He raised his hand and smoothed a fingertip over her lip, and then tucked her in next to his body. “Don’t be nervous. We’ll just kiss until you feel comfortable. And if you don’t want to go any farther, we’ll stop.” He solemnly crossed his chest with the index finger of his left hand.
With an embarrassed sigh, she tried to tug her nightgown up to cover her breasts. Rand tugged gently at the material. “Take this off. I want to feel you against me. Then kiss me. That’ll be enough for now.”
She might have believed him if he’d been able to hide the gleam in his eye. Rand McNeil was the sexiest man alive, even with a cast on. She didn’t think for a moment that just kissing was his ultimate game plan. But she was already relaxing under his coaxing smile.
“I’m not that naive.” Her eyes glowed with shy amusement as she sat up, and he helped her remove the nightgown.
He chuckled, then assumed a look of profound innocence. “You’re a suspicious woman, Haley Marchand. My word is my bond.”
Then he ran his fingers down her back as if counting her vertebra. He kissed her neck until her skin felt hot and damp. Then he leaned over her, his eyes ranging over her breasts, focusing on her distended nipples, and his eyes darkened. Haley trembled under his smoldering gaze, apprehension disappearing at the admiration in his eyes.
He eased her down to lie on her side, facing him. He placed a kiss on the inside of her wrist and then across her palm, before he gently smoothed his hand over her stomach to the junction of her thighs and began caressing her lightly with one finger. She arched and moaned in response.
“I’ve wanted to touch you like this since I kissed you that first time.” His tongue moved in and out of her mouth synchronized with the stroking movement of his finger.
“Do you like that, sweetheart?” His tone was so erotic she’d thought she might faint.
“Y-yes,” she gasped, nearly incoherent as the unfamiliar sensations radiated from her center. She felt fluid and weightless as his finger dipped in an out of her most intimate place. Then she dug her fingernails into his shoulder as the rising awareness built to a near unbearable tension. The sky exploded behind her closed eyelids. Helplessly, she arched against his hand and cried out while she experienced the indescribable pleasure of her bones melting.
While Haley still shuddered in the aftermath of her climax, Rand urged her to lift her leg over him until she straddled him, the tip of his arousal barely touching her. With a swift movement, he slid into her, holding her steady until her body adjusted. Instinctively she rocked forward, and he surged upward. She winced at the discomfort of her body stretching to accommodate him, and he stilled.
Startled, she opened her eyes to stare into his face. “What’s the matter?” she whispered.
“I’m hurting you. I’ll stop. Just give me a minute. Don’t move.”
“You are not stopping,” she said, as she levered up then pressed downward on him, rocking her hips.
He whispered a ragged apology, then locked his arms around her waist as he drove himself into her again and again. Once more Haley was filled with a desperate aching need that urged her to move with him.
“Ride, sweetheart,” he urged in a hoarse whisper, cupping her buttocks in his hands. “Ride till you come again.”
He surged into her, moving harder and faster. Suddenly he stiffened, tightening his hands on her buttocks to hold her still for one last powerful lunge. His body shook. “Come Haley! Now!”
Obediently, she did as he ordered. She screamed as the force of her climax shredded her senses and catapulted her to another sphere full of bright, twirling colors, strange music and intense physical satisfaction. With a near simultaneous groan of relief, he emptied into her.
They clung together for several minutes, her limp body plastered to his. She was so still Rand began to worry. Had he been too rough? She was practically a virgin, and he’d been out of control, ramming into her like a rutting bull. Was she hurting? Frightened?
Suddenly, she raised up on her elbows and looked down at him, a delighted smile on her face. Then she sighed, a sound so deep and sensual, Rand felt himself harden again.
“That was incredible. If I had known it could be that good, I would have tried it sooner.”
The sudden surge of jealousy took him by surprise. He tightened his arms around her. She’d better not be thinking of trying this with other guys. He scowled at her.
Her face registered surprise, then anxiety. “Why are you looking like that?” Suddenly she looked stricken and buried her face in his chest.
“It wasn’t good for you, was it?” she said, her voice muffled against him.
