A Christmas to Believe In (20 page)

Befuddled, he squinted at her. Breakfast always woke him

up. Where in the world was she going with this?

As his mother's gaze tracked back to Jesse, and a smile

turned up the corners of her mouth, understanding

hammered into him. If he had all night company, make sure

they weren't late.

Shit
.

A tremor ran through his hand as he reached for an empty

mug. Already his mother leapt to conclusions. He never

should have taken the risk in kissing Jesse this afternoon.

Now, every casual hello, every necessary trip to the barn,

every time Jesse stopped by, she'd read something deeper

into it. Before he could stop the approaching train-wreck,

she'd be demanding he give up everything in Kentucky and

marry Jesse Saurs.

Yet, as he poured the coffee into Jesse's mug, and the rich

aroma hit his nose, a sense of contentment filtered into his

veins. He'd just received his mother's silent permission. The

unspoken statement that she supported whatever was going

on with him and Jesse. To his knowledge, none of his brothers

had ever received the same. She barely tolerated Sydney.

Heath had been single for so long they'd all given up on the

hope the women who passed through his life might become

permanent. But she loved Jesse.

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He picked up both mugs and returned to the family room.

Jesse accepted hers, shifted closer as he sat down. She

settled her cheek against his shoulder.

Closing his eyes, Clint inhaled the sweet fragrance of her

perfume. Her gentle curves melded into his side as he draped

his arm around her shoulders. Beneath his restless fingertips,

the loose material of her blouse felt like silk. He dropped his

chin, pressed a soft kiss into her hair.

"What are we doing, Jesse?" he whispered.

She tipped her face up, looked at him through a wealth of

thick lashes. "I don't know. It just..." She trailed away on a

hard swallow. "You feel right." Her blue eyes dropped to his

mouth, then lifted to his, full of dark intensity. "Kiss me,

Clint," she murmured.

A fist wrapped around his gut. The uncomfortable clamp of

desire demanded he obey her quiet demand. He took her

coffee cup out of her hands, set it aside, and placed two

fingers beneath her dainty chin. Tipping her head back, he

lowered his.

As the warmth of her lips met his, he slid his hand down

the side of her throat. Beneath his palm, her pulse thrummed

a rapid beat. Her tongue touched his, a velvety caress that

shot fire through his veins. Sweetness assaulted his senses,

and Clint became lost to the kiss. To the gentle urgings of her

hungry mouth. To every forbidden promise Jesse offered.

He glided his hand over her collarbone and gathered the

soft fullness of her breast in his palm. Her gasp whispered

against his lips, but on a tremulous exhale, she melted into

him. Her fingers raked through his hair as she arched her

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back, giving him the freedom to explore and caress. He

brought his free hand into play, cupping the full weighty twin

and rolled hardened nipples beneath his thumbs.

A shudder inched down her spine, crept into him, and took

root in his cock. Heat spread through him, delicious and

consuming. A low growl rumbled in the back of his throat. He

deepened the kiss, chasing sensation he couldn't define.

Enormous feeling that he could not catch and hold, nor could

he escape.

Sense filtered in as artillery fire erupted in the speakers.

This was Jesse. Though his craving for her ran deep, he

couldn't lead her down this path. He would leave in a few

days. Jesse deserved more than this. And God above, he

didn't want her hate.

He drew away, looked down into the turgid depths of her

blue eyes. Their ragged breathing matched in velocity as he

traced the side of her face with one fingertip. "I don't want to

hurt you, Jesse. We should stop."

For an extended heartbeat, her eyes searched his. In the

next, the comfortable warmth of her body vanished as she

pulled out of his embrace. A river of regret roared through

him. One chance, one night to discover every magical inch of

Jesse, and he'd let it slide through his hands. He pushed both

hands through his hair and collapsed against the back of the

sofa. Eyes closed, he exhaled long and hard.

A click sounded to his left. Sudden darkness engulfed him.

Sitting upright, he opened his eyes to find Jesse cross-legged

at his side. The television went dark, and she set the remote

control on the table. In the alluring glow of firelight, her gaze

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locked with his. Holding it steady, she dropped one hand to

the buttons on her blouse. Nimble fingers unfastened the top

closure.

"Make love to me, Clint," she whispered. Another button

tumbled free, and the lightweight material fell away. Beneath

a delicate swathe of lace and satin, a glimpse of creamy flesh

coiled his stomach into a hard knot.

"Jesse..." He swallowed thickly, his throat as sticky as

cobwebs. "I didn't bring anything with me. I don't have..."

She pressed her fingertips to his mouth. Her other hand

found his, lifted it, and brought it to her breast. As the air

rushed from his lungs, her heart battered his palm. "It's

okay." Her eyes brightened with her intoxicating smile. "I

trust you."

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Jesse held her breath as indecision flickered across Clint's

expression. But hesitancy gave way to the burnished gleam of

desire within his amber eyes. Slowly, reverently, he trailed

the back of one knuckle across the swell of her breast,

nudging her blouse aside. The air kissed her skin.

Goosebumps broke out along her arms, and Jesse closed her

eyes.

Clint traced a path of sensation down the valley of her

breasts. The closure on the front of her bra fell apart at his

touch. As she hung suspended, anticipation coursing liquid

heat through her veins, he gathered her exposed flesh into

his hands and gently kneaded his fingers into the fullness.

She exhaled on a hiss.

