All Through the Night (38 page)

For now, there was no hurry, he reminded himself, biting back a groan. He’d promised. Admittedly, in the dreamy, half-drugged state he was in, he couldn’t remember exactly what it was that he had promised, but ripping off her clothes and falling on her was not in the plan. He cupped her luscious ass lovingly in his hands, seconding the desperate little jerking movements she made. She was rubbing herself against him now, her breathing rapid, almost panicked. Suddenly she stiffened, arching her back like a bow stretched taut, and shuddered violently.

He caught her, keeping her from falling backward, and gathered her close. He cuddled her as she lolled against his chest, and greedily absorbed the delicate little aftershocks of her orgasm into his own body. “I think it’s time to take this into the tent,” he suggested gently.

Her eyes were languid and luminous. “I’m not sure if I can walk.”

“I’ll carry you.” He shifted her off his lap and got up, sweeping her easily into his arms. She looped her arm around his neck in a trusting gesture that made his heart turn over painfully. She was so soft and vulnerable. It made him feel fiercely protective; a primitive feeling that he deliberately did not allow himself to examine. Tonight was no time for psychological self-analysis. Tonight was all about Annie. Just Annie.

He set her down, allowing himself a fleeting moment of self-satisfaction for making her come before he even got her clothes off. Good work, that. Hadn’t even stuck his hand under her shirt, though the effort might have taken years off his life.

Enough self-congratulation, he told himself. He crouched in front of her tent and unzipped it. He was still acutely aroused, and the night was young; there was plenty that could go wrong. But damned if he wasn’t going to make her glad she’d let him stay. He would repay her trust many times over before the night was done.

Annie steadied herself against Jacob’s solid shoulder. He gave her a reassuring grin and began to untie her shoes. She stared mutely at his bent head as he lifted her leg, prying off one of her battered high-tops. He cradled her bare, chilly foot in his warm hands and dropped a kiss on her instep, then set to work on the other shoe. He laid them under the rain canopy and held open the tent flap. “In you go,” he said.

She crawled into the tent and sat cross-legged on her sleeping bag as Jacob unlaced his boots. He crawled into the tent and zipped the flap shut. He was huge in the tiny space, dominating it completely. Already his warmth was heating up the tent’s chilly interior. And this powerful, completely unknown man was going to be on top of her. All over her. Inside of her. She hugged herself, shivering with delicious terror. She felt like a bird about to fling itself into the heart of a storm, a maelstrom of stabbing lightning and lashing rain. She suppressed a twinge of panic. He’d been nothing but gentle with her so far. He’d made her laugh and relax. And come, oh, God, like she’d never come before.

She gathered her nerve and reached out in the dark. Her hand encountered his chest and she explored the dips and ridges of his thick muscles. His breath quickened as she brushed her fingers across his nipples. As a rule, she didn’t get overwhelmed easily, but Jacob’s sheer physical presence robbed her of words, leaving her shy and tongue-tied.

Usually she was chock-full of smart-mouthed remarks, a trait that had gotten her into trouble all her life. Her favorite foster mother back in Payton had dubbed her “Scrappy.” Philip’s preferred endearment, toward the end, had been “you mouthy little bitch.”

She shoved the memory away.
Don’t think about Philip
, she reminded herself.
Don’t let him ruin this for you, too
.

Jacob was feeling around, patting the floor of the tent. There was only a tarp, the nylon floor of the tent and a lightweight sleeping bag between them and the cold, hard ground. “Spartan,” he commented.

“Sorry,” she apologized hastily. “I know, it’s awful. I had to leave in such a rush, and all I thought to grab was the sleeping bag. I’ve been regretting it every night.”

“It’s OK, Annie,” he said, a hint of laughter in his voice. “You’ll just have to be on top, that’s all.”

“I will?” She shifted restlessly at the thought of Jacob’s strong body beneath her, bearing her up, warming her inside and out.

He skimmed his hands gently over her back and settled them at her waist, spanning it easily with his fingers. “Yeah,” he murmured. “I must outweigh you by ninety pounds, if not more.”

