Body Rocks [The Andersons 3] (Siren Publishing Classic) (7 page)

He alighted and followed her up the path that ran central to the house. To the left was a small, circular, lush green lawn, and to the right were flower beds jam-packed with blooms in a riot of colors.

“Look at the state of my garden!” she cried, sweeping her hand around in a wide arc.

Okay, so the grass could do with a mow and maybe a bit of a tidy up in the flower beds, but that was it. “It’s not that bad,” he said.

“‘It’s not that bad,’” she repeated, her brows drawing into a small frown. “Look at the weeds. They’re everywhere.” She shook her head and sighed. “At least my boxes don’t need a trim.”

Weeds? What weeds?
Daniel scratched his head as he surveyed the garden. But then again, he didn’t know his petunias from his pansies, his lobelia from his larkspurs. He did know roses though, but only because his mother had more roses in their backyard than a garden center specializing in the thorny, ornamental blooms. And what the hell was she on about with her boxes not needing a trim? Samantha must have seen his stumped expression, because she pointed to the two conical-shaped, dark-green, shiny-leafed trees on either side of the front door.

“
Buxus sempervirens,
” she informed him.

“Oh.” He caught her hand and pulled her into his arms. “Let’s get your stuff in the house first, and then we’ll sort the garden out. I’ll mow and you can weed.”

“You’ll mow? What, with a lawn mower?” she asked, looking aghast.

“Well, yes. How else do you expect me to cut the grass? With a pair of scissors?” From under her long lashes, the sheepish look she shot him told him that was exactly what he’d be using.

Daniel puffed out a resigned breath and then lowered his head. She angled her face toward his, her full lips a hairsbreadth away from his. He was just about to kiss her for all she was worth when out of the corner of his eye he spotted a cruiser pulling up behind his SUV. “Well, that didn’t take long,” he muttered.

A scowl knitted Samantha’s brows together as Matt alighted from the vehicle and sauntered up the path. “What do you want, Matt?” she asked.

Matt jerked a thumb over his shoulder toward the cruiser. “Brought the rest of your books.”

“And?” she continued when Matt inserted a key into the lock and opened the front door.

“And what? I live here.”

Despite his own irritation at Matt’s presence, Daniel found himself grinning at his friend’s cockiness. Matt had balls of brass, that was for sure. Just a shame he’d also developed pain-in-the-ass syndrome.

Samantha started to protest, but Daniel slanted his mouth over hers and kissed her soundly. It only took half a second for her to soften in his arms and kiss him back. Heat instantly flooded his veins at the little mewl that sounded in the back of her throat.

That delightful mewl traveled from his mouth down through his body and settled in his groin. He uttered a raw groan when his rigid cock pressed against his jeans zipper. “Oh, baby,” he breathed, resting his forehead against hers. “I’m so hard for you.” She tensed in his arms, and he kicked himself. “I’m going too fast, aren’t I? I’ll slow down. We’ll go at your pace.”

Samantha gave a grateful nod and slipped free from his arms. She gestured toward Matt’s cruiser. “Bring my books in?”

Yep, that’s guaranteed to make my cock go limp, Daniel groused, as Samantha disappeared inside the house. Those boxes of books weighed a fucking ton. He was surprised he hadn’t slipped a disc. Not that he could talk. He had enough books at home to open a library, if one a little limited on subjects. But, hey, with Samantha’s books on gardening and romance, and his on geology, seismology, and every Robert B. Parker novel, it was a start.

Mmm, a library
,
Daniel mused, when a fantasy popped forward and took shape. Sex in a library. The place where silence ruled. But with one very hot image of bending Samantha over a desk, books flying in all directions with every thrust of his cock into her wet, tight pussy, Daniel very much doubted he’d be able to shush!

Matt then appeared at the doorway, a smirk on his face, and his hand resting on the holstered gun at his hip.

“Hurry up, Dan my man. I’ve got a shift in ten minutes.”

The image fizzled and died, and Daniel only just contained the urge to tell pain-in-the-ass Matt to go fuck himself.

