in quick, shallow pants.

“Next time,” he said, his voice guttural. “Next time I’ll make it last all night, but I can’t this time. I’ve wanted you for so long. So long.”

He drove himself into her in one quick, hard stroke that had her body arching into his, her breath leaving her on a cry of stunned pleasure. He hesitated, eyes searching her face. Whatever he saw there must have reassured him because he smiled, a dark hungry smile that made things tighten low in Jessie’s stomach. And then he was moving on her, within her, setting up a hard driving rhythm that didn’t so much ask for a response as demand it, pulling her into the burning heat of his need.