A Kept Man (8 page)

“That’s what I came down for,” she shot back, a
flash of annoyance crossing her face.

His erection had diminished enough to make movement possible. He
pushed to his feet, tossing the magazine aside. “Maybe I’ll
join you. It’s a lot easier to carry on a conversation when
we’re not calling across the pool.”

“I didn’t come down for a conversation. I came for a
swim.”

“My mistake. You didn’t come down to relax like I
suggested?”

“Actually I’ve decided I’m better off not listening
to you at all,” she returned sweetly. He almost laughed. She
had a mouth on her. Damned if he didn’t like that.

“You’re probably better off that way,” he agreed.

They stood in silence for a moment, each waiting for the other to
act. He didn’t dare take the first plunge. He didn’t
trust her not to bolt. At least it was harder to move underwater.

Finally, she dismissed him with a toss of her head. Perching herself
on the edge of the pool, she did a clean dive into the water. He
waited a few seconds for her to submerge, only to realize she was
already on her way down the length of the pool. Her arms were all he
could see as she swam away.

She was going to ignore him. At least she was going to try. He wasn’t
going to let her.

With a rueful grin, he lowered himself in the pool and sat with his
back against the side, his arms propped up on the edge. He watched
her progress, allowing her to get a misguided sense of security. She
didn’t so much as glance his way as she churned through the
water in long, even strokes, first one way, then the other, and back
again. He allowed her five laps before he made his move.

When she started back toward the other end of the pool again, he swam
toward the spot she’d just pushed off of, then waited for her
to return. She made the turn at the other side and started back
toward him. She sensed him just a few feet before she reached him and
drew up sputtering.

He gave her his best smile. “Tired yet?”

“Not even close,” she grunted, and took off again in the
opposite direction. From the look she gave him, he considered himself
lucky she hadn’t used him to push off from.

This time though, he joined her, catching up and moving side-by-side
with her through the water. He matched his strokes to hers. She
picked up her pace to lose him, but his body was longer and he was
barely going at half his usual time. He had no trouble matching her.

They did four laps before she stopped dead in the middle of the pool.
He’d been waiting for it, and only did two extra strokes before
stopping and turning back to face her.

“What are you doing?” she spat.

“Swimming.”

“Didn’t you already swim today?”

He caught the flicker of regret in her eyes as soon as the words were
out. She wasn’t supposed to admit she’d watched.

He let her off the hook. “I swim twice a day. It’s good
exercise.”

“Do you want me to get out of the pool so you can have it to
yourself?”

“Why? Some things are better done in pairs.”

“I’m not really into synchronized swimming.”

“What are you into? Swimming laps? That doesn’t seem very
relaxing.”

“It is if I tire myself out and go to bed so exhausted I can’t
think about the damn book.”

“If all you want is to be tired out, there are better ways to
accomplish that.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Has that line ever worked?”

He grinned. “I’ve never used it before. Just thought I’d
try it out. What do you think?”

“I think you should never use it again.”

“So noted. The point stands though. There are much more fun
things we could be doing in the pool.”

“Are these things you’ve done with Felicity in this
pool?”

“I promise you, I’ve never done anything with Felicity in
this pool.”

He watched the realization dawn on her face when she finally noticed
that he’d managed to drift closer to her. They were now both
treading water only a few inches apart.

She swallowed nervously. “Why are you doing this?”

“Doing what?”

She motioned between them with a flick of her wrist. “This.
Baiting me. The innuendo.”

“If you haven’t figured that out by now then I haven’t
been trying hard enough.”

“Believe me, you’ve definitely been trying hard enough.”

He moved forward. “So why are you resisting what we both want?”

She immediately reacted to his movement by pushing herself backward
in the water. “Because I get the feeling you’re toying
with me, and I’d like to know why.”

“Interesting. I think your godmother intended me to be your
toy.”

“And yet, you’re the one playing with me. Why? What are
you after?”

His eyes roamed downward to where the water hid the rest of her body.
“I thought I’d made that clear.”