"A hundred years," he murmured. "I never dreamed of

this."

Lifting her lashes, she looked at the man who had become

so much more than childhood playmate and teenage

companion. In the dim light, his aquiline features softened

with a tenderness she'd never witnessed. The strong line of

his jaw beckoned her to touch, and she reached out to press

her palm to his cheek. His gaze shifted to her eyes, scorching

her with an intensity that stole her breath.

He turned his chin into her hand. Closed his eyes. Jesse

ran the pad of her thumb over his parted lips. "Neither did I,"

she whispered.

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As he leaned forward, his mouth descended on hers. She

welcomed the velvety brush of his tongue, the rich flavor of

aroused male. He commanded her with tenderness, yet

beneath his gentle assault lurked a fierce hunger. One she

shared and desperately tried to reign in before it consumed

her.

Clint's lips traveled down the length of her throat, his

breath hot and moist against her skin. She wound her arms

around his neck and leaned back, luxuriating in the

sensations his mouth provoked. Clint. She was making love to

Clint. She must be dreaming. Of all the fantasies she'd

harbored in her life, this had never even made her list. Now,

it was the most fantastical truth she'd ever witness. And

though a little portion of her heart wrenched at the idea their

time together would end in a few days, it took wings and

soared at the knowledge that in a few moments he would be

inside her. They would lie together as one. Experience each

other so with such exquisite intimacy she'd carry the memory

with her forever.

As his hands glided around her ribs and spanned across

her back, he took with him the pleasant magic of his touch. A

cry of protest threatened. But it gave way to a ragged gasp

as his lips replaced the warmth of his fingers. He closed his

mouth around her stiffened nipple, suckling, teasing with the

stroke of his tongue.

Her fingers tightened on his shoulders, and Jesse braced

herself against a storm of sudden ecstasy. "Clint," she

breathed as she arched into him.

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He wound an arm around her waist, gathered her against

his tightened body. His breath danced across her skin, hard

and heavy, evidence of his own mounting passion. Feather-

light kisses dusted across her chest, rested in the valley of

her breasts, then skated to her opposite breast. He traced the

tip of his tongue around her nipple, then sucked it into his

mouth.

She dug her nails into his shoulders and clamped her teeth

into her lower lip to stifle a cry. Deep inside, a hollow ache

opened up to engulf her. Shifting to relieve it, she dropped

her hands to his sides and tugged on his T-shirt. His body

waited beneath, and she'd go mad if he made her wait a

moment longer to feel all that masculine heat against her

fingertips.

Obliging her subtle request, Clint slowly released his

mouth. He sat straighter, bracing her until she found her

balance. When she no longer needed to cling to him to steady

herself, he grabbed the hem of his shirt and yanked it over

his head. Corrugated strength bronzed in the firelight's glow.

Jesse sucked in a sharp breath. Lord in heaven, she'd

expected power. She hadn't, however, anticipated she'd find

herself staring at some modern recreation of a time-honored

warrior. Fascinated, she flattened a palm against hard

pectorals, skimmed it down to washboard abs. A faint dusting

of fine dark hairs heightened his body's natural shadows, then

delved beneath the loose waistband of his lightweight pants.

Did horses give him this physique? Or had he always been

so beautiful?

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She leaned forward and pressed a kiss over his heart. It

thumped hard, a matched partner to her unsteady pulse. As

she leaned back to shrug out of her blouse, Clint caught a

lock of her hair between his fingers. He lifted his gaze to hers.

"You're beautiful, Jesse," he murmured. "So damn beautiful."

The emotion that turned his voice hoarse rippled pleasure

down her spine. Honesty reflected in his eyes, raw truths that

turned her inside out and left her trembling. Not trusting her

voice, with a press of her hand to the back of his neck she

urged him close to answer with a kiss.

Clint, however, eased out of her grasp. He slid to the floor,

kneeling in front of her. A twist of his wrist loosed the button

on her jeans. His fingers delved inside to tug them down her

hips. She complied by lifting off the couch, giving him room to

peel the denim away. He caught her socks as her jeans

reached her ankles, deftly removing them in the process.

His hands found her waist, and as if she weighed nothing

more than a sack of feathers, he lifted her off the couch and

brought her to the floor. A slow smile spread across his face.

His husky voice washed over her. "I need room, sweetheart. I

want to memorize every part of you."

A delighted shudder rolled all the way down to her toes.

Wanting nothing less than every promised drop of pleasure

that raw declaration offered, Jesse reclined. He moved with

her, his body inches from hers. So close she could feel the

warmth that would blanket her, yet far enough away the lack

of contact played havoc on her senses.

When her back met the soft fibers of his mother's carpet,

Clint shifted. He stretched out on his side and swept a hand

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along her ribs, over her belly, and settled it on her hip. He

leaned in close to nuzzle the side of her neck. "I should take

you upstairs. There's a bed up there." Pulling away, he

offered her a chagrined grin.

A chuckle worked its way free, and Jesse smiled into his

eyes. "No, you shouldn't." She caught his lower lip between

her teeth in a playful bite. "I don't want to wait that long."

He let out a hiss, and his grip tightened on her hipbone.

Capturing her mouth, he denied her retreat and drew her into

a never-ending kiss. As his tongue slipped with hers, his

fingertips eased beneath the thin layer of her panties. His

seeking touch ignited a sudden ferocious need that enticed

Jesse into a whimper. Breathless, she opened herself to him.