Love Me Like No Other (9 page)

Jade was smiling on the outside yet anything but happy on the inside. She hadn’t seen Linc at all this evening and had long since admitted that she missed him. Their time in the garden had put him in a new light in her eyes. The way he’d looked at her like she was the most important person in the world. His touch had been gentle and, she thought, sincere. She desperately wanted him to touch her like that again. She knew that these feelings were dangerous but was helpless against their flourishing.

Adam thought she needed some air so he’d offered a walk outside near the pool. Air wasn’t what she needed but she was too polite to turn him down. So now she was walking beneath the stars
with one man while thoughts of his brother ran rampant through her mind. Then, as if conjured from her thoughts, he appeared. She heard his voice from behind but had already felt his presence.

“Jade?”

His voice seemed calm but when she turned to look at him the first thing she noticed was his stormy eyes. “Lincoln,” she whispered.

“Well, it’s about time you arrived,” Adam said. “With a date as fine as Jade you’d think you would be on time.”

Although Adam laughed Linc apparently didn’t find anything funny. He kept his eyes trained on Jade.

“I…wasn’t sure what time you’d finally get here,” she said, butterflies dancing merrily in the pit of her stomach.

“I’m here now.”

She’d already released Adam’s hand and now twiddled with the beads on her handbag. “Yes. You are.”

Linc took a step toward her. “Come here.”

She took a step closer to him and saw that his entire body was tense. He looked angry but she wasn’t quite sure. Then she realized that Adam was still standing there. “Adam was just keeping me company.”

Linc spared Adam a glance. “He doesn’t have to do that anymore.”

Adam grinned. “Yeah, I can see I’ve been dumped,” he said with a look to Jade.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“No. Don’t apologize. You’re right where you belong,” Adam said and looked at Linc.

Linc didn’t want to think about the grief he was going to get from his brother when he was alone. In fact, he didn’t care. All he cared about right now was being with her. She looked spectacular and the urge to touch her was becoming unbearable. He reached out to take her arm.

“We should be getting back inside,” she said.

Linc watched as Adam retreated, moving his hand up and down her arm. They were finally alone and he didn’t want to chance that changing. “We’re not going back to the party.”

“We’re not?”

He shook his head negatively and pulled her against him. This was where he liked her most, in his arms, looking up at him as if he were the only man in her life. Linc readily acknowledged that he liked the sound of that.

“I want to be alone with you.” His hands stroked her back, loving the feel of her warm curves against him.

“Oh?” she said then looked away.

He pulled back and stared down at her. “Does that surprise you?”

She shrugged then faced him again. “A little.”

“Why?”

“Because our agreement was to put on a show for your family. When we’re alone there’s no reason for the show. I mean, I know I’m not the type of woman you’re usually with so it surprises me that you’d willingly want to be alone with me. Again.”

Linc wasn’t sure but he didn’t think he was going to like the implications of what she was saying. “You’re going to have to explain that to me, Jade. We’ve been alone together before and in my opinion have both enjoyed ourselves immensely. You do remember the massage last night, the bath yesterday?”

Jade stared at him. “Of course I remember. It’s just…” She didn’t know how to say it. Didn’t know why she’d even brought it up. She thought she’d resigned herself to the facts and decided to proceed from there. Apparently her brain had a different agenda.

“It’s just what?” he prodded. “Don’t be afraid to talk to me, Jade. I want to hear what you have to say.”

There it was again, that soft caress of his voice over her skin, that shiver of excitement she got
when she had his undivided attention. She didn’t know how to react. What she did know was that it was time to lay her cards on the table. She was attracted to Linc, there was no doubt about that. And he was physically attracted to her, that was also clear. Beyond that…

“We’re from different worlds, Linc. I’m sure that fact hasn’t skipped your mind.”

“Actually, I thought we were two people living in Las Vegas. But if you want to tell me you’re from another planet or something, go right ahead and enlighten me.” He gave her a wry smile.

She wasn’t amused. “Don’t play. You know what I mean. I’m not a part of your social class. You know it and you knew it before.” She pulled out of his grasp then and turned away because looking at him while he acknowledged there was no future for them was too painful to bear. “That’s why you left,” she said quietly.

Linc thrust his hands into his pockets but did not move to follow her. “Is that what you thought? That I left you because you didn’t have the same advantages that I did?”

“It was obvious.”

“Really? Then obviously Harvard has lowered its standard on accepting the smartest students with the most potential.”