“And I think you’re full of crap.”

He dipped his head in acknowledgement. “You’re probably
right. That doesn’t mean it’s not true.”

“Felicity said she didn’t ask you to sleep with me, or
whatever it is you do.”

“You’re right. Felicity didn’t ask me to do
anything. I’m doing this of my own free will. Because I want
to. Because I want you.”

Her expression registered her disbelief. “You don’t even
know me.”

“What does that have to do with anything? You don’t know
me either. But that doesn’t stop you from wanting me either,
does it? Tell me the truth, Jess. What did you dream about last
night? What did you think about when you were supposed to be working
on your book? Why did you really come down to the pool tonight?”

She didn’t say anything, and he knew that he had her.

He swam closer. This time she didn’t move. “You knew what
was going to happen, didn’t you? You wanted it to happen.
There’s nothing wrong with it. We’re both consenting
adults here. Why not let it happen?”

“Because of who you are—” she began.

“I’m just a man,” he said gently, so soft she
unconsciously moved closer to hear the words. “And you’re
a woman. That’s all that matters, isn’t it?”

She didn’t nod. She didn’t say a word. She didn’t
have to. Her tongue darted out to moisten her parched lips, and he
felt the tightening in his groin as he watched her reaction. She
stared up into his eyes, her pupils wide, darkened with emotion. He
kept his arms moving in slow circles, but made no attempt to move
closer to her. He didn’t have to. Whether the undulations of
the water did it or she broached the final distance between them,
suddenly their bodies met beneath the surface. It was the most
natural thing in the world.

Then they were kissing. He started to lower his head to catch her
mouth, to grab that moist bottom lip of hers between his and suckle
gently. There was no rational thought, no planning. Nothing but need.
There was a tiny drop of moisture in the middle of her lip from where
she’d touched it with her tongue. He needed to taste it, more
than he’d needed anything before in his entire life.

She met him halfway, already lunging upward in the water to plant her
mouth on his. Her lips were just as urgent as his own. Her hands
plunged into his hair, drawing him nearer. She almost pulled him
beneath the water, her needy hands as possessive as her mouth. He
somehow managed to keep them afloat, some instinctive part in the
back of his mind recognizing the need to keep his arms in motion. It
nearly killed him to do so when all he wanted was to grab hold of
her, to pull her tight against his body so that he could feel the
slick skin that was already tormenting him the way it kept sliding
over him, then dancing away.

Her nipples were hard, pebbled and seeking through the thin layer of
her bathing suit. He could feel them, pushing against his chest, the
touch fleeting and demanding. Her breasts bounced against him. Their
rounded fullness mashed against his body, disappearing and returning
again as their bodies floated in the water. Torture. That’s
what this was. Torture. He’d never felt anything so
excruciating and so incredible at the same time. He wanted to feel
her rubbing against him, and all she would give him was the barest of
tastes.

Dizzying. It felt as though they were spinning around and around.
Maybe they were, spinning and floating in endless circles in the
water. Maybe they weren’t, and it was the sensation of kissing
this woman, of feeling her body, of wanting more. God, he wanted
more.

Then they both lurched in unison. It took a second for him to realize
that they must have hit the edge of the pool. Her back had hit the
side. That was all it took for him to lift his hands beneath her
arms, to lift her upward so he could feel her more fully. She reacted
immediately. Her legs moved upward, her knees going to straddle his
hips. They fit perfectly. He had a raging hard-on, and his dick fit
right into the crevice at the center of her body.

She gasped and pulled her face away. She didn’t move her hands
though, her palms cradling his cheeks, holding his face in her hands
so she could look into his eyes. A rush of male satisfaction soared
through him at how wide her eyes had gone.

He slowly ground his pelvis against her, letting her feel the full
length of his hardness at the most intimate part of her body.

“That’s you,” he whispered, his voice strangely
hoarse in his ears. “That’s all from you. All from
touching you, from being this close to you. From wanting you. You
know that, don’t you?”

