In the Garden of Deceit (Book 4) (38 page)

Startled
by her sudden turnaround, Noah inspected her with suspicion. His
wariness, however, rapidly dissolved with just one glance. She looked
so soft and vulnerable. Her skin was blushing like a dew-kissed pink
rosebud; the humidity had tightened her hair into shiny sable and
amber ringlets that sculpted her head. A cherub. He gave her a dreamy
smile. She was a delightful mix of child and woman with a sweetly
innocent face and a gentle, melodic voice.

“Maybe
this will help, darling.” Shifting her position in the jetted
tub, Marlayna took possession of Noah’s left foot, the one with
a direct line to his heart, and balanced it on her bent knee. “I
read an article that said invigorating the feet through massage can
help eliminate body fatigue and actually revitalize a person’s
entire system.”

She
used both hands, making sure they were always wet and soapy. Her
thumbs massaged firm circles along the callous footpad, moving slowly
down the edge of his foot to the thick-skinned heel.

“Mmm,
that does feel wonderful.” Closing his eyes, Noah exhaled a
grateful sigh and slithered his shoulders further under the water.
“My therapist used to do this a lot.”

Marlayna
began to make subtle changes in her therapeutic technique. The
clinical touching became a much more sensual kneading. The tips of
her fingers gently rotated over Noah’s sensitive arch, her
nails whispering across his skin. She continued the feather-light
stroking until his toes began to wiggle and his leg tensed.

Noah’s
brain was late in acknowledging that the hospital therapists had
never been able to sensitize his entire body by massaging his foot.
He wasn’t quite sure what Marlayna was doing, but he was
certainly enjoying it. As a matter of fact, he craved even further
exploration. Craved! Noah hastily tightened his leg muscles and tried
to stiffen and strengthen his resolve.

He
vaguely began to wonder whether she was up to something. Noah opened
one eye to check but saw nothing more than a woman concentrating all
her effort and attention on his left foot. Toes, actually. Her thumb
and forefinger were caressing each digit. Caressing and stroking and
rubbing and… No. No, came his sharp mental directive.
It’s
just therapy. Impersonal. Hands on feet.

He
silently chided himself. After all, no one in his right mind could
get excited over a foot massage. There was nothing erogenous about a
foot. Noah swallowed hard as another little current snaked up the
back of his leg and ended up giving his solar plexus a pleasant jolt.

She
ran the natural sponge across the bones on top of his foot. “I
can feel the ridges. Didn’t they set well?”

“No.”
He cleared his throat when that word came out an octave too high.
“The doctors didn’t pay a lot of attention to my feet.”
Noah dropped a few medical terms here and there while he watched her
hands slide along his calf.

The
more her fingers caressed his well-muscled flesh, the more incoherent
Noah became. Marlayna’s nails danced playfully against the
sensitive back of his knees then began tracing the tendon that tensed
in his thigh.

Noah
tried to swallow a guttural moan, but his pleasure was too exquisite
to control. The childlike play that he had always associated with
bubbles suddenly turned very adult in this sultry, steamy oasis. He
felt her palms move firmly against his hair-roughened, flesh, her
fingernails drawing delightful squiggles on that particularly
susceptible area high on his inner thigh.

Marlayna
decided to diversify and readjusted her position. With the loofa in
hand, she swirled the sponge over his flat belly, traveling the path
made by the whorls of dark hair that forested his sinewy torso.
“You’ve got the body of a young athlete.”

Her
hands replaced the sponge, spreading the shimmering lather on his
chest and shoulders. Slowly, her wet palms rotated against the tough
masculine terrain, the soft pads of her fingers lightly pressed into
the whipcord pectoral muscles. “Mmm, very strong, Noah.”

He
didn’t think it was possible to be destroyed and restored at
the same time, but Noah could feel it happening. His entire body
trembled. With every word she spoke, her throaty voice conveyed a
seductive message. Her hands roamed all over his body, moving from
one spot to another, surprising him by going exactly where he wanted
them to.

He
pulled her closer, his large hands sculpting her body. Fingers and
palms slithered wetly, tracing the lush curves of her torso, finally
settling in the indentation of her waist. Marlayna floated just above
him; her full breasts glided against his flesh, the rosy peaks
teasingly hidden beneath a lacy cap of bubbles.

“God,
woman, you’re driving me crazy.” His hands moved to the
satiny globes of her derriere and pressed her rightly into him. “I
didn’t think it was possible.” Noah scattered urgent
kisses along her jawline to her mouth.

Marlayna
turned her face slightly, putting her lips a scant inch away from
his. “You didn’t think what was possible?” came her
purring inquiry.

Noah
nuzzled her neck; the delicate scent of jasmine and roses teased his
senses. “You know…” Groaning words were mumbled as
his lips sampled the dewy swells of her breast while the lower part
of his body tried to merge in a more vital connection.

“Hmmm…yes,
I do know,” she whispered into his ear at the same time that
her feet began to shuffle backward. “But do you
know
that I just seduced you and you didn’t laugh once.” Her
forefinger tapped his nose. “You didn’t even chuckle.”
Delight bubbled in her throat. She watched his lambent brown eyes
widen in silent acknowledgment. “I think I’ll give the
rest of my plan a try.”

“Hey!”
He made a grab for her but missed. “Wait! You can’t go
off and leave me like
this!
”

Marlayna
eyed him over her shoulder while she wrapped a pink bath towel around
her dripping body. “Oh…poor Noah...” Her tongue
clicked against the roof of her mouth. “That’s the same
line you used in the back seat of your Maverick when we’d go to
the drive-ins.” Her lashes lowered in a provocative sweep. “It
didn’t work then and it won’t work now.”

Lady
Be Bad by Elaine Raco Chase

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sale now

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