She turned and glared at him.

“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard, Jade. If you really thought that low of me then why did you sleep with me? Why did you even give me the time of day?”

“I…” She opened her mouth to speak but the words were lost. She shook her head instead and took a deep breath. “I liked you.”

“And I liked you.” He closed the distance between them. “I knew who and what you were and I still liked you. I liked you enough to ask you to my room. I liked you enough to make slow, sweet love to you because I knew that’s what you needed.”

“But you didn’t like me enough to stay.”

Her words sliced through him and he reached out to touch her then. He cupped her face, leaned forward and kissed her forehead and was profoundly grateful that she didn’t pull away. He didn’t know if he could handle her pulling away from him right now. He was about to be more honest than he ever had with any woman in his life and he needed her to at least be receptive to hearing him out. When she reached up and clasped his wrists, staring at him with all the hurt and confusion from their past, his heart weakened more.

“I liked you so much it frightened me. And that had nothing to do with social status. I knew you were a long-term type of girl. But I also knew I couldn’t do long-term. I was afraid to do long-
term. So I left. I convinced myself that I was doing the right thing. That we both had futures to pursue and we shouldn’t be held to any type of commitment. I was wrong,” he whispered. “I was so wrong and I’m sorry.” He kissed the tip of her nose, then lightly brushed her lips. “Please, forgive me.”

What could she say? What could she do when his words had taken all the air from her lungs? She looked up at him through tear-filled eyes and felt her heart hammering wildly in her chest.

“Linc.” His name was a whisper on her lips as she searched for words.

His answer was to scoop her up into his arms.

Jade opened her mouth to protest but was quickly silenced by the crush of his lips on hers. His tongue demanded entrance as he set in motion a brutally erotic kiss that warmed every nuance of her body, her soul.

She knew what would happen next. Just as she’d known that it was inevitable. Linc was not taking her back to the party. They were headed toward his room, toward the moment Jade had secretly longed for.

Linc kicked the door closed then moved to the bed where he laid her down gently, as if she would break if he did otherwise. For endless moments they simply stared at each other, eight
years of apologies and misunderstandings between them. Then his lips captured hers again.

His hands moved all over her body in soft, languid strokes that increased the heat rising at her center.

“I can’t stop touching you,” he whispered.

She acknowledged that fact and touched him in response. Moving her hands up and down his muscled back, tilting her head to better receive his kiss. This was what she’d dreamed of for so long.

“Can’t stop wanting you,” he breathed into her ear then licked her lobe.

“I wanted you, too. All these years I’ve wanted you.” And loved you. She wisely kept that thought to herself. This moment was special, fragile. And while she wasn’t a girl anymore, she didn’t entertain any fantasies about what they were doing, she wasn’t going to let this opportunity slip by. She deserved this one night. She deserved this one moment of happiness. And if it was all that she would ever get from Lincoln Donovan, then she was damn sure going to enjoy every minute of it.

Her tongue slid along his then moved to his lips, suckling each one into her mouth. Her fingers gripped the back of his head, holding him still while she had her way with his mouth. He groaned and she smiled.

“You’re killing me.”

She spread her legs and he dutifully sank between them. She thrust her center up against his rigid erection. “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”

“I told you what all that squirming does to me.” He dipped his head, kissed the spot on her neck just beneath her ear then moved lower until his teeth sank into the skin of her shoulder. He wanted her beyond reason and that desire edged him to take her quickly, to devour her and satiate his own need.

But he remembered her words, remembered the pain he’d seen in her eyes, the pain he’d caused by the foolish actions of an immature boy. He tapped down his desire, focused on her and how much he wanted her forgiveness, her respect.

Jade moaned and gripped his shoulders. “Lincoln.”

He pressed into her center again and felt her shiver beneath him, her hands gripping his shirt and twisting. He liked feeling like he was driving her as crazy as she drove him. That’s another reason he planned to draw this sweet torture out for as long as possible.

That sinfully delectable dress slipped easily from her shoulders and he kissed the creamy skin of her neck down to her collarbone, finally stopping at one puckered nipple.

Grasping both breasts in his hands Linc gorged
himself, suckling and nipping until his erection pressed painfully against his zipper.

Her hands stroked his head while soft whispers of delight escaped her mouth. The sound soared through him at a rapid pace and he shook with desire. “Why are you here?” he asked in a muffled voice before licking the puckered left nipple again.