He shook her gently, then tried to pry her face up with his fingers. “Look at me,” he ordered, but she turned her face away, refusing to meet his gaze.
He sighed. “Haley, it was the best sex I’ve ever had.”
She did glance at him then, and he flinched at the sheen of tears in her eyes. “Sure it was. That’s why your face looks like it was set in cement.” She tried to move out of his arms, but he tightened them until she was once more flat against his chest, her head resting just below his chin.
He nuzzled her hair with his lips and decided to tell her the truth. “Forgive me. Making love to you really was the best sexual experience of my life. When you said you wished you had known about good sex sooner, I got jealous.”
She raised her head and stared at him. “Jealous? How could anything I say make you jealous?”
He shrugged. “The thought of you having the same experience with someone else ticked me off.”
He could feel his face getting red. It was a stupid reason to get jealous. For someone whose reputation was built on rational thinking and coolness under pressure, he was making a mess of things.
Haley’s face softened and she kissed him sweetly. “That is the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me. It gives me hope for you.”
She smiled, a beautiful, wide-open smile that warmed his heart, and made him feel terrific. How could he ever have thought she wasn’t his type, or that he could never be attracted to her. She was sexy, generous and forgiving. Excellent traits in a woman.”
They lay quietly for several minutes, her head resting on his arm and her body curved against his.
Sleepily, he said, “I don’t know anything about you except that you have a sassy mouth. What part of Oklahoma are you from? Do you have family there?”
She kissed the side of his chin. “I come from a small town called Randolph in northeastern Oklahoma. I have tons of relatives but no brothers and sisters. My parents didn’t think they could have children, and when they were in their forties, I showed up.”
He tightened his arm around her. “You must have shaken up their lives. Was it hard having older parents?”
She grinned. “Nope. My parents were always young at heart. My Dad was such a practical joker, and my Mom just went with the flow. They were killed in a car accident four years ago.” Tears sheened her eyes, and Rand tightened his arms around her. “I miss them. But my Grandmother is still going strong. She’s eighty-four and still rides bareback.”
Rand felt a stab of envy as he thought of his parents, and his orderly, formal, and rather boring upbringing. No one in his family was impulsive or ever just went with the flow. But then, he really believed people didn’t accomplish much if their lives lacked structure. Haley was adorable, but he had always been attracted to ambitious women—women with goals and direction.
“Why do you stay with a temporary service? You have a degree. Don’t you want a steady job, a career?”
She tensed in his arms. “I have plans, but they take money.”
“It just seems that you’d make more money as a permanent secretary somewhere. Then you wouldn’t have to babysit dogs or work for weird people.”
She rolled away from him and sat upright. “I enjoy working for different people and doing a variety of jobs. But I am going to start my own business one of these days.”
He dragged her down next to him again. “So what kind of business are you going to start?” he coaxed, nuzzling her neck.
She shrugged. “I’m not going to tell you because you’ll laugh.”
He raised one finger in the air then solemnly crossed his heart. “No, I won’t. I promise.”
“I’m going to open a catering business.”
He laughed. He couldn’t help it.
“I knew you’d laugh.” Sputtering furiously, she grabbed a pillow and began pummeling him. “I’m an excellent cook. I have a degree in food management, and I’ve written...”
Still laughing, he grabbed the pillow out of her hands, then grabbed both of her hands in his. “Enough! You are a good cook. You’ll be a terrific caterer. Just stay away from seafood.”
She stopped struggling, and lay back on the bed. “Rand?” her voice was low and sweetly seductive. Parts that he’d thought were tired sprang to life.
He lowered his head until their breath mingled. “Umm?”
“Let go of my hands,” she whispered.
Obligingly, he released her and brushed his tongue across her lips. She reached up and around and pinched his right buttock, hard.
“Ouch. That hurt.” He rolled away from her, and she leaned over him.
Staring into his eyes, she said solemnly, “You mark my words. There will come a day when you beg me for baked salmon, and I will tell you to eat cake.”
He laughed out loud. Damn, he felt good. He couldn’t remember ever laughing in bed with a woman. Still chuckling, he leaned over to give her a smacking kiss. “You’re a piece of work, Haley Marchand. A wonderful piece of work.”
