скачать книгу бесплатно
Her eyes narrowed as the shock began to clear.
She’d asked him to slow down, tried to give him a little bit of direction. But had he listened? No, he’d just charged on regardless, using his thing like a battering ram.
Okay, he hadn’t hurt her. But that was only because she’d been so turned on. The way he’d ploughed into her, he could have done her an injury.
She wriggled, winced and wedged her hand under his shoulder to give him a shove. He grunted, but hardly budged. Then the still-huge erection pulsed inside her. She groaned, the too-full ache making her more uncomfortable and annoyed by the second.
This could have been so much better, so much more. If he’d taken his time, shown a little patience and consideration for her enjoyment, her feelings. Instead of which, he was obviously one of those guys who thought having a handsome face and a larger-than-average appendage was enough. Well, it wasn’t, not by a long shot. Not for her. Maybe there really were women who could spontaneously combust to order with only two seconds of foreplay, but she wasn’t one of them. And she refused to feel inadequate about it.
She gave him another heftier shove and bit her lip as he rolled off her to flop onto the bed beside her.
She closed her legs, noticed the tenderness between her thighs and glared at him. With his eyes closed and a smile of blissful satisfaction on his too-handsome face, he looked like a small boy who had just devoured a whole Knickerbocker Glory in one swallow.
Unfortunately for her, it had been all Knickerbocker and very little Glory.
Resentment overwhelmed her. Swiftly followed by recrimination.
This is all your own stupid fault. What the heck were you thinking?
If only she’d actually been thinking. She’d have remembered there was a reason why you had to get to know someone before you did the wild thing with them. Never had her granny’s favourite saying been truer. ‘If it looks too good to be true …’
Clutching the sheet to her chin, she examined the plaster some more.
She should never have let her hormones and her dismal relationship history rob her of every last ounce of self-control—and common sense. She’d known the guy was arrogant and dominant and moody, but she’d decided to seduce him anyway.
She shuffled across the bed, her overworked muscles protesting, and resentment peaked.
Well, at least she’d learned her lesson. No more wild, wanton, reckless flings, not for a while anyway. Because she was going to be paying the price for this one for days.
She swung her feet to the floor, glanced at the rain splashing against his bedroom window and sighed. And that was without even factoring in the long walk home through a hurricane.
She shifted to get up.
‘Maddy?’ She twisted round at the deep rumble of his voice. He stretched, propped one hand behind his head and reached out to stroke a finger down her arm, the self-satisfied smile still in place. ‘Going somewhere?’
Fabulous. Why couldn’t he have stayed in a coma so she could at least make a clean getaway? Resentment flared.
‘I’m going home,’ she said sharply. Did he even know how disappointing he’d been?
She tried to lift herself off the bed but his fingers circled her wrist.
‘Don’t go. Stay a while.’
What the heck for?
‘I can’t stay. I’ve got to get back,’ she said tightly, trying to keep her resentment out of her voice. Telling him how rubbish he was in bed would only make this more personal.
‘It’s still raining, your clothes are soaking wet and your bike has a puncture,’ he said reasonably. ‘It’s not a good idea.’
His thumb skimmed across her pulse point and she trembled.
‘It’s not that far,’ she lied, snatching her hand away. She didn’t want to be touched. ‘I can always …’
‘You didn’t come,’ he interrupted, shocking her into silence. ‘Sorry about that.’
‘Don’t worry; it’s not a problem,’ she said, not all that convinced the apology was sincere. If he felt bad about his abysmal performance, what was with that sheepish smile?
‘Really?’ He chuckled, annoying her even more. ‘What’s with the angry eyes, then?’
She tried to dim the glare. ‘I’m not angry,’ she said with exaggerated patience. This was getting awkward now as well as irritating. She was stark naked under the sheet she had clutched to her bosom and her nerve-endings were still popping and fizzing at the sight of that bare chest and washboard-lean six-pack—when they ought to know better by now. ‘I really have to go.’
She scanned the room for his sweatshirt. Where was the stupid thing?
He took her arm. ‘Why don’t you hear me out before you rush off?’
Oh, for …
‘Fine.’ She straightened, trapped and acutely aware of her nakedness. ‘But can I have the sweatshirt first?’ She didn’t know what he had to say and she didn’t really care. But she wasn’t listening to anything in the nude. ‘I think it’s on your side of the bed.’