He pulled her onto his lap, and the contact of his hot body sent a shock of intense, melting pleasure through her. She snuggled against his chest, and part of her would have been eternally content to just stay there, listening to his deep, strong heartbeat. Another part of her was acutely aware of the bulge in his jeans that pressed insistently against her rear end, and the soft, yearning ache between her own thighs that answered it. She fought down the fluttery nervousness once again. Don’t be a baby, don’t be a tease, she told herself sternly. You invited the man into your tent, you’ve gotten him all hot and bothered, and besides, he seems like a really good guy. So get on with it, already.

She took a deep breath and shrugged out of her denim jacket. Her eyes had adjusted completely to the dim light that filtered into the tent, and she could see the hunger on his face as she peeled off her T-shirt. She tucked it into the corner and faced him, naked to the waist, her breasts sticking out in their usual perky, in-your-face sort of way. There. That had to be clear enough, she told herself. She’d bared her boobs. Now it was his move.

Jacob gave a rough sigh, and his big, hot hands circled her bare waist. Sweet, ticklish energy rippled along the surface of her skin as his hands slid up and cupped her breasts, exploring them with reverent tenderness. They felt oddly swollen, plump and acutely sensitive in his hands. He bent his dark head over her chest, and his hot, wet mouth dragged gently across her skin. Her chest heaved and she clutched him, astonished at the melting ripples of delicious sensation he pulled from her. He caught her nipple gently in his teeth, his tongue swirling with tender skill, and then pushed her onto her back and arched over her, his mouth waking up millions of beautiful nerve endings that had been sleeping all her life.

Jacob pushed her breasts tenderly together with his hands and buried his face in them, licking and suckling both in turn until she was a swirling vortex of sensation, out of control, arching and offering herself to him helplessly. Pleasure was shaking her apart, making her whimper and writhe. At some point, he had unbuttoned her jeans and insinuated his hand inside them, and she hadn’t even noticed him doing it. He stroked her through her panties and found her damp and quivering. His finger circled her clitoris through the thin cotton cloth with delicate restraint, then slipped inside her panties.

He pushed his finger into her hot cleft and murmured softly in triumph to find her melting and soft, more than ready for anything he wanted from her. She couldn’t stop the whimpering sounds she made as he coaxed her further open. She dug her fingers into his shoulders and spread her legs for him without protest.

“Let me taste you, Annie.” His voice was raw with excitement.

Her body went rigid. “Jacob, I don’t know how to say this, but…”

“But what?”

“But I can’t do… that. It doesn’t work for me,” she confessed miserably. “It hurts too much.”

“You mean oral sex?” His voice was incredulous.

“Yeah, I know it’s really weird. It sounds so great in theory, but in practice…” Her voice trailed off as she tried to push away the memory of Philip and his hard, stabbing tongue. He always got so angry when she asked him to be gentle. Finally she’d learned to pretend to enjoy it, hoping he would get bored quickly. Which, praise God, he usually had.

“Your ex-boyfriend, did he—” Jacob cut himself off abruptly and shook his head. “It shouldn’t hurt, Annie,” he said gently.

She swallowed a sob. “I told you I’d probably disappoint you.”

“Hush,” he said, his voice low and angry. “Don’t ever say that again.” He leaned down and kissed her fiercely. “Do you trust me?”

She looked up into the shadowy pools of his eyes, and once again, the naked truth just popped right out. “Yes,” she said wonderingly. God help her. She actually did.

“Then let me. Let me just try, and if it hurts even a tiny bit, tell me and I’ll stop instantly.” Jacob’s voice was low and coaxing.

Annie ran her hands appreciatively over the ridges and curves of his shoulders. “It’s not like you have to do any more foreplay,” she said timidly. “The peaches alone did the trick. The rest is just gravy.”

He gently tugged her jeans and panties down. “Oh, Annie. That was only the overture,” he said softly. “Lie back. Trust me.”

“All right,” she whispered, letting him push her down onto the sleeping bag. Jacob quickly stripped off his own clothes and positioned himself over her, a great solid mass of naked heat. She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself instinctively.