He fell asleep with her chuckling in his ear. “And you also, Andrew McNeil, are a wonderful piece of work.”
Chapter Eleven
When the clock softly beeped at six a.m., Haley edged out of a deliciously sinful dream to find herself cuddled spoon-fashion against Rand’s back, the fingers of her left hand burrowed in the silky hair on his upper chest. She sighed contentedly as she gently rubbed her leg against the rough texture of his cast. She lay quietly for a few minutes watching the darkness lighten to a dim gray as it filtered through the half-open drapes, content to feel the steady beat of Rand’s heart against her palm.
A wave of euphoria washed over her. She was in love with Rand McNeil, and she was pretty sure he was in love with her. He had awakened her around three that morning to make gentle, heart-stopping love to her once again, this time murmuring incoherent sexy words as they both fell back to sleep.
Answering the insistent urging of her body, she slipped from his side and hurried toward the bathroom, aware of the unusual tenderness between her thighs. After using the bathroom, she tiptoed back to the bed and scooped up her nightgown. As she raised her arms over her head to put it on, Rand growled, “What are you doing?”
“I’m covering myself in case Carrie comes in,” she whispered as the silk folds slid over her head and down her body.
He cast a nervous glance at the door and quickly pulled the blankets up to his waist. “Is she up?”
Haley grinned. “Not yet. It’s only six-fifteen. But I’m sure it won’t be long.”
He returned her grin with a smug one of his own. “Lock the door and come back to bed. What I have in mind won’t take that long.”
“I don’t know about that,” she giggled, as she locked the door then slowly moved back toward the bed. “Last night you were very generous with your time.”
His smile gradually diminished to a look of concern. “You’re moving kind of slow,” he commented. “Are you sore?”
The blush rose up from her toes. “I’m a little uncomfortable,”
His deep chuckle threw her, and her eyes flew to his face. “Are you laughing at me?”
With a rueful smile, he shook his head in denial. “I won’t make that mistake again. I’m laughing at myself. I’ve never been that out of control before. I am sorry, sweetheart. I forgot how inexperienced you were. However, to be truthful, I don’t think it would have made a difference if I had remembered.”
Touched by his confession, she leaned over to kiss him then halted just above him as a look of horror crossed his face. Throwing an arm over his head, he groaned then swore.
Frightened, Haley backed away hastily. “What’s wrong?”
“Dammit! I didn’t use protection either time. I could have made you pregnant.” He glared at her as if it were her fault.
“I’ve never been this irresponsible, even as a teenager.”
The devil in her whispered it was a good thing he’d forgotten. He’d wanted her so much that all of his vaunted control had disappeared. The thought made her smile. “It’s not a problem. Don’t worry about it.”
His eyes narrowed in an expression she was becoming very familiar with. “What do you mean it’s not a problem? Are you on the pill?”
She nodded. “Yes. I have been for years.”
His blue eyes turned cool. “If you haven’t been sexually active, why are you on birth control pills? Hoping to get lucky?”
She caught her breath, his nasty sarcasm chilling her. A feeling of hopelessness welled inside of her. “It’s to regulate my periods,” she said quietly, her eyes on his face, watching as remorse softened his features.
“I’m sorry, Haley. You didn’t deserve that.” The words were right, but his voice was detached, remote. She could feel him withdrawing from her.
She blinked rapidly as his face blurred in front of her.
“You’re right. I don’t deserve it. You keep apologizing for hurting my feelings, Rand. But it seems to be a habit you can’t break.” The tears finally broke free as she turned and headed blindly toward the door.
“Haley...wait!” She could hear him getting out of bed.
She was struggling with the knob when Rand pinned the door shut with his shoulder.
“Open the door,” she sniffed.
Swearing softly, he put his arms around her rigid shoulders, pulling her into his arms. “Haley, can’t you see you’ve turned me upside down?”
“And that justifies anything you want to accuse me of?”
He leaned his forehead against hers. “No, it doesn’t. It’s just that...I’m not sure what to do about you...about us,” he confessed. “I’ve had several relationships. Hell, I’ve even been engaged, but I’ve never reacted this way. Suddenly I feel like some kind of lunatic.”