His lips curved as he released her. Scooping the sweatshirt off the floor, he lobbed it to her. She heard his heavy sigh as she pulled it on.
‘So what did you want to say?’ she demanded when he remained silent, his gaze heating with lazy approval.
‘That I’m not usually that bad.’ He scraped the hair off his brow, the smile becoming almost boyish. ‘There are reasons for what happened that I won’t bore you with,’ he murmured, his eyes darkening to a rich cobalt. ‘Let me make it up to you.’
Maddy felt the pulse of response—and cursed her idiotic hormones. He might have that sexy, intense look down pat, but talk about false advertising.
‘That really isn’t necessary,’ she said primly. Another round like the last one would probably kill off her libido for good.
‘Yes, it is.’
‘Look, Mr King—’ time to stop this stupid charade ‘—I’m not interested.’
‘Mr King?’ He sounded amused. ‘Was I that bad?’
‘Yes, actually you were.’ Why sugar-coat it?
He clasped a hand to his breast in mock horror. ‘You wound me, Maddy.’
‘Well, now you know how it feels,’ she snapped, annoyed by his teasing. What was so flipping hilarious?
He frowned, then bolted upright, the lazy smile gone. ‘I didn’t hurt you, did I?’ The colour drained from his face. ‘You were so tight, but I thought you were ready.’
She flushed, a little ashamed of herself. He looked genuinely horrified. ‘No. That’s not what I meant.’
‘Thank God.’ He scrubbed his hands down his face, then pinned her with that sexy, intense look again and her nerve-endings sizzled some more. ‘Look, how about we make a deal, Madeleine?’
She didn’t like the sound of that, and she wished he’d stop saying her name in that low, intimate way. But then he took her wrist again, pressed his thumb to the pulse point—and she lost focus. ‘What deal?’
‘I’ll sling your clothes in the machine—and, when they’re done, I’ll drive you home myself, if you still want to go.’
‘You have a washing machine?’ she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
‘Yeah.’ The lazy smile was back. ‘I know this place looks like a throwback to the Stone Age, but it does have a few mod cons.’
‘I see,’ she said, annoyingly tempted.
His offer would be a lot nicer than having to push the bike three miles down the coast road, in a rain storm, in wet jeans. No question. But she wasn’t sure about that if. Or the way the gentle rub of his thumb was playing havoc with her pulse.
‘You promise you’ll drive me home? No questions asked?’
‘Absolutely,’ he said. But she wasn’t at all sure she could trust him. He had that damn sexy and intense thing going on again.
Or that she could trust herself. Why was her pulse doing the foxtrot?
He released her wrist and lifted her chin with his forefinger. ‘Go run yourself a hot bath—and I’ll put the laundry on.’ Leaning up on his elbow, he gave her a quick kiss. ‘Relax,’ he said as she tucked her bottom lip under her teeth, far too aware of the sizzle where his lips had touched hers. ‘I won’t jump you again. I promise.’
‘All right,’ she said tentatively. Not sure how he had got the upper hand but knowing that somehow he had.
She shot off to the bathroom as he slung the sheet back to get out of the bed. The last thing she needed was a glimpse of that very nice bum naked to make her lose focus completely.
Closing the door behind her, she listened to his foot thump against the polished oak floorboards as he limped out of the room.
It was only when she was neck deep in pine-scented bubbles that she discovered his promise not to jump her left him far too much room to manoeuvre.
CHAPTER SEVEN
‘WHAT are you doing?’
Rye winced at the shriek of alarm as water splashed over the rim of the tub and Maddy dunked down to her chin.
He choked back a chuckle at her horrified expression—and shut the door. The twin spots of colour on her cheeks and the tendrils of damp hair sticking to the graceful line of her neck made it hard for him to breathe as he crossed the room.
‘Do you mind?’ she said, outraged, her angry eyes flashing at him again.
‘Not at all,’ he said, unable to contain a smile as he settled on the wicker seat beside the tub and extended his stiff leg.
She glared at him. ‘You promised you wouldn’t jump me. Remember.’
God, but she was gorgeous. Especially when she was miffed. No wonder she’d been the one to bring him back to life. At last.
‘I’m not going to jump you,’ he said, tucking one of the tendrils behind her ear.
