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No! She couldn’t go there. She couldn’t even think such a thing. The only thing she wanted to focus on was how he was making her feel. She had made plans for her future and Storm Westmoreland wasn’t a part of those plans. But here, now, at this very moment, he was part of her present and was giving her undiluted pleasure. She could not refuse what he was offering and when they parted in two days, she would always have these memories.
Five
Storm drew in a long breath as he looked down at the woman asleep in his arms. His chest tightened and he forced back the surge of desire that swept through him. She was an unbelievably beautiful woman.
Bathed in the rays of predawn light that spilled through the hotel’s window, Jayla’s hair, a glossy medium brown with strands of golden highlight, was spread across the pillow and shone luxuriously against the darkness of her creamy skin.
Sharing a bed with her hadn’t been easy. In fact, he doubted that he’d gotten any sleep. While trying to find that perfect sleeping position, she had twisted and turned most of the night. And he had been tormented with each and every move she’d made. At one time, she had lain facing him, with her leg thrown over his, with his arousal pressing against her center.
Then there had been that time when she had shifted around, placing her back to his chest, her sweet delectable backside right smack up against his groin. More than once during the course of the night he had been tempted to just say, “To hell with it,” and ease inside of her. His mind had been filled with numerous possibilities. Instead, he had fought the urge and had wrapped his arms around her waist, pulled her close and thought about the time when he had been inside of her.
He would never forget how it felt, the moment he’d realized that she was a virgin. At first he’d been shocked, stunned and then panic had set in. But the notion of ending their lovemaking session had fled his mind when she pulled his mouth down to hers and kissed him with a hunger that he had quickly reciprocated.
And now he wanted her again. If truth were told, he hadn’t stopped wanting her but had held back to give her body time to adjust to him. Now he was driven with an undeniable need to bury himself deep within her welcoming warmth again. He glanced over at the clock. It was just past six. He wanted to let her sleep but couldn’t. He had to have her. Now.
He leaned over, close to her lips. “Jayla?” he whispered. A few moments later, she purred his name and slowly lifted one drowsy eye. Then she opened the other eye and blinked, as if to bring his face into focus.
“Storm,” she murmured in a voice that was muffled with sleep, but to his way of thinking sounded sensuous as hell. Little tendrils of hair had drifted onto her face and graced one of her cheeks. He pushed the hair back from her face before sliding that same hand down the length of her body. Shifting slightly, he wanted her to feel his arousal pressing against the curve of her pelvis.
“I want you,” he whispered and wondered if she could hear the urgency in his tone. The need. The desperation. She must have because she inched her lips closer to his for him to take control of her mouth, mate with it.
And he did.
His every muscle, his every nerve, felt sensitized as their tongues tangled with a hunger that was driving him crazy. The sweet, honeyed taste of her consumed his mind, sent a flame through his body and made him quickly lose touch with reality.
“Storm,” she said softly, breaking off their kiss as her hands reached down, tentatively searching for him. When she captured him in the warmth of her hands, he thought he had died and gone to heaven. “I want this.”
He definitely knew what she was asking for and didn’t waste any time rolling her beneath him. He reached down and touched her, finding her hot, wet and ready. Lowering his head he needed to taste her breasts and drew one hardened nipple into his mouth, gently pulling it with his tongue, glorying in the shivers he felt going through her.
And then with her hands still holding him, she placed him at her opening and, slanting her hips upward, began easing him inside her. At this stage of the game, his arousal didn’t know the meaning of slow and he pushed deep inside, finding her body still tight, but not as tight as it had been the night before. He stopped to give her time to adjust to him, but her soft moans and the rotation of her hips let him know she didn’t want him to stop.
He thrust harder, buried himself to the depth they both wanted, and then he kissed her again, needing the contact to her mouth. And then he began to move inside of her as intense, dizzying, mind-boggling desire consumed him, sending him on a voyage that was out of this world. And Jayla was right there, taking the trip with him, as they flew higher and higher to the place where passion was taking them. A place that was a potent blend of exultation and euphoria, a place where he wanted to think that few people went—at least not to this degree and certainly not this level.
“Wow,” he whispered huskily, for lack of a better word, and then he increased his pace, established their rhythm and like finely tuned musical instruments they played together in absolute harmony. Each movement added sensation and increased their pleasure. He dragged in a deep breath, feeling as if he were seconds from toppling over the edge, moments from exploding.