She heaved and arched against him, giving him full, unadulterated access. “I came here to be with you,” she said breathily.

Linc’s heart filled at her admission. His idea of keeping her longer than a week firmly cemented in his mind. No way was he giving up something this special, this intense.

“I don’t like seeing you with other men,” he admitted as he left a trail of heated kisses down her torso.

“I don’t like seeing you with other women,” she whispered.

He pulled her dress down past her hips and off her legs. She wore another bikini and he wasted no time ridding her of it along with her shoes. She was naked and beautiful. “I can’t think of another woman. I’m so captivated by you.”

He covered her again then dragged his lips over hers, his tongue snaking out to leave a heated trail along her mouth. She gasped and he dipped inside
letting the warmth of her engulf him. For endless moments he kissed her, trying to explain what he was feeling in that one fevered motion. She didn’t move, only participated in the kiss. Then her arms came around his neck and he stroked his tongue against hers with slower, more deliberate licks.

He was more than captivated. Her arms held him captive, physically. While her actions held a tight rein on his emotions.

T
here were no slow songs playing in the background. No candles and no preamble. Each touch of his hand meant one thing and she understood him implicitly. Pulling him closer Jade sank into the kiss, welcoming each stroke and moan as if it were air. His hands were on her hips now, sliding up her sides until he brushed her breasts.

“Linc,” she whispered by way of consent.

Suckling on her bottom lip he answered her plea and reached for her breasts, palming them each in his hands, toying with their hardened crests.

Her head lulled back against the pillows and his tongue traced a hot path down her throat until she quivered beneath him. Grasping each breast firmly he pushed them up until they cradled his face and then groaned his pleasure. Forcing himself to slow down he lifted his head slightly, needing to see her, to know her every reaction to his touch.

She still held his head and when he found her face, her eyes were only half opened, her tongue snaking out to slide over her lower lip. His groin tightened and he moved his hands seductively over her hips. “You’re beautiful,” he moaned. To emphasize his point he kissed her all over, his temperature rising steadily. How was he ever going to go slow with her? He swore and closed his eyes, resting his forehead against her stomach. “What are you doing to me?”

Without waiting for an answer he kissed along her thighs until they shook beneath him, then lifting one leg and planting it firmly on his shoulder he set out to taste her in the one way he hadn’t all those years ago. From the moment he’d seen her again he’d known that this was something he couldn’t let her walk out of his life again without experiencing. He quivered as he inhaled her intoxicating scent then moaned as his tongue came out to stroke her moistened folds.

Surely he had died and gone to heaven. That’s exactly what she tasted like, all that was sweet and pure and tantalizingly blissful. He needed her so badly. Her leg tightened around his back, thrusting his face deeper between her legs, and he continued to devour her. He’d skipped dinner tonight but this would certainly satisfy his appetite.

Jade was in another world, her desire for Linc surpassing anything she’d ever thought to be true. In his eyes she’d seen something that he was usually careful about revealing. Linc was vulnerable. To women, to relationships, to the world, and her heart ached for him. For whatever reason he’d convinced himself that he couldn’t love unconditionally and couldn’t be loved the same in return. It was ridiculous, a coward’s way out that she admitted to being shocked that he would take.

So tonight, if only for this one night in his life she would give him everything, all that she had would be his. Even the love that she’d kept inside for all these years. His hot mouth scorched her center and developed a rhythm, one that she freely picked up and ministered to. Inside her a storm built from small flickers of desire to lightning-quick flashes that threatened to singe her skin.

Her breasts were swollen and hot and while he was otherwise occupied she cupped them in her own hands. From his scorching kisses she’d
known that Linc had a very skillful mouth but right now, as he mastered her center, pulling every drop of desire from her core, she thought what an understatement that had been. Sinuously, wickedly, she ground her center against him again and whimpered with delight.

As they said in a hurricane, she was in the eye of the storm, twisting and turning against the ravaging winds he elicited. When his tongue entered her it was the end. She screamed his name as her essence poured from her in a steady tide.

He’d stared down at her, propped up on his elbow. When her body had stopped quivering she’d searched for him, alarmed by the thought that he may have left her. Again.

“I’m right here,” he said, tracing a finger along her swollen bottom lip.

She took a steadying breath and smiled up at him. “Yes, you are. But you’re way overdressed.”