* * * *

A trickle of perspiration rolling down between her breasts, Samantha straightened to stretch her back and pushed the bangs from her forehead. Phew, the sun above was fierce, but she had made good progress with her weeding. The bucket in front of her was full and her front garden looked more like its usual immaculate state. The flower beds in the rear garden didn’t need weeding because of the thick mulch of bark chips she’d laid. She decided when she got the chance she would do the same at the front.

She looked across at Daniel and smiled. He was also on his knees, his brows drawn together in concentration as he clipped the grass not with scissors but a small pair of shears. Perspiration dotted his brow and his shirt clung damply to his back.

He was one hot and delicious man, and she so much wanted to lick him from head to toe. She swallowed hard, realizing how out of character her thinking was. Then there was the important matter of being a virgin—a fact she had yet to tell Daniel about.

She nibbled at her bottom lip. Yes, she couldn’t deny she wanted to seduce him, but she didn’t want him to be disappointed at her inexperience. Then she remembered that he’d said she could set the pace. They could go as slow as she wanted. She trusted him, and it certainly would be beneficial for her to explore his body and find out what turned him on and off.

Plucking a weed from the baked soil that she had loosened with a small garden fork, Samantha wondered if Daniel would like her to peel that shirt from him and feel her way down his body, first with her hands and then with her mouth. He looked up then and, almost as if he knew what she’d been thinking, ran his tongue over his lips. She felt a blush warming her cheeks. Perhaps a glass of something stronger than the homemade lemonade chilling in the refrigerator was called for.

With a smile stretching his gorgeous mouth, Daniel pointed the tip of the shears at Samantha. “Didn’t you tell me that that was a marigold?”

She looked down at the weed she was holding, or rather, the marigold. Oh, darn! “This sun has frazzled my brain. Time for a break and a long, cool drink.” She rose to her feet and dusted the earth from her knees. “That lemonade should be ready now.”

“You’ve got my vote.”

He followed her inside and they washed their hands at the kitchen sink. She removed a pitcher of lemonade from the refrigerator and filled two glasses. She took a sip. It wasn’t ice-cold, but it was still refreshing. Daniel finished his lemonade in one long draft, and she watched, fascinated at the way his Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed.

He then placed the glass down on the kitchen table and approached her. The fresh odor of sweat blended with the bergamot and peppermint of his aftershave washed over her as he loosely wrapped his arms around her. His breath smelled of lemon.

“That was nice,” he said, smiling. “But you’re nicer.”

“If that’s your way of getting your hands on my glass of lemonade, you can think again. There’s plenty in the pitcher. I’m sure you can pour yourself another.” She laughed at the outrageous angelic expression he sported. Though the amber flecks in his eyes began to glow, he stood still and did nothing. She knew exactly why. He was waiting for her to make the next move.

Drawing in a deep breath, Samantha placed her glass on the counter. Keeping her eyes trained on the task she was about to perform, she slid one hand up around his shoulders and placed her other hand on the front of his shirt. The first two buttons were undone, so she flicked at the third. It popped free. On another deep breath, she popped the fourth button, then all the rest down to the waistband of his jeans. She glanced back up to his face at his loud inhale.

He nodded. “Yes,” he whispered.

Reassured by his encouragement, she slowly drew the edges of his shirt apart. Then with a burst of impatience, she tugged the shirt from his shoulders and down off his arms. It dropped to the floor, and a gasp fell from her lips at the sight of all that tanned and honed flesh. She traced a finger down the line that bisected his pecs and over the firm ridges of his abs, reveling in the warmth of his skin.

“You’re so beautiful,” she murmured as she inched a finger into the waistband of his jeans. He jerked slightly. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be. You just found my ticklish spot.” He cupped her chin and tilted her face up to meet his eyes. “And ‘You’re so beautiful?’ Shouldn’t that be my line?”

“A man can be beautiful, too, Daniel.” She leaned a little closer to him. “Kiss me?”

“My pleasure.”