He clamped his hands down on her hips while he mated relentlessly with her. Her feminine muscles began gripping, clutching him with every thrust he took. And when he heard the sharp cry that was torn from her lips and felt her body jolt at the same time she arched her back, then shattered in his arms, he let go and began drowning in his own release.
“Jayla!”
He threw his head back, as something, everything, inside him broke free. If he thought he’d experienced pure, unadulterated ecstasy inside her body before, then this was a pleasure so raw and primitive that he doubted he would ever be able to recover from it. It was as if this was where he belonged, where he was supposed to be.
He quickly banished those thoughts from his mind as they continued to move together. He felt as if every cell within him was electrified, energized as they were propelled even deeper into the sensuous clutches that held them.
And then, before they could recover, it happened again, just as fast and just as potent. They were hurled into another orgasm so powerful that he actually felt the room spin and wondered if he would ever regain his equilibrium. A cry tore from his throat, only to be drowned out by the sound of hers as once again they were plunged into the throes of pure ecstasy.
With a shuddered sigh, he pulled her closer to him, felt himself getting hard all over again and knew this woman was doing more than draining his body. She was draining his very soul and at the moment, he couldn’t do a damn thing to stop her.
Jayla couldn’t move, so she lay still, feeling sated, exhausted and caught up in the aftereffects of remarkable sex. She stared up at the ceiling as she tried to calm the rhythm of her breathing. She smiled as she forced herself onto her side and faced Storm. He was lying flat on his back with his eyes closed. He, too, took long, deep, steadying breaths. When she saw he was once again aroused, the sight of him sent her senses into a mindless sensuous rush all over again. He was as hard as a rock, seemingly ready for another round. How on earth was that possible?
She sighed deeply. “Everything I’ve heard about you is true, Storm.” She watched as he slowly lifted his eyes, slightly turned his head and looked over at her.
“What have you heard about me?”
Every bone in her body felt as if it had melted, so she chuckled huskily. “That you’re perfect in bed. Did you know some women call you, The Perfect Storm?”
Storm frowned. For some reason he didn’t want her to think about the other women he’d been with. And he didn’t want to think about them, either. The only woman he wanted to think about was her. Instead of answering her question, he leaned over and kissed her deeply, thoroughly, and moments later, when he pulled back, he reached down and touched her intimately. “I didn’t mean to be rough.”
A huge smile touched the corners of her lips. “You weren’t. I got everything I asked for and then some.”
“Yeah, but you’re new at this.”
“And enjoying every minute.” She studied him for a moment, then said. “I was curious about you when I was sixteen. You were the first guy I was really interested in.”
“Was I?’’
“Yes.”
Storm held her gaze. He could vividly recall how, whenever he dropped by to visit Adam, her whiskey-colored eyes would seek him out and convey her every youthful emotion. She’d had a crush on him. He had been aware of it and he had a feeling that Adam had been aware of it as well. Storm had known that around her he would have to tread lightly, because she was the boss’s daughter who was noticing boys for the first time; but unfortunately, instead of a boy, she had set her sights and budding desires on a man. To make matters worse, she fully intended for him to notice her and he had tried like hell not to.
“Do we stay in bed for the rest of the day or do we get up and do something else?” she asked, interrupting his stroll down memory lane. “Just to let you know, the thought of staying in bed all day doesn’t bother me.”
Storm couldn’t help but laugh. “What have I created here, a monster?”
She lifted a brow. “Like you can talk. I’d say you’re up for it,” she said, pointing out his aroused state.
“Well, yeah, but some things can’t be rushed. Just give me some time, will you.”
“Sure, if you think you need it, but from what I understand most men need time to get it up, not down.”
One corner of Storm’s mouth lifted. He was enjoying this turn in their conversation, but he knew if they didn’t get out of bed really soon, their conversation might turn into something else. Forcing himself to move, he slowly sat up. “I guess I need to go back to my room and take a shower.” He glanced over at the clock. “Do you want to meet me downstairs for breakfast?”
“Yeah, I’m starving.”
He nodded knowingly. “And after breakfast, how about if we do some more sightseeing today?” Anything to keep them out of their hotel rooms. “When does your flight leave tomorrow?” he asked. Suddenly, reality of how short their time together would be began to seep in. From the expression on her face he could tell that she felt it, too.