He ran the base of his thumb down her throat, satisfaction coursing through his veins when she swallowed convulsively. He’d lost a lot of things in the last six months, but she’d given him one of the most precious back and he intended to thank her, in the only way he knew how. Unfortunately, it wasn’t just gratitude he was feeling at the moment.
‘What exactly are you planning to do, then?’ she asked, eyeing him suspiciously.
He couldn’t see much of her, but imagining all that flushed, rosy flesh naked beneath the water made it hard to stick to the plan he’d worked out while loading her wet clothes into his grandfather’s ancient twin tub.
Of course, if he had been a gentleman, he would have let her finish her bath in peace. But he’d never been a gentleman, and he’d never been all that patient either.
He couldn’t really blame her for wanting to have nothing to do with him. He’d behaved like an utter clod earlier. Why should she believe him when he told her he could do better? He hoped a lot better. She’d hardly had the five-star treatment so far.
‘I plan to seduce you.’
‘Oh, for Pete’s sake. Will you just forget it?’
The chuckle popped out despite his best efforts. She really did look miffed. And so damn delicious he wanted to lick her all over.
‘But I can’t forget it, Maddy. You gave me the most spectacular orgasm of my life.’
Her eyes widened and the spots of colour on her cheek bloomed to a vivid red. ‘I did?’ She sounded so astonished he wanted to hug her. A little surprised himself to realise he wasn’t exaggerating. Of course the intensity of his orgasm had probably had more to do with his own situation than her, but it was still the truth.
‘Not only that,’ he continued, keeping his eyes fixed on her flushed face, ‘but you saved my life this afternoon.’ In truth, she may well have saved it twice. ‘I owe you.’ He trailed his finger through the water, touched the pebbled nipple peeking through the foam.
She gasped and her pupils dilated beautifully. ‘You do?’
‘And I’m a man who always insists on paying his debts.’
‘Oh, I see.’ She looked so flummoxed and so turned on, he had to bite his cheek to keep from smiling.
‘The only thing is, I’m not sure I …’ She hesitated. ‘I want you to …’ Her eyes flicked to his lap and she went redder still.
He knew what the problem was.
He had already guessed Maddy’s brash seduction in the kitchen had been out of character. And that she wasn’t usually that sexually demanding. The women he’d bedded in the past would have called him on his atrocious performance immediately, demanding to know what the hell had happened, but she hadn’t, not at first, even though she had every right to.
While inexperience had never turned him on before, he found that enchanting mix of bravado and naivety nothing short of intoxicating. And unbearably arousing.
‘Don’t worry about that,’ he said, knowing she had to have spotted the erection. ‘This is all about you.’ He’d already vowed to keep the granite slab in his pants for the rest of the night. ‘And your pleasure.’ He cupped the back of her head, nipped her bottom lip. ‘I’ve had mine.’
After six solid months of enforced abstinence, it was going to be the hardest thing he’d ever had to do, but his sexual potency wasn’t the only thing he’d lost six months ago. He’d learned as a fumbling teenager that great sex wasn’t just about getting it up and then getting off. But, during his pity party, he’d lost sight of that too.
He wanted his sex life back. All of it.
Feasting on this beautiful woman, showing her what he was capable of … And, he suspected, what she was capable of too, would be more than enough pleasure for both of them.
Stretching past her, he lifted the sponge from its dish next to the tub, dipped it into the water. ‘How about I help you bathe?’ he said as he stroked the waterlogged sponge across her collarbone.
Her eyelids drifted shut and a little sigh issued from her lips. ‘I suppose that would be all right,’ she said, her voice thick. ‘If you’re sure it’s not too much trouble.’
His groin tightened as he watched those ripe strawberry nipples play peek-a-boo with the bubbles. He gave a strained laugh. ‘No trouble at all.’
Maddy’s pulse hammered against her throat, her mind racing and her skin tingling as if she had been plugged into an electric socket. The slow strokes of the sponge, under her chin, down her neck, over the top of her breasts, took all of her attention.
What was she doing? How had he talked her into this?
She was naked in a bath tub, allowing herself to be stroked into a frenzy—and she wasn’t sure why. He’d seemed sincere when he said he wouldn’t expect anything. But wasn’t she being a bit too much of a tease, expecting him to do this and get nothing in return? Only problem was, the offer had been so tantalising.
