Millionaire's Last Stand (16 page)

“Jamie—”

“No, let me finish.” She swallowed to bring moisture to her arid mouth. “I don’t have time for relationships. I spent my entire life working my ass off so I could get out of that trailer park and make something of myself. And now here I am, about to throw it all away because you’re so darn attractive.”

His lips twitched in amusement.

“It’s not funny,” she said with a sigh. “I
know
this is a bad idea, Cole.”

It was hard to breathe with the waves of awareness bouncing between them, hard to move with her legs wobbling like JELL-O, but she managed to bridge the distance between them. Inhaling deeply, she placed her hand on his bare chest. Her pulse took off when she felt the wild hammering of his heartbeat beneath her palm.

Cole’s throat worked as he gulped. “Nothing will come out of this, Jamie. Even if we give in, I’m in no place for a relationship.”

“I’m not sure I am either,” she admitted. Her fingers tingled as she stroked the hot flesh of his chest. “But I don’t think I can fight this any longer. I…I
ache
for you.”

Arousal flashed in his eyes, strengthening her confidence. Fine, so this was crazy. Her job, the ongoing murder investigation, Cole’s issues about his ex—the obstacles in their path were hard to ignore.

But tonight, she wanted to pretend there was nothing in their way.

Just for tonight.

Gathering up some more confidence, Jamie dropped her hand from Cole’s chest and moved it to the top of her towel. Then she took a breath and let the towel fall to the floor.

Chapter 11

C
ole felt as if he were in a trance as he stared at Jamie’s beautiful naked body. Every inch of her was total perfection. Her high, full breasts tipped by dusky red nipples. Her small waist and long, silky legs. His mouth went bone dry, then flooded with moisture as she reached up to undo her ponytail, causing her breasts to jut out enticingly. She let her hair loose and the auburn waves cascaded down her slender shoulders.

Get out. Protect your heart.

The swift warning made his gut clench, but for the life of him, he couldn’t fight the desire sizzling through his body. Still, he made a last-ditch effort to stop this runaway train before it picked up speed. “We shouldn’t do this,” he murmured. “You need to walk out that door, sweetheart.”

Her gaze heated from the endearment, and he realized that this was the first time he’d called anyone that. With Teresa, it had been
babe
. Never anything as tender as
sweetheart.

“Or I can stay,” she murmured back, stepping closer.

At the feel of her nipples tickling the hair on his chest, Cole smothered a groan. Every muscle in his body was coiled tight, his restraint in desperate danger of crumbling. He needed to touch her. Just one touch, and then he’d stop this madness.

Taking a deep breath, he lifted his hand and stroked one golden shoulder. “Your skin feels like silk,” he rasped.

Your skin feels like silk?
He wanted to kick himself for using such a cheesy cliché on her, but it was the truth. Jamie’s smooth flesh slid underneath his palm, hot and satiny, making his pulse drum in his ears.

Lord, he couldn’t stop this. With her warm, naked body pressed against his, his control was obliterated. He wanted Jamie Crawford. Had wanted her from the moment he’d laid eyes on her.

She must have seen it in his eyes, because she gave a faint smile and said, “Yes?”

“Yes,” he choked out.

Her hand came up to his chest, eliciting a low groan from his lips. “I need to touch you,” she whispered. “I need to… God, I don’t know what I need.”

Although it was pure torture, he stood motionless and let her explore, clenching his teeth as her delicate fingers traveled over him. She stroked the center of his chest, then moved toward one flat nipple and touched it with the tip of her finger.

Cole hissed out a breath.

Jamie froze and gave him a questioning look.

“Don’t stop,” he muttered, close to passing out from sheer pleasure. “Keep touching.”

She did. Teased his other nipple, then tickled the hair on his chest, following the narrow line down to his waistband. When she slipped her fingers underneath the elastic of his boxers, he gave an involuntary thrust of his hips. Her hand met his waiting erection. Her lavender eyes widened.

“Cole,” she murmured.

He moistened his dry lips. “Yeah?”