Daniel captured her lips with a hot and lemony, yet tender, kiss that curled her toes. His tongue slid between her teeth and rasped over her tongue, and she moaned into his mouth. He was such a good kisser. Better than Raven. She started and scolded herself for even wasting one iota of a thought on that rat.

“Baby, are you okay?” he asked, his tone full of concern.

She nodded and gave herself another mental scolding.

“Do you want to stop?”

“No. Let’s go get comfortable.” She laced her fingers through his and led him into the living room and over to the largest of the two sofas. “Lie on your side.”

He ignored her, lying on his back and putting his hands behind his head. “Why don’t you straddle me instead? That way you’ll be in full control.”

Samantha thought about that for a moment. What Daniel had suggested was true. However, one quick glance at the erection stretching the front of his jeans and she rejected the idea. She really wanted to explore that part of his anatomy. “No. If I straddle you, how will I touch your, um, your, er…”

Words suddenly failed Samantha, and she felt her cheeks heat. She didn’t really like using explicit words for body parts. It wasn’t in her nature. On the other hand, and at that moment in time, “penis” seemed too impersonal and “manhood” was laughable. Oh, this was going to be awkward.

“Gotcha,” Daniel said, rescuing her, and moved onto his side. He propped his head on one hand and with his free hand crooked a finger at her.

She happily joined him, lying to face him, and once again placed her hands on his chest. His hand rested lightly on her hip. His heart thudded beneath her fingers in a slightly erratic beat. She swirled her fingers around his nipples and then smoothed them down to his waistband, pleased when he shuddered.

“Beautiful,” she again said.

Daniel moved his hand from her hip to her shoulder. He lightly tugged on the sleeve of her T-shirt. “Can I ask you to take this off? I want to see you. Touch you. Taste you.”

The amber flecks within his eyes glowed brighter, and Samantha couldn’t resist. She pulled the T-shirt up over her head and draped it over the back of the sofa. Her blood turned into warm honey at the expression of reverence that crossed Daniel’s face as he fixed his attention on the white lacy bra that cupped her breasts.

“My God, Sammy, you’re the beautiful one. Can I touch you?”

She nodded and uttered a soft moan when Daniel, without any fussing, went straight to the front clasp and flicked it open. Her breasts spilled into his waiting hands. As with his expression a second earlier, he reverently caressed her breasts and then gently thumbed her already-erect nipples into stiffer peaks, inducing her to mewl in delight. Daniel seemed to know exactly how she liked to be touched without him even asking.

“Oh, baby…” He groaned. “Can I taste you? Please say I can. I’m dying here.”

Well, Samantha didn’t believe Daniel was dying
dying
, but she certainly understood how he felt. If he didn’t put that gorgeous mouth of his on her soon, she would expire with want. “Daniel, yes! Oh, yes, yes.”

The words had hardly left her mouth when Daniel shifted down the sofa until he was level with her pouting nipples, his breath warm and maybe just a little bit shaky. Her breath was a little shaky, too. Spirals of pleasure unfurled in her belly and zipped down to her womb when he pushed her breasts together and dragged his tongue across one tight bud to the other.

On a silent plea of surrender, Samantha arched her back, eager for further stimulation. Daniel certainly gave her more and suckled on her breasts until she was breathless, writhing, and mindless with want. Her fingers went to the snap of his jeans, and she popped it free. The soft growling sound the zipper made as she lowered it fueled the wet, hot, intimate spot between her legs where she wanted Daniel the most.

Slipping beneath the now-loose waistband of his jeans, she found the area below his navel to be warm, supple, and slightly hairy. Her fingers inched downward, seeking. Then something registered. Oh. “Daniel, you’re…You’re…You’re not wearing underwear.”

He lifted his mouth from her breasts, his eyes holding a wicked glint. His grin was just as wicked. “I like commando. I like feeling free.”

Then with one easy flip, Samantha found herself beneath Daniel. His body pressing down on hers, he again lavishly and lovingly suckled her breasts, but the knot rapidly forming in her belly became impossible to digest. His breathing was ragged. His erection was massive. And she felt pinned. And oh, God, she couldn’t do this. “Daniel, stop. Please.”