His gaze roamed over her, and a thrill of feminine satisfaction filled her at his obvious appreciation. “Wow,” he said, running a single fingertip along the lacy edge of her bra cup. “You do a hell of a job hiding all this beneath those prim suits you wear.”
“That’s the point. I’m not looking to get noticed for anything other than my job performance.”
“I know a lot of women who go out of their way to use their looks, rather than downplay them.”
She shrugged. “Not my style. In the workplace, I’m strictly conservative.”
He reached around her and unhooked her bra with a quick flick of his clever fingers. “And in the bedroom?”
“In the bedroom… not so much.” She slid her bra straps down her arms and tossed the garment aside.
“Best news I’ve heard in a long time.”
He reached for her, but she slapped a hand against his chest and pushed him back a step. “Oh, no. Not until we get some of those clothes off you. I’m interested in your assets, too. Let’s get rid of the footwear first.”
“You always this bossy?” he asked while he toed off his shoes then pulled off his socks.
“Only when I’m impatient. And I’m very impatient at the moment.”
“Well, far be it from me to argue with an impatient, nearly naked woman.”
“Smart man.” She made fast work of the rest of his shirt buttons then helped him shrug the garment from his shoulders. “Very nice,” she murmured, trailing her fingers over his broad shoulders then molding her hands over his well-defined chest and rippled abs.
He retaliated by cupping her breasts and gently tugging on her taut nipples. “I could say the same about you.”
“I’m supposed to be undressing you, Jack.”
“I’m not stopping you.”
No, but he sure as heck was distracting her. The man had magic fingers, and his hands were everywhere, leaving trails of fire on her skin. It required all her concentration to undo his belt, unfasten his pants, then push them, along with his boxer briefs, down his hips. They fell to the floor, and without missing a beat or a caress, he kicked them aside.
She ran her fingers along the hard length of his erection and he sucked in a quick breath. Jack Walker was definitely proof positive of that “men with big feet” theory. She wrapped her fingers around him and gently squeezed.
“I’m not going to be able to take much more of that.”
For a reply she dipped her other hand between his legs and stroked while she gently squeezed him again. His eyes slid shut and he moaned. “I’m hanging on here by a thread,” he warned in a rough voice.
“Let’s see how much more you can take.”
She pressed her lips to the center of his chest then dragged her open mouth across his firm, warm skin to his nipple. While her hands continued to stroke and caress, she circled her tongue around his nipple then drew the tight bud into her mouth. His hands sifted through her hair and his breathing grew harsh and rapid.
“That feels incredible,” he said, the last word ending on a groan as her fingers circled the sensitive head of his erection where a pearly drop of fluid glistened. She dipped her finger into the warm wetness and slowly spread it around the tip while her other hand caressed between his thighs.
“That’s it,” he said, the words rough and his breathing ragged. Without another word he scooped her up in his arms. She kicked off her shoes and he set her on the bed with a gentle bounce then quickly peeled off her excuse for panties and tossed them aside. She’d left the box of condoms on the night table and she reached for one. The sight of him, so large and hard and aroused, filled her with a desperation she hadn’t felt in a very long time.
She was about to tear open the condom package, but again he distracted her, this time by kneeling between her splayed thighs. “You’re beautiful, Maddie,” he said, his intense gaze hot on hers as he pushed her legs wider apart. “Really beautiful.”
God knows the way he was looking at her, the way he was touching her, made her feel that way. “You’re not so bad yourself-”
Her words ended on a gasp of pleasure when those magical fingers caressed her sex, gliding, delving, circling, teasing. When she was no more than a stroke or two away from coming again, he grabbed the condom and tore open the package. He rolled on the protection, leaned over her, and entered her in a single heart-stopping thrust.
Their groans mingled. “You feel so damn good,” he muttered. Bracing his weight on his forearms, he withdrew nearly all the way then sank slowly into her, filling her completely. “Tight. Hot. Wet.” He groaned against her throat. “Perfect.”
Yes. Perfect was the ideal word to describe the feel of him inside her, on top of her. Maddie spread her legs wider and lifted her hips, craving more of the delicious friction of his body gliding in and out of hers. His thrusts grew harder, faster, each one seeming to touch her deeper, fill her more completely. She cried out as her orgasm exploded through her, and wrapped her arms and legs tightly around him, lost in the hot pulses of pleasure. She felt him tense, then with a harsh groan, he threw back his head and gave a final, deep thrust. After his shudders subsided, he rested his forehead against hers, their ragged breaths bouncing off each other.
Maddie lay beneath him, sated, limp, delicious aftershocks still rippling through her. His weight pressing her into the mattress felt decadent and so lovely she wouldn’t have moved even if she’d been capable of doing so, which she wasn’t. She wasn’t sure how much time passed before he raised his head. When she felt him brush aside a strand of hair from her cheek, she forced her heavy eyelids open. And found him studying her with an expression that looked as bemused as she felt.
An unexpected tenderness suffused her, one that she wouldn’t have thought to associate with casual sex. But then, she was pretty inexperienced as far as casual sex was concerned. She swallowed then reached up so her fingers could explore his features. “Okay, I want the unvarnished truth, Jack. Was that as good as I think it was?”
He turned his head and pressed a kiss against her palm. “Would you believe me if I told you I think it was even better?”
Relief filled her. “Glad to know it wasn’t just me.”
“Not just you,” he assured her.
“Probably it was just because it had been such a long time for both of us.” She studied his face in the dim light. “Right?”
She’d expected a lighthearted answer, but instead he gazed at her through serious eyes. “I don’t know.” He studied her for several more seconds, then one corner of his mouth quirked upward. “So I vote we do it again. Since it’s now been less than ten minutes for both of us, we’ll be better able to judge.” He dropped a quick kiss on her lips. “What do you say?”
She gave a feigned casual shrug. “Fine. Good. Whatever you say. But I vote for doing it two more times. You know, double the pleasure. Just to be sure.”
He heaved a put-upon sigh. “Oh, all right. If you insist. I’ll try not to complain too much.”
“Good. Because you know who likes a whiner?”
“Who?”
“Nobody.”
He chuckled. “Let’s take a shower, then you can model some of those other lingerie goodies you have in your suitcase.”
“Hmmm. I have quite a bit of lingerie in there.”
“And you won’t catch me whining. Nope. ’Cause you know, nobody likes a whiner.”
“That’s right. About this shower…” She tickled her fingers down his smooth back to his butt, liking the heat that flared in his eyes. “I plan to get you all in a lather. In more ways than one.”
“Good. Fine. Whatever you say.”
Eight
Jack stomped through the damn woods, trying to concentrate on what he was supposed to be concentrating on-which was finding the various colored flags he and Maddie needed to locate on their orienteering outing so they could then make their way out of the damn woods-but he was failing miserably. The only thing he could concentrate on was the woman walking beside him.