He chuckled as she pushed his jacket over his shoulders. He finished the job for her while her fingers hastily undid the buttons on his shirt. Pushing the material quickly she couldn’t wait to taste him. Her lips grazed over one tight pectoral, then took the pert nipple into her mouth. He sucked in a breath and she put her hands on him, massaging the rigid contours of his chest, his abs.

Linc ripped the shirt from his arms, groaning as
she kissed him. Her tongue stroked his navel as she unbuttoned his pants and pushed them and his boxers over his thighs. He lifted and reclined as she undressed him.

When they were both naked he pushed her back onto the bed then propped up on his elbows and stared down at her. “You are beautiful,” he said as he brushed errant strands of hair from her face. “I don’t remember you being this beautiful before.”

“Make love to me, Lincoln. Not like you did back then, but like you want to now.”

His entire body rocked with emotion. Had she read his mind? He’d just been thinking that this would be like their first time because now he saw her in an entirely new light. He saw them in a new light. She wanted him still and he wanted her, more than he’d ever wanted another woman before or since.

So with slow, deliberate movements he leaned in closer to take her lips. He took his time savoring her mouth, building the passion between them until it emanated from her every pore. She squirmed beneath him and ran her hands over him communicating her need, her yearning for him. He continued to kiss her all over, to drink in her responsiveness and claim it for his own. He kissed her breasts, loving the feel of the plump globes
between his lips most. The he kissed her stomach, her thighs. The backs of her thighs, her fingers, her palms. He wanted every part of her, every nuance to be touched by him and never forgotten by her.

His arousal lengthened and stiffened, and burned for her. He wanted to go slow, to draw this mating dance out for as long as he could but knew that he’d never make it. Then she whispered, “Now.” And he was saved.

He reached toward the nightstand and retrieved a box of condoms. Quickly retrieving one foil packet he ripped it open and sheathed himself. With one hand he spread her thighs wider then stroked her already damp folds and moaned. “Yes. Now.”

And without another word he slipped inside her. In one long, torturously slow movement filling her completely. For endless moments they stayed perfectly still, joined as one.

When he began to move, taking deep, soul-shattering thrusts Jade lifted her legs and wrapped them around his waist. Her hands held him close by the back and she closed her eyes as his thick erection moved in and out of her. She was slick and he was hard. She was open and accommodating and he was demanding, yet sensual. They were perfect together, just like he remembered.

He was whispering in her ear, saying things he hadn’t known existed in his mind. She was
holding him so tightly, both with her arms and within her sweet walls. With each dive in and reluctant pull out Linc felt something slipping from inside of him, something he’d been holding on to for far too long. She kissed his ear, her tongue lathing his lobe and beneath. She told him how good he was, how good he felt and while he’d heard all this before, coming from her it made him feel like he was on top of the world. He realized then that her opinion of him mattered. Whether it was of him as a lover or of him as a man, it simply mattered.

She rocked her hips to meet him until he thought he’d go crazy with lust. Placing his hands on her hips he held her still and plundered into her with the rising fury of a volcano about to erupt.

“I missed you,” he said with each fierce movement. Then he paused as if his words had shocked even him. “From the moment I left you eight years ago until the second you walked into my office I’ve missed you.” He stared down at her and wanted to hear her response, to see her reaction.

Her eyes fluttered open even as he slammed his length into her again. Her head thrashed on the pillows as she felt that magnificent wave of pleasure threatening to take her again. “Linc,” she said breathlessly. “Don’t.” She couldn’t take the intrusion. This time was special. It was a homecoming
of sorts, a cherished moment that she didn’t want blemished. He whispered the words again in her ear and she felt the tears begin to fall.

Lifting a hand he kneaded her breasts then toyed with her nipple until she moaned. “How does it feel, Jade?”

She moaned.

“How do I make you feel?”

Jade sighed, knowing the minute she said the words it would be all over. Lincoln Donovan would have her heart once again. She hadn’t wanted to take this plunge, to surrender her heart so quickly. But again, this was not a choice. His hips circled, he pulled back then thrust forth again and there wasn’t a force on this earth strong enough to stop it.

“You make me feel cherished,” she said, riding that glorious wave until it splashed and crashed with urgency against the shore. “And that scares me.”

Linc heard her words but before he could process them completely he was overtaken. He plunged inside of her one last time before exploding.

