She Can Run (29 page)

He lifted his head. “Not in here.” Jack took her hand and led her from the study, down the hall to his bedroom, closing and locking the door behind them.

A king-sized sleigh bed dominated the room. Or at least it seemed to.

Jack sat down on the edge of the bed, pulling her close, so she was standing between his legs. He raised his chin and looked up at her, his face flushed, eyes hooded with desire, waiting for her to take the next step. Beth reached down and pulled his shirt over his head so she could touch his broad, bare chest. She spread her fingers around the hard muscles of his shoulders and felt the heat rise off of his body. He gasped as her fingertip brushed over a nipple. His eyes dilated as her hands stroked the hard planes of his chest and stomach.

Following her lead, he slid his hands under her shirt and slowly skimmed up the smooth skin on her back. Her body arched toward him in response. Impatient to feel his hard flesh against her own skin, Beth unbuttoned her shirt. Jack’s mouth followed her fingers as they trailed down the center of her chest. He peeled the shirt off her shoulders, moving his lips across her collarbone, along the hollow of her neck. Her pulse throbbed thickly against his lips as his mouth slid down her chest.

A low groan escaped from her lips as his tongue lingered just above the lace of her bra, then slid inside to flick over her nipple. The bolt of pleasure shot straight down to her toes.

“Take it off,” he breathed against her damp skin. “Please.”

She unsnapped her bra and let the straps slip down her arms. Jack froze for a few seconds, his gaze locked on her breasts, before he lowered his head and licked a nipple with the tip of his tongue until it tightened into a taut, sensitive peak. He lifted his mouth and blew across the wet tip. Beth’s hips rolled, and dampness pooled between her legs.

Jack turned and lavished the same attention on her other breast, mumbling into her flesh, “More skin. Now.”

“Wait.” Beth pulled away, lifted her pant leg, and unstrapped the Sig from her ankle and set it on the nightstand. “I didn’t tell you about this, either.”

Strange. Jack didn’t look surprised to see a gun. “That’s OK. I feel better knowing you have it. Now come back here.” He drew her back to the bedside, hooked his thumbs into the waistband of her jeans, and slid the fabric slowly down over her hips. When she stepped out of the pants clad only in that black thong, Jack exhaled sharply. Beth blushed as he stared at the juncture between her thighs.

“You take my breath away.” He reached forward and slid his forefinger into the thong’s elastic at her hip. He tugged her closer. “I haven’t had to think about self-control for thirty years. God help me.”

His finger slid lower, following the band of the thong until he reached her softest flesh. He moved the silk aside and touched her with feather-light strokes that drew her hips forward with an instinctive surge.

“No fair. You’re still dressed.”

“That’s an easy fix.” He flashed her a wicked grin.

She reached out to unsnap and unzip his fly. He lifted his body as she shoved his pants down and pulled them off with much less finesse than he’d exhibited. Finally, his erection sprang free, desperate for her touch. She curled her hand around the hot length of his sex. His hips rocked. He was simultaneously hard as steel and soft as satin.

“If you keep touching me like that, this is going to end before it gets started.” Moaning deep in his throat, he stilled her hand with his. He slid one finger slowly inside of her and emitted what sounded almost like a growl from deep in his chest. She tensed for a second, then relaxed as he continued to caress her, breathing words of encouragement in her ear. His thumb circled her tiny bud of nerve endings.

Beth moved against him to increase the pressure. It wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough.

Jack froze suddenly. Frustration crossed his face. “Beth. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but we should stop. I don’t have any protection.”

Her hips stopped moving, but she met his questioning gaze with a sad smile. “It’s OK. I can’t have any more children.”

He hesitated only for a second, and Beth was surprised to see an expression that just might have been disappointment flicker across his face. Then those nimble fingers went back to work and made her forget what she’d been sad about. He made her forget her own name.

Her knees buckled as long-forgotten sensations flooded her.

“I need more,” she gasped, looking directly into his eyes. Then she moved over him and took him inside her, sliding all the way down until his shaft was buried deep within her body.

They both exhaled at the same time. Jack didn’t move, but inside her, his erection throbbed.

“Phew,” he breathed out in relief. Beth laughed softly.

“You know, this is a bad time to laugh at a man,” he joked breathlessly into her ear. “Doesn’t do much for his performance.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” She paused for a moment, letting her body adjust to his presence, the sweet pressure of invasion, savoring the feel of having him inside her. Jack held still, although the strain was visible in his clenched jaw and the corded veins that protruded from his neck. He gave her complete control, allowing her to set the pace as she began to move, slowly at first, agonizingly slow, drawing out those first surges of pleasure, until the sensations themselves gradually assumed command.

Gasping and damp, her body took over.

“Beth.” He curled forward and gasped in her ear. He slid his hand between their bodies, the tip of his thumb seeking, finding, stroking her swollen flesh. She arched backward, her nails digging into his back, driving him deeper. Her entire body clenched. Pleasure pulsed deep in her belly and exploded outward through her limbs. Jack reached for her hips, thrusting fully into her before his body shuddered and went limp.

Jack collapsed backward and pulled her down with him onto the bed. His heart hammered in her ear as her head rested against his chest in the dark. Relief and satisfaction flooded her limp, damp body.

His hands settled on her back, slowly stroking the smooth skin from her shoulders to the curve of her buttocks.