“In the morning, around eight. What about yours?”
“Tomorrow evening, around three.”
She nodded. “Too bad we aren’t on the same flight,” she said quietly.
He’d been thinking the same thing. “Yeah, it’s too bad.” But then, maybe it was for the best. Too much more of Jayla Cole would go to his head and right to a place he wasn’t quite ready for.
He sighed deeply. So much had happened between them in the last forty-eight hours. “Nothing has changed, right Jayla? Neither of us is looking for a serious relationship.”
Jayla glanced at him, understanding his need to reestablish ground rules. “Yeah, right, nothing has changed. Trust me, a serious relationship with anyone is the last thing I want or need right now. I’m going to be so busy over the next few months that an involvement of any kind will be the furthest thing from my mind.”
He lifted a brow as he slid out of bed. “Oh? What will you be doing?”
Jayla nervously licked her lips. There was no way she could tell him that she would be preparing for motherhood. “There’s this project that I’m going to start working on.”
“Oh, and what kind of project is it?”
She sighed deeply; he would ask. She decided to brush off his question and forced out a chuckle, saying, “Nothing you’d be interested in, trust me.”
He smiled as he studied her for a long moment, then said. “I might surprise you. If you ever need my help, don’t hesitate to call.”
She smiled. “Thanks for the offer, but I have everything under control.”
“All right. I’ll be back in a second.”
She watched as he walked into the bathroom and closed the door. She rolled over on her stomach and buried her face in his pillow, enjoying his lingering scent. Had she been dreaming or had Storm just offered to help with her project? She felt it was pretty safe to assume that the last thing Storm Westmoreland would want was to be a daddy. Besides, she had no regrets in going solo. A man like him as the father of her child would definitely cramp her style. He’d already stated his belief that a woman couldn’t work outside the home and raise a family. She didn’t envy the woman he would end up marrying, since it was evident that he would be a controlling husband.
She got out of bed, slipped into her robe, walked over to the window and glanced out to watch the impending sunrise. Tomorrow, she and Storm would bring an end to their short affair and she hoped when they returned to Atlanta that they didn’t run into each other anytime soon. It would be difficult to see him and not think about the intimacy they had shared here in The Big Easy. There definitely wouldn’t be anything easy about that.
Storm slid his hands around Jayla’s waist and pulled her snugly against him. “An hour?” he asked with a puzzled lift of his brow. “Are you saying it will take you an entire hour to pick out an outfit for tonight?”
She smiled up at him. “Yes. Already I see a number of things in this dress shop that I want to try on. It has to be just perfect.”
“Jayla,” he began, but she cut him off.
“Please, Storm. I want a new outfit for tonight.”
He studied the excitement in Jayla’s face, thinking she was even more beautiful than before, if that were possible. When he had met her for breakfast, he’d told her of the phone call he had received from his cousin Ian. Ian, a good friend of New Orleans’s mayor, had been invited to a huge gala being given in the man’s honor. Ian had invited Storm as his guest and Storm had gotten the okay to bring Jayla as his date. Instead of going sightseeing as they had originally planned, Jayla had insisted that the first thing she needed to do was go shopping for something to wear that night.
“All right, I guess I can find something to kill time while you shop,” he said releasing her. “But I’ll be back in a hour, Jayla.”
She grinned, nodding. “And I’ll have everything I need by then.”
A short while later, Storm took his time as he strolled around Jackson Square. It was a beautiful day and a lot of tourists were out and about. He smiled when he thought of how excited Jayla had been when he’d mentioned tonight’s affair. He had enjoyed seeing her happy. He was also enjoying her company…almost a little too much. She was definitely someone he liked being with, both in and out of bed. More than once he had to remind himself not to make more of what they were sharing than there was.
It was no big deal that over the past few days, they’d discovered that they enjoyed many of the same things. She liked jazz, and so did he; she enjoyed watching bone-chilling thriller movies and so did he. She was one of the few people who lived in Atlanta whose favorite football team wasn’t the Atlanta Falcons. His favorite team was the Dallas Cowboys and she was a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles.