She gave a shaky nod of her head, never taking her eyes from his. He
could read the emotions in her expression all too well. She was
turned on. God was she turned on. But the trepidation lingered
beneath the surface. If they went too far tonight, she would regret
it. He took a shaky breath, damn near sure this was going to kill
him. All he wanted to do was push the tight fabric aside just enough
between her legs and bury his cock in her. She would be tight, so
damn tight it would take his breath away and he wouldn’t be
able to breathe. Wouldn’t be able to think. One plunge and
they’d both come. He could feel it in his veins. He could see
it in her eyes.

But he couldn’t. It was too soon.

But he could do something.

“Now let me do something for you,” he murmured, his voice
nothing more than a thin rasp.

He lowered his arms from her sides, even as it caused him physical
pain to do so. He felt her resistance. She didn’t want him to
let go, didn’t want him to move away. He didn’t, not
entirely. He used his left hand to brace himself on the edge of the
pool. His right hand drifted downward, tracing the line of her
bathing suit until it found what he sought.

She gasped as he cupped his hand between her legs. The palm of his
hand molded to her mound. He tightened his hold, pressing his palm
against her body with the slightest of pressure. Her whole body grew
more rigid. She clung to him, her fingernails digging into his
shoulders. He ignored the feeling and kept his focus directed on her.
He watched the emotions play out across her face as he ground his
hand against her in slow circles. His fingers felt for her opening
through the thin barrier of her swimsuit, testing her. Taunting her.
Feeling the outline of her lips through the cloth. All the while, he
increased the pressure of his hand on her, pushing her higher and
higher, until it felt as though she was climbing her way up his body.

He knew she was going to come apart a split second before it
happened. He damn near came himself. She threw her head back, a raw
cry tearing itself from her throat. She threw her arms around him,
practically embracing his head. Suddenly her breasts were pressed
against his face. He let loose a groan of his own. He could feel each
reverberation that rocked her body, each wave rolling through the
both of them as they held on tight to each other.

When the onslaught ebbed, she sank back against him, as though every
bone in her body had melted. He slid her down until she rested in the
crook of his arm. She lifted hesitant eyes toward him, her vision
glassy and unfocused. He knew immediately she’d never come like
that before. This was all new to her. She needed time to recover.

And he had to give it to her.

He leaned closer, nearly pressing his face to hers. Keeping his voice
a low, suggestive murmur, he asked, “Do you want me to take you
to bed?”

He didn’t have to ask. If he hadn’t, they would be
halfway there already. She hung so limp in his arms that she would
have allowed him to take her anywhere. But he couldn’t. It had
to be her choice, when she was comfortable enough to take that step.
It was the only way to maintain her trust.

He watched the sharpness return to her eyes and the flush of color
climb into her cheeks. Embarrassment and shock took over. Her gaze
skittered away, unable to meet his. She lowered trembling hands to
his chest and gently tried to push him away.

“No, I can make it there on my own.”

“All right then.”

He released her, knowing it was what he had to do. He extended his
hands outward and propelled himself backward in the water. Jess kept
her head lowered and swam to the nearby ladder a few feet away. He
watched her climb back to the surface. The dripping swimsuit clung to
her body, but she made no move to pull the fabric away from her skin.
Instead, she reached blindly for the towel she’d left on the
chair earlier and wrapped it around herself. Without looking back,
she disappeared into the house.

He let out a slow breath, waiting for his own thrumming heartbeat to
slow. It was all he could do not to leap from the pool and go after
her. He was still so damn hard he was going to risk serious injury if
he didn’t get off.

It wasn’t going to happen, not tonight anyway. Any relief in
that area was going to have to be accomplished on his own.

With a groan, he let himself fall into the water, submerging himself
completely. When he surfaced, he kicked back and started to do a
backstroke toward the other end of the pool. He had too much energy
to burn off to consider go back to the guesthouse. As soon as he
reached the far side, he immediately kicked off and headed back
toward the other.