“Wow,” she whispered, her body still draped across his.

“Yeah. Wow.” He kissed her head. He was certainly in no rush to get up. “Are you OK?” He figured he’d be ready to move again in a day or two.

“Yes, I’m more than OK. I’m wonderful.” She sounded relieved. “It’s been a long time since I felt this good.”

Yet here she was, naked in his bed, relaxed, limp thighs draped loosely over his hips. She rolled off his chest, and he pulled her to him, savoring the feel of her silky skin against his body. He held her close for a few minutes, allowing their breathing to return to normal.

“I haven’t been that wound up since I was seventeen and had this hot cheerleader I’d fantasized about in the back seat of my Chevy Nova. Took me all summer to get her there. The entire interlude took less than a minute. And I’m being generous with the time frame. Of course, at seventeen, I was ready to go again another minute later.” He tucked her head under his chin. “Now that we got that awkward first time out of the way, I’m going to take my time and taste every inch of your body.”

When she didn’t respond, Jack turned his head and looked down at her. Her eyes were closed, her breaths deep and even in sleep. Nothing like an intense orgasm to relax a person. At least he hoped it had been as earth-shattering for her as it had been for him. He’d felt like his heart had exploded.

He watched her sink deeper into sleep. She looked younger, the signs of strain temporarily smoothed from her face in a rare moment of peace. He had never seen her this calm. His eyes ran over the length of her naked body, appreciating the contrast of her smooth, slender limbs entangled with his big, hairy ones.

Jack’s heart flipped in his chest. If she hadn’t needed the sleep so badly, he’d have woken her up for another round. He wanted her again already. There was a God, and Jack was obviously on his good side at the moment.

She sighed and rolled onto her side. Moonlight filtered in through the blinds and illuminated her skin. Jack inhaled slowly between his teeth as he looked closely at the skin on her stomach. A vivid reminder of her suffering, the scar stood out, raised and pink in the soft white skin. Jack ran his finger lightly over the mark. His chest tightened when he thought of how close she’d come to dying that night.

Protectiveness settled over him like a thick fog, dampening all other emotions. Nestling closer, he pulled the covers up over her shoulders and closed his eyes, trying to blot out the violent images coursing through his mind and to concentrate instead on the physical pleasure he’d been able to give her. God knew she had already experienced enough pain.

Jack didn’t care how important the man was. He would personally kill the congressman and bury him in a deep hole before he ever let him near her again.

Beth awoke early the next morning, briefly surprised at the warm body pressed against her in bed. She glanced out the window across the room. The sky was pale gray, and the first orange streaks of dawn were just angling over the horizon. Not wanting the children to see her sneaking out of Jack’s room, she had intended to rise and return to her own bed long before dawn. Instead she’d slept heavily without dreaming for the entire night. Amazed at how good she felt, she rolled over to face Jack. He was already awake, lying on his side and watching her. He slid his hand around her hip and cupped her butt to pull her against his hard, naked body. He kissed her deeply.

“Good morning.” His voice was deep and raspy. An early-morning arousal pressed against her stomach as his hand stroked her body. She felt a deep pull low in her belly as his mouth wandered down her neck, her body already anticipating pleasure.

“I should go. Before the kids get up.” Speaking coherently took some effort. His mouth was very distracting, sliding along her collarbone toward that sensitive place he’d discovered between her neck and shoulder. Strong hands slid over her supple skin, kneading the muscles on each side of her spine.

“It’s early. They won’t be up for an hour or two, at least.” His tongue moved slowly down to her shoulder. Her skin bloomed with heat, and an ache of desire grew deep within her. Her body remembered how good it felt to have him moving inside her last night. Her hips surged toward him without any input from her brain.

“Oh, I don’t know. I…think…”

“Stop thinking.” His lips closed over her nipple, pulling gently. Her body arched like a drawn bow. Grinning wickedly, he made good on his promise from the previous night. His lips roamed across her ribs, brushed the soft underside of her breast. His hot breath traveled across the sensitive skin of her belly. She squirmed as his lips trailed lower. She reached for him, only to have him move away from her.

“Just relax. Enjoy.” He pushed the sheet firmly away, moved his mouth down her rib cage. “I’m dying to taste you.”

Sliding still lower, he licked the tender hollow next to her hipbone. Taking his time, letting the anticipation build, he tasted the length of her legs, brushed his mouth along her calves, lingered on the spot behind her knee, found patches of skin that she’d never even been aware of before he touched them. Her body writhed, wanting more as his lips moved up along the inside of her quivering thighs. With a groan of his own, he obliged her with one long stroke of his tongue right up through her center. He lifted his head and stared into her eyes. He licked his lips, and a hungry moan reverberated from deep inside him.

Circling his arms under her thighs, he spread her legs wider and lowered his mouth to her again. Her heart raced and hammered in her ears. Her hips jerked and rocked. Waves of pleasure rolled through her body as he laved her with his lips and tongue. Her hands clenched the sheets. Every muscle in her body contracted. She couldn’t breathe. Then the release washed over her, flowing through her body from the inside out, making her ache to have him inside her.

He moved over her—and stopped. Pain creased his face. “Sorry. Bad position.”

He rolled to his side, pulling her leg over his hip and piercing her to the hilt with one hard thrust.