It seemed the only thing they didn’t agree on was his belief that a woman’s place was at home raising her kids and not in an office all day. Jayla insisted that a man who held such traditional views would be too controlling in a marriage. He didn’t see himself as wanting to control, but rather he saw himself as someone who wanted to be the sole provider for his family in the purest sense of the word.
He glanced at his watch. He still had over forty-five minutes to go before he went back to that dress shop for Jayla. Damn, but he missed her already. A warning bell suddenly went off in his head. He’d never admitted to missing a woman before, so why was he doing it now? He sighed deeply, deciding to be honest with himself. The honest truth was he liked having Jayla around and for him that didn’t bode well.
He frowned as he continued to walk around Jackson Square, wondering what was there about her that was getting to him and playing games with his mind? They were games he had no desire to play. She knew the score and so did he. Neither of them wanted anything beyond what they were sharing here in New Orleans. Getting together and developing some sort of relationship when they returned to Atlanta was unacceptable, totally out of the question, a definite bad idea.
Then why was he allowing such thoughts to invade his mind?
“You’re confused, aren’t you?”
Storm turned to the sound of the craggy voice and saw an old woman sitting on the bench less than five feet from where he stood. He lifted a brow. “Excuse me. Did you say something?”
The old woman smiled serenely. “Yes. I said you’re confused. Nothing like this has ever happened to you before has it?”
Storm tilted his head to the side as he studied the woman, wondering if she was operating with a full deck. She was talking as if she knew him. “I think you might have me mixed up with someone else.”
“No, I don’t,” she muttered with a shake of her head. “And I’m not crazy,” she said, as if reading his mind. “I’d tell you more if you let me look into your future.”
Storm nodded as understanding dawned. The old woman was a fortune-teller. New Orleans was full of them. He crossed his arms over his chest amused. “And what do you think you can tell me that I don’t already know?”
“Oh, you’d be surprised.”
Storm didn’t think so but decided to humor the old woman. “Okay, then surprise me. What do you have to work with? Tarot cards or a crystal ball?”
The older woman met his gaze and looked at him with a scrutiny that Storm found unnerving. Finally, she responded. “Neither. I’m a palm reader.”
Storm nodded. That figured. “Okay, how much to read my palm?”
“Twenty dollars.”
He sighed as he reached into his pocket and pulled a twenty-dollar bill while wondering why he was wasting his time. He glanced at his watch. He still had a good thirty minutes left before Jayla was ready and having his palm read was just as good as anything else to pass the time away.
He sat down next to the woman on the bench and stretched out his hand to her. “Okay, what does my palm say?”
He watched as the woman took his hand into her frail one and studied his palm. Moments later, when she lifted her gaze, the intensity in the depth of her dark eyes almost startled him. She smiled sympathetically. “I can see why you’re confused.”
He frowned. “Meaning what?”
“You are about to make unexpected changes in your life and although you yearn for peace, turbulence is in your future. Keep your sights high, be patient and let destiny take its course.”
Storm’s frown deepened. He had just gotten a promotion three months ago, so what changes was the woman talking about? He had thought about moving out of his present house and buying a larger one, but what problems could a decision like that bring on? There had to be more.
He lifted his brow. “Is that it?”
She stared at him and sighed deeply. “Trust me, son. That will be enough.”
He shook his head, a part of him found the entire thing outright amusing. “Ahh, can you be a little more specific?”
“No, I’ve told you everything you need to know.”
He slowly stood. He couldn’t wait until he and his brothers had their next card game so he could tell them about this experience. Knowing them, they would probably find the whole thing hilarious. “Well, it was nice getting my palm read,” he said, not knowing what else to say.
She shook her head slowly. “I wish you the best of luck.”
Storm looked at the woman. She’d said it like she had truly meant it. “Thanks,” he said before walking off, not sure just what he was thanking her for.
“Tell her you like the red one.”
He turned back around and lifted a brow. “Excuse me?”
The old woman smiled. “Tell her you like the red one the best.”
Storm frowned, not understanding what she meant. He decided it would be best not to ask, so he nodded, turned back around and kept walking. Moments later, when he returned to the dress shop, he saw Jayla standing at the checkout counter waiting for him. His face lit into a smile as he walked over to her. “Did you find anything?”
“Yes,” she answered excitedly. “I found two really nice outfits and they’re both beautiful. I want you to pick out the one you like the best.”