Moonlight danced across the bed as Jade rolled over and rubbed her eyes. She’d been in a deep sleep, the kind that wakes you up to a feeling of disorientation. She wondered where she was then lifted a knee and felt the hardness of a male body
beside her. He was lying on his side with his back facing her. It only took a second for her memory to come back. She’d slept with Linc. Again.

With a deep sigh she recalled how good it was. Again.

To her surprise he stirred then reached for her. When her head was settled on his chest and his arms wrapped tightly around her she sighed in contentment.

“Why didn’t you tell me you owned a spa?”

His question came from out of the blue, startling her with a dose of reality. “It never came up.”

“It did but you deliberately omitted it. Aren’t you proud of your accomplishment?”

She was more than proud. She’d beat the odds and come out on top. She’d followed her dream and seen it to fruition. Of course she was proud. She just hadn’t thought he’d care. “I didn’t think it mattered either way to you.”

His fingers massaged her scalp and he leaned forward to kiss her forehead. “You matter to me, Jade. You can tell me anything.”

She thought about his words for a minute then decided he was simply speaking in the afterglow of lovemaking. He really didn’t care to hear about her life.

“You can tell me why you were really at my casino. And before you do you should know that
I don’t believe for one minute that you’re irresponsible or foolish. The claim that you lost five thousand dollars that you can’t afford to repay is not logical.”

Damn, he’d picked a fine time to hit her with all this. But Jade felt a flood of relief. She wasn’t good at all these stories and misconceptions. She prided herself on her honesty and her integrity. But these last few days she’d let herself down. “I have a younger sister who’s impulsive and carefree. I’m the responsible one, the oldest and the caretaker. If you met Noelle I’m sure you’d have no problem placing the irresponsible cap on her head.”

“Why—”

“My mother always told me to take care of Noelle,” she interrupted him. “I got her up in the morning, made sure she washed and fed her breakfast. I combed her hair and helped her with her homework. I walked her to school and I picked her up in the afternoon. I’ve taken care of her all her life.”

“That wasn’t your job,” Linc said sternly.

“It was my purpose. Mommy could barely take care of herself let alone two kids. My father left when Noelle was born. I was only two-and-a-half years old then. He broke Mommy’s heart and only alcohol could mend it.”

“Jade, I’m so sorry.”

He’d opened the door and now things that she
hadn’t spoken about in years came pouring out. “It was only a temporary mend though. Mommy died when I was sixteen. Noelle was fourteen and Grammy sent for us. We moved here to Las Vegas. But Grammy wasn’t like Mommy. She taught us to be independent, to stand on our own feet, to pull our own weight. Somehow I don’t think Noelle paid as much attention as I did.”

“So it’s Noelle’s debt you’re repaying?”

She nodded. “You don’t have to say it. I know I can’t keep bailing her out and I told her that this was the absolute last time. She’s a grown woman and I don’t have time to continue taking care of her.”

“I’m glad to hear that. But I feel like an ass now for making you repay a debt that was never yours.” He took a deep breath. “We should call this off.”

Jade sat up so quickly a wave of dizziness hit and she had to wait a moment before she spoke. “No!” She turned to him and steadied her breathing. “I mean, I told Noelle I would handle this one last problem for her. I can’t go back on my word. Besides, she doesn’t have the money to pay you back. I have more money than she does. And I do not want my sister to go to jail.”

Linc lifted a hand to smooth down her straying hair. “I won’t have your sister thrown in jail, Jade. But it’s not fair that you’re taking the fall for her.
It’s not fair that you’re here against your will because of her.”

“I’m not.” She loved the feel of his hands in her hair. “Here against my will, I mean.”

He smiled up at her. “Now you’re not. But a few hours ago you were. You were doing a job, working off a debt that’s not yours. Your sister is grown. She should be handling her own business.”

Her gaze fell from his momentarily. “I know. She wasn’t thrilled to hear about our little arrangement so I think she’s feeling a little guilt now.”

“Why wasn’t she thrilled? You’re fixing her problem, something I presume you do for her a lot.”

“I do it too much. But that’s not what she had a problem with. She knew how hard spending a week with you would be for me.”

His hand had fallen to her shoulders and now the small of her back where he traced little circles, slowly, repeatedly. Her bones turning to mush with each passing second.

“And has it been hard for you?”

She looked at him and couldn’t help but smile. He was so handsome and so tempting. She stroked his cheek and prayed that the love swelling inside her for him wasn’t written all over her face. “You were a part of my life that needed to be reconciled. I needed to know why you’d left.”