“I don’t know what’s happening to me.” She gazed up at him, her face a mixture of passion and confusion. “I’m not usually like this. But with you… I
want
you. I want…”

She didn’t finish. He wouldn’t have let her anyway, the need to kiss her so strong he had no choice but to give in. Their mouths found each other. The kiss sucked the breath from his lungs and he nearly keeled over. With a low growl, he yanked her onto the bed and covered her body with his. They kissed again, hot, openmouthed kisses, tongues dueling and chests heaving.

“I want to taste every inch of you,” he muttered against her moist lips.

“Later,” she muttered back, her hand finding his arousal again. “Right now I just want you inside me.”

She didn’t need to ask twice. Somehow he scrambled off the bed and found a box of condoms in the bathroom. He was sheathed and ready by the time he lowered his body over hers again, flames of anticipation licking at his skin. When he slid into her, they both groaned, hoarse, strangled sounds that hung in the heated air.

“Oh, my God,” Jamie choked out, lifting her hips to bring him deeper. “So good…it’s so good…”

All he could do was mumble something incoherent in return.
So good
was an understatement. His entire body was coiled tight. The feel of Jamie’s warmth surrounding him was too much.
Too
good. Knowing he was in danger of losing complete control, he forced himself to go slow, to draw out Jamie’s pleasure before he exploded into oblivion.

“More,” she begged, winding her arms around his shoulders and digging her fingernails into his skin.

He stared down at the beautiful woman beneath him, at the tousled dark red hair and swollen, thoroughly kissed lips and that last thread of restraint snapped like a bungee cord. With a groan, he let go, thrusting into her over and over again, until the haze clouded his vision again and every inch of his body ached with impending release. When he heard her cry out, felt her tighten against him in climax, he threw that last ounce of control into the wind.

As pleasure exploded around him, he knew without a doubt that his entire world had just been changed.

When Jamie crashed back to earth a few minutes later, the lingering ripples of pleasure were replaced with a wave of panic. Panic so strong her throat tightened and her palms began to tingle.

From the corner of her eye she saw Cole’s impressive chest heaving as he regained his breath, the hard ridge of his arousal, the sated expression on his face. Her body reacted instantly, a fresh dose of desire shivering through her veins which just intensified the frantic pounding of her heart.

Unable to stand it, she bounded out of the bed as if she’d just discovered a cockroach between the sheets.

“Jamie?”

Cole’s deep voice, tinged with caution, only succeeded in heightening her panic. Avoiding his eyes, she edged toward a doorway to the left, hoping it was a bathroom as she said, “I’m just going to get cleaned up.”

She hurried into the bathroom and closed the door behind her, then drew in a calming breath and moved toward the sink, where she splashed cold water on her flushed face.

Her reflection in the large mirror showed a woman who’d just been thoroughly satisfied, and she had to move her eyes away. Unfortunately her gaze landed on the black marble Jacuzzi Cole had told her about earlier, which just turned her on again as she pictured making love to Cole in that tub.

“Snap out of it. It was just sex,” she muttered to herself. “Chill out, Crawford.”

Her fretful brain clung to the reassurance. Just sex.

Fine,
great
sex.

All right, the best sex of her life.

She promptly bent down, cupped some more water between her palms and doused her face again. When she’d come to his room, she’d been fully prepared to sleep with him. She just hadn’t thought it would be so…explosive. Was that how sex always was? How it was supposed to be?

A soft knock rapped on the door. “Jamie?”

Shutting off the faucet, she took another long breath, then straightened her shoulders and opened the door. She found Cole standing there, as naked as she still was, and there was a knowing look in his eyes.

“You panicked,” he said frankly.

As her cheeks went hot, she crossed her arms over her chest to shield her bare breasts. “A little,” she admitted. “I…that was really good, Cole.
Too
good.”

“Is there such a thing?”

His gruff voice and the crooked smile he shot her chipped away at the alarm that had had been coating her throat.

She gave a rueful shake of the head. “I’m being silly, aren’t I?”

“No, just cautious,” he said softly. “And if I’m being honest, what happened between us just now got me a little scared too.”

“Really?”

He stepped toward her, gloriously nude and looking oddly vulnerable. “I’ve never had sex like that before. Intense…out of control…”

He trailed off, and the slight bewilderment in his husky voice banished the last of the worry from her body. Was there really any point in second-guessing herself now? She’d already given in to temptation and fallen into bed with the man. And sure, a relationship probably wasn’t in the cards, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t continue to explore this attraction for a bit longer.

