Body Check (14 page)

“God,” she half sobbed, breath clogging her lungs. She could feel herself going slick and wet beneath his touch, her body going taut as a bow as he continued stroking deeply, taking his time.

“I can tell you're really hating this,” he teased.

“Despise it.”

“Tough,” he growled, pushing his erection hard against her.

Another gasp escaped her throat, this one of a woman swept close to the brink. The need to touch him in return, to feel that broad expanse of perfectly sculpted flesh that was his chest, overwhelmed her. She released her hands from the golden tangle of his hair and yanking his sweater free from where it was tucked into his jeans, shoved her hands up beneath it, palms flat to his chest. His skin was burning, the iron muscles hard, almost steeled. Janna reveled in teasing him, felt icy hot pinpricks of delight hiss through her as his shallow breathing filled her ears the longer she kneaded and stroked. Her hands continued their roaming, fingertips occasionally dipping below the waistband of his briefs to lightly brush and tease the flesh below.

These small, feathery movements brought forth a savage male groan of appreciation. Janna could feel his desire to possess her rip through him. Wanting to match her, or perhaps surpass her, his fingers between her legs began moving faster. Janna's sense of herself began melting as he brought her ever closer to toppling off the edge of the known universe. Her world faded to white mist; there was only this, now, the all-consuming drive to devour and be devoured in return. She rocked against him, arched, stretched, reaching with her body, so close, almost there. . . .

“Tell me what you want,” he growled.

“You,” she gasped. “You deep inside me. You.”

He unzipped his jeans and freed himself. They were both on the verge now, the frenzied need between them almost unbearable. She opened her eyes briefly to address the inevitable question in his, whispered to him she was on the pill, closed them again. His hands came to her hips, and then he lowered her, slowly and with great care, down onto his erection.

The perfection of the fit startled her. Blood roared through Janna's head as he began moving her up and down on him, her own hips pumping wildly, driving him on, wild desperation tearing through her.

“Now,” she cried out hungrily. “Now.
Now!
”

Ty groaned, and dropping to his knees with her still wrapped around him like a second skin, laid her down on the tiled floor of the kitchen. His head came up once, looking into her eyes to double-check this was what she truly wanted. And when he saw she meant what she said, he plunged—hard, deep, burying himself within her just as Janna demanded, her own shocked cries of mind-lashing pleasure ringing in her ears as he hammered her again and again until she peaked, senses crackling and sizzling. Never had a man driven her to the extreme edge like this before. Never had she been so willing to blindly follow the map of her own desire.

Mind still reeling, she reached up and linked her fingers through his, folded their joined hands into fists. “Now you,” she commanded. A wave of appreciation swept over his face as he smiled down at her languidly. Then he was off, eyes closed and body working, dipping in and out of her with expert, rhythmic strokes that began coming faster and faster. Janna arched to meet him each time, tightened the grip of herself around him in a delirious dance that could only end one way. Finally he came, the explosive release of his climax sending a long, shuddering sigh through his solid body, and through Janna who lay quivering beneath him, grateful, sated, and utterly amazed at what had just transpired.

 

 

 

 

The silence of
the kitchen sang in Janna's ears, though it had only been a few seconds since she and Ty finished their lovemaking. Lying beside him, holding his hand while they both regained their breath, it occurred to Janna that if anyone walked in right now, what they'd see would be two sweaty, panting adults stretched out on a white tiled floor, staring up at a ceiling fan—which needed dusting—with their pants off. The image made her giggle, provoking an uneasy look from Ty, whom, she thought, probably wondered if his prowess was the source of her amusement.

“What?” he asked.

“I hope we're not on
Candid Camera
, because this is one image I would not want beamed out into millions of living rooms.”

Ty chuckled appreciatively and pulled up his trousers, prompting Janna to locate her sweats and do the same. Erogenous zones now safely covered, he rolled onto his side toward her, his head resting on his open palm as he propped himself up on one elbow, his free hand gently grazing her cheek.

“That was amazing.”

Janna sighed. “I know.” She turned to look at him. “Did you mean what you said a few minutes ago? About wanting me? Or is that something you say to—”

His fingers stilled her lips before she could finish. “I meant it. Why do you think I went after you at the gala last night? I didn't want you to think I was seriously involved with your sister.”

“Because you knew I had a crush on you and you didn't want me to be hurt, or because you had a crush on me and thought it might ruin your chances with me if I thought you were seeing Skyler?”

“Grown men don't
get
crushes, okay?”

“Just answer the question, Gallagher.”

His gaze was frank. “Both.” He paused. “But . . .”

Here it comes,
Janna thought.
The part where he thanks me for a great time and then runs out the door
. She steeled herself, turning her whole body toward him so they were facing one another. Jesus, he was gorgeous. The temptation just to touch his face, to run her fingers over his eyelids and lips to make sure he was real bones and blood and muscle, and not an apparition borne of her long held hunger for him, was strong. She couldn't believe she'd kissed that sensual, determined mouth, couldn't believe she'd been held against that rock-hard body. Nervously, almost tentatively, she reached out to caress his face, relieved when he momentarily let his eyes drift shut in response, clearly enjoying the sensation.

“I didn't come here with the express purpose of seducing you, you know,” he murmured quietly.

“I know that,” Janna replied, pushing a hank of damp hair off his forehead. A small white scar ran parallel to his hairline, another war wound earned on the ice, no doubt. She found it infinitely sexy.

“But now that it's happened,” Ty continued, eyes opening to search hers, “I wouldn't mind if it happened again.”

“Me, neither.”

“There's just one hitch.”

Janna took a deep breath, held it. “What's that?”

He hesitated. “I'm not looking for a serious relationship in my life right now.”

“Neither am I.”