She was surprised to feel only a tender kiss, nudging her mouth open. He covered her with his body, not crushing her, but only keeping her exquisitely warm and sheltered. He coaxed her legs open, and his long finger penetrated her delicately, dipping into the sultry moisture pooled inside her hot, sensitive sheath. He spread it extravagantly around until her entire vulva was slick and soft, and gave her a soft, reassuring kiss before sliding down her body and settling himself between her trembling thighs. He nuzzled her navel, covering her abdomen with slow, dragging kisses that made her shiver and moan. He licked her thighs, her hipbones, sliding his tongue tenderly into all the valleys and curves of her hips. His hand brushed teasingly over her pubic hair, barely touching it, concentrating his attention on everything but the hot, aching core of sensation between her legs.

He caressed her slowly, tirelessly, with lazy, maddening thoroughness, until she was moving restlessly beneath his hands and mouth, ticklish and hot and frustrated. She began to burn for his touch to focus between her thighs. She lifted her hips, opening to him in silent, mindless pleading. He laughed softly, delighted, and then she felt the whisper of his warm breath on her inner thighs.

He put his mouth to her, hungry and passionate and incredibly gentle, sliding his tongue tenderly along the wet folds of her sex. She went wild, pushing herself against him, wantonly aroused by the sweet, melting sensations, the soft, lapping sound of his tongue. This was nothing like Philip. The unpleasant memory of her ex vanished and she lost herself in dazzled pleasure. And Jacob didn’t get bored. He was insatiable; he seemed to want nothing more than to build her tension higher and push her up toward the crest. She sensed his fierce satisfaction as the wave crashed violently over her, pounding her under.

She floated back, boneless and utterly relaxed, and lay against his sheltering warmth for many long minutes. Slowly she became aware of Jacob’s growing erection pressed against her belly. He didn’t say a word, just stroked her shoulder and nuzzled her hair, but she could feel the rigidly contained hunger radiating from his body. She reached down timidly, and grasped his penis.

His arms tightened around her, her hand tightened around him, and he cried out in a low voice. “Gently,” he murmured.

“Sorry, sorry,” she said quickly. She petted him and then let her hand slide down the rock-hard length of it. Her hand curled around the hot flesh eagerly, testing his arousal, and she rolled up onto her elbow to inspect him better. “Do you want me to, um, return the favor?” she offered.

He propped his head up onto his arm. “Hmm?”

“You know. To go down on you,” she explained bashfully.

He considered it, and then shook his head. “No.”

She was utterly taken aback. “No?”

“I said I was going to worship at the altar of your beauty, and I meant what I said,” he said. “This night is all about you, Annie.”

She stared at him, suspicious. “Jacob, that’s not normal.”

“Probably not,” he said with a short laugh. “The embarrassing truth is, I’m so turned on right now that if you so much as look at my cock cross-eyed, I’ll explode all over you.”

She started to giggle. “Cross-eyed?”

“For God’s sake, leave a guy a shred of dignity,” he muttered.

She reached down eagerly, and smoothed the silky drop of fluid on the tip of his penis around the swollen head, loving his harsh gasp of pleasure. “So do you want to make love, then?” she asked timidly.

“Oh, God, yes,” he said raggedly, trembling under her hands.

She was moved, realizing how much effort he was expending to hold back and wait for her. She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a fierce hug. “I’m ready,” she urged. “I want you, Jacob.”

He rummaged through his jeans until he found a condom, and rolled it on swiftly. He lay down on his back, urging her up on top of him with barely controlled impatience. She reached down to caress his thick, rock-hard shaft with a pang of doubt. She hadn’t had all that many lovers, and never a man of these dimensions. But there was no time to get nervous about it, because he was spreading her legs, guiding himself until he was lodged just inside her, caressing the moist lips of her vulva. He rubbed the tip of his penis against her cleft, and began to gently slide himself up and down the length of her hot, slick furrow in a slow, voluptuous rhythm. A shudder of startled pleasure unbalanced her, and she braced her hands against his chest.