Exhaling, she slowly uncrossed her arms and let them drop to her sides. Cole’s black eyes instantly dropped to her chest, leaving splotches of heat on her skin. Her nipples tightened painfully, and moisture gathered between her legs. Cole didn’t make a move toward her. He seemed content with simply looking, and after several long seconds, she groaned in frustration.

“Kiss me,” she ordered.

His mouth quirked. “Are you sure?”

Jamie sighed. “We might as well finish what we started.”

“I thought we already finished,” he said with the teasing tilt of his head.

“Then let’s start again.”

Before she could blink, he’d scooped her up in his powerful arms and was laying her down on the bed, his big body covering hers. Their mouths found each other, latching together in a kiss that left her hot and breathless.

She ran her fingers over his sinewy back, breathing in his familiar scent of spice, musk and soap. When his hand moved between her legs, she moaned, parting her thighs so he could tease her into oblivion. Pleasure gathered in her belly, dancing along her bare skin.

“Cole,” she choked out, reaching between them in search of his erection.

Her intentions were clear, but he ignored the unspoken plea. Instead, he slid down her body and placed his mouth on her aching core, officially stealing all coherent thought from her brain.

She fisted the silk sheets as he made love to her with his lips, his mouth, his tongue. The sensations were almost unbearable. As her muscles went taut and her moans grew more anxious, Cole promptly climbed back up, and then he was sliding inside her in one long, delicious thrust.

Jamie came apart, her entire world exploding as stars flashed in front of her closed eyelids. She clung to him, digging her fingers into his firm buttocks as he moved inside of her in a fast, crazy rhythm.

When her heartbeat regulated and the last ripples of release faded, she found him staring down at her with heavy-lidded eyes, his sexy mouth tilted in a pleased smile. She suddenly realized that he hadn’t climaxed, that he was still hard and throbbing inside her.

“You didn’t…” She groaned as he started to move again, igniting another spark of passion in her sated body.

“Nope,” he confirmed, answering the unfinished question.

His hips rolled, eliciting a sigh from her lips.

“Last time was too fast,” he added, his voice rough, his eyes glittering with arousal. “This time…” He pulled out, then thrust in again.

“This time what?” she squeezed out, dying from his sensual ministrations.

“This time I’m going to take it nice and slow, sweetheart.” His mouth brushed over hers in a fleeting kiss. “All night long.”

“I’m too tired to move,” Cole mumbled the next morning, burrowing his head under the covers. “Just call me when the coffee’s ready.”

Jamie burst out laughing. She was already dressed in a pair of blue cotton shorts and an old Duke University T-shirt, and for some reason, she was wide awake and feeling energized, despite the endless rounds of mind-blowing sex they’d indulged in last night. Apparently their time between the sheets achieved the opposite effect on Cole, who had so far resisted every effort she’d made to drag him out of bed.

“Come on,” she cajoled. “It’s a beautiful morning. Sun is shining, birds chirping. You’re missing out.”

“Stop being so damn chipper,” came his muffled voice. “I deserve some much needed rest after what you put my body through.”

She laughed again, but decided to give up. “Fine, I’ll go downstairs and make a pot of coffee. I’ll give you a shout when it’s ready.”

“Thank the Lord.” He proceeded to roll onto his side and pull the covers over his head, effectively dismissing her.

Rolling her eyes, Jamie left the bedroom and headed down to the kitchen where she clicked on the coffee machine, then drifted to the patio door. It really was gorgeous out, the sky a cloudless blue and the sun high in the sky, its light reflecting off the sliding glass door. After pouring herself a cup of coffee, she reached for her purse, which she’d left on the kitchen counter, and rummaged around for her cell phone. With a steaming mug in one hand and her phone in the other, she stepped out on the cedar deck overlooking Cole’s backyard.

She inhaled the warm morning air, then sipped her coffee and admired the yard. It was enormous, large enough to house a swimming pool, but evidently Cole hadn’t wanted one. Not much of a swimmer?