“Really?”

“Why are you surprised?”

“I don't know, I guess I just assumed . . .”

“Well, don't.”

“All right.” He began playing with her hair, twirling and untwirling a lock around his index finger. “So you're fine with keeping things casual?”

“Well, it depends. Define casual.”

“Casual as in the occasional dinner and—”

“Sex.”

“Right.”

Janna shrugged. “Sounds good to me.”

Ty looked mildly skeptical. “Yeah?”

“Am I missing something here?”

He shook his head as if to clear it. “No, I just . . . I guess I
am
a little surprised, okay? Usually, women like you—real women, you know, with brains and looks and the whole package—want something more.”

Janna leaned forward and playfully nipped his lower lip. “Maybe I'm not like other women.”

“You got that right,” he agreed.

“There's one other thing I just thought of.”

“What?” Ty sounded cautious.

“I think we ought to be discreet about this.”

“I agree,” said Ty.

“The last thing I need is people insinuating I've whored myself just to get you to do what Kidco wants.”

“I'm not doing what Kidco wants,” Ty reminded her.

Janna ignored him. “And the last thing
you
need is people thinking you're using me just to get
out
of doing what Kidco wants.”

“Uh huh.”

“So,” Janna continued, “we really need to be careful how we behave around each other. We can't afford to give anything away.”

“We won't,” Ty said confidently, enfolding her in his arms. “You're driving your point home excessively, you know.”

“I know. I do that.”
I could die here,
Janna thought,
and not regret a thing
. She snuggled close to him, basking in the moment, dreamily content.

“Janna?”

“Mmm?”

“Do you think it would be possible for me to get a piece of that cake when you finish frosting it?”

“
That's
what this is all about! You seduced me so you could get some cake!” She narrowed her eyes with mock suspicion. “Or maybe you thought this would get you off the hook with Kidco.”

If the thought hadn't occurred to Ty before, it did now. “Does it?” he asked hopefully.

“Nope. Is that how you think it works? You screw the publicist and she'll stop doing the corporation's bidding?”

“Don't say ‘screw.' It sounds crude, it doesn't suit you.”

Janna raised her eyebrows. “Tell me more about myself, Captain Gallagher.”

He kissed her forehead. “What would you like to know?”

Before Janna could answer, there was the heart-stopping sound of multiple locks springing back, followed by the front door opening. They both froze, staring at each other in wide-eyed horror. Dreading what she'd see but unable to stop herself, Janna gingerly lifted her head, peering over the ridge of Ty's body into the hallway.

There stood Theresa, pop-eyed. For a split second, the two roommates simply
looked
at each other. Then, because she couldn't bear the tension and didn't know what else to do, Janna waved, offering up a feeble smile. Theresa's response was to excitedly mouth “OH. MY. GOD,” give a huge thumbs-up, scoop up her gym bag, and flee the apartment.

Ty sat up. “I guess she wasn't in the mood for cake.”

“I'm never going to hear the end of this.” Janna sighed. “She's going to want to know every blessed detail.”

Ty rose to his feet, extending a hand to Janna to help her up. “And what will you tell her?”

“Every blessed detail.”

Ty flashed a seductive smile. “Don't tell her
everything
. Some things are private. Wouldn't you agree?”

Janna nodded, a haze of weakness for him filling her head.

“Now about that cake . . .”

 

 

Tonight would be
the gabfest to end all gabfests. Janna knew that the minute it hit six P.M., Theresa would bolt out of work, hail the first cab she could find, and race back to their apartment. In anticipation, she had chilled a bottle of Bordeaux, tossed a salad, and had already put the moussaka in the oven to bake.

After Ty left, she spent the afternoon floating in a mild dream state, her mind endlessly replaying what had happened while she analyzed it all, dissecting sentences, parsing emotions, scanning lines for missed meanings, inflection, nuance. Was it possible he had slept with her sister but lied? Was it possible that a man like Ty Gallagher, who could have any woman he wanted, would really want
her
? Had she agreed too readily to keep things casual? On and on her second-guessing went, until finally, having so ruined the buzz of having been with him, she sought respite in a shower and a nap. It helped; she awoke feeling fortified, ready to field the endless barrage of questions Theresa would be firing at her.

As if on cue, Theresa came barreling through the door, breathless. “I swear to God, I almost had to throw some poor schmuck under a bus to get a cab!”

Janna watched from where she sat curled up on the living room couch as Theresa quickly unbuttoned her coat, hung it in the hall closet, hustled into the kitchen, and came back bearing two glasses of wine. Usually, Theresa changed out of her work clothes immediately before settling down to relax. The fact she went straight for the vino indicated just how newsworthy she considered her tryst with the captain to be.

“Okay. Here's some wine. Spill. Dinner smells great, by the way.”

Janna took a tiny sip of wine, deciding to be devilish. “Let me finish watching the news first.”

Theresa snatched the remote off the steamer trunk and switched the TV off. “It's on again at eleven.” She turned to Janna. “Well?”

Smiling happily, Janna proceeded to tell Theresa everything—well, almost everything. When she was done, she sat back, letting Theresa take it all in, awaiting her friend's pronouncement. At first, Theresa said nothing. Then she got up and began pacing, her footsteps silent on the Oriental rug.

“Let me make sure I'm getting this straight,” she said very seriously. Between the pacing and Theresa's tone, Janna felt like she was in a courtroom drama. “You agreed to keep it casual.”

“Right.”

“So am I correct in assuming you're finally going to ditch that drain on humanity, Robert?”

The question seriously shocked Janna. “Of course I am! I would never sleep with two men at the same time! That's so sleazy.”

“And what about Ty?” Theresa stopped moving, planting herself right in front of Janna. “Is he planning on sleeping only with you?”