One Last Call (19 page)

“Your initials. Sarah Elise Brandon.”

“When did you have this done?”

“It doesn’t matter, honey.”

“It matters. When?” She trailed her fingers over the initials inked into his skin.

“Twelve years ago.”

“
After
we broke up?”

He held her gaze, raw, honest emotion holding her captive. He traced her jawline with a fingertip. “When I realized I had to go, I wanted to carry a part of you with me. I never stopped lovin’ you, Sarah.”

Sarah was caught between feeling honored and still wanting to smack him for leaving her in the first place. Her throat felt tight and tears pricked her eyes. “Why didn’t you get in touch with me? I would have gone with you.”

He shook his head. “Sarah, you had college. You had plans.”

“I could have gone to college anywhere.” She felt the old anger return. “We could have had a life together!”

Josh closed his eyes and lowered his head. “You don’t know that, honey. I was a different person back then. For all you know, we could be the ones divorced right now. I needed to grow up. You needed to spread your wings.”

“Little good that did me. I ended up with Richard. You saw how well that turned out.”

“Yeah, but you got to stay with your family and run a successful business. Everythin’ you’ve gone through has made you the strong, outgoing, capable woman I see before me.” His lips quirked up in a little half-smile. “You, Sarah Brandon, are a little warrior woman, kickin’ ass and takin’ names.”

She’d never thought of herself that way. Sarah only knew that she had to be strong and stay strong. “I guess you got to witness that for yourself. I still wish I’d never met Richard.”

“I wish things could have been different too. I gotta tell ya, I wouldn’t mind if Richard Alan got erased from your memory for good.” He scooted her closer on his lap. “Think of it like this. After everythin’ that’s happened to the both of us, here we are. You and me, Sarah. Time, distance, hell, even war, didn’t keep us from findin’ each other again. I think we’ve earned a second chance, don’t you?”

He was offering her everything she had ever wanted twelve years ago. Older and wiser, Sarah was scared to death of taking the risk of another heartbreak. Never in her life did she think she would have Josh in her bed, half-naked and telling her he loved her. “I don’t know.”

He cradled her face between his palms. “You do know, Sarah. You know this is right.” Josh pressed his mouth to hers in a soft, reverent kiss. “Give me another chance.”

Sarah held on to his broad shoulders and pressed her forehead against his. They stayed that way, quiet except for the sounds of their breathing filling the room. Josh remained motionless, waiting for her to make the next move. Was there really any other choice? She pulled away until she could see the blue of his eyes. He was watching her, searching her gaze for her decision.

“Okay, Josh. You have your chance.” A slow smile spread across his face and lit up his features. Sarah didn’t want him too proud of himself just yet. “I’ll give you one warning. If you ever leave me like that again, Joshua Logan, I swear you’ll wish you stayed gone.”

“There’s my warrior woman.”

“You better believe it. Now get naked.” Sarah scooted back so Josh could take off his pants.

“Get naked? What about my tender sensibilities? What about the romance? What about…”

“What about lowering that zipper?”

“Ah, to hell with it.” He unzipped and shoved his jeans and underwear over his hips and kicked them to the floor. “You always knew I was easy.”

Holy hell
. Grown up naked Josh was a sight different from teenage partially naked Josh.

“Um…” Sarah knelt toward the end of the mattress and soaked in all the bare, tanned, toned muscle on display.

“What’s wrong?” Josh took a negligent look down at the newsworthy erection resting against the six-pack of his abs.

“Did you…uh…get bigger?”

“I gained thirty pounds of muscle in the Marines…” He caught on to where her gaze was locked on ground zero and grinned. Josh laced his hands behind his head and watched Sarah watching him. She was pretty sure he’d gotten even harder. “Ah, that. No, sweetheart, same as before.”

“No, I don’t think…”

“You don’t have to think. Come here, darlin’.” He ran his gaze over her naked breasts and patted the mattress next to him. “Let’s get reacquainted.”

Sarah scooted closer. Josh took her hand and pulled her all the way over so she was next to him. He stared over at her in concern. “Sarah, you said you weren’t scared of me. Is that still true?”

“I’m not scared. I’m nervous. I haven’t done this in a while.” She grabbed a throw pillow and hugged it to her chest.

“What? Had sex with your old boyfriend you haven’t seen in a dozen years?”

“Yeah, that. I kinda feel like a virgin all over again.”

“Me too.”

“When were you ever a virgin?”

“The first time we made love in the back of my Mustang when we parked out by the Falls. It was my eighteenth birthday, remember? Best birthday I ever had.”

“What? No. You seemed so experienced! You had the angry, misunderstood bad boy thing going on. I thought for sure you’d been with a bunch of girls.”

“No. You were the first.”

“You’re serious?”

“Absolutely. You never forget your first.”

“How did you know what you were doing?”

Josh laughed. “I knew the basics, honey. As for the rest, I made it up as I went.”

Sarah thought back to that night. “Come to think of it, that first time was pretty quick.”

“Hey, c’mon now! Give a guy a break. I got better the more we did it.” He stared at her. “Didn’t I?”

“Well, I didn’t have anyone else to compare you to.” She was having fun teasing him. “I’m kidding, Josh. Yes, you got better.”

“I’d say so! You jumped on me enough that I had to be doin’ somethin’ right.”

“
I
jumped on
you
?”

“Yes, ma’am. Every time we were alone, you were on me, kissin’ me, touchin’ me, pressin’ that sweet body up against me…Hey, I’m not complainin’. Just sayin’.”

“I think that was the other way around.”

“Hmm…maybe you’re right. Refresh my memory.” He tossed aside her pillow and drew her against him until her nipples pressed into the hard planes of his chest. “Ah, damn. If everything feels that good, I might be havin’ another virgin moment.”

“I won’t hold it against you.”

“No, hold it against me. Hold all of it against me.” Josh flipped her until she was on her back. “This okay?”

“This is better than okay.” The length of his hard-on lay against the thin cotton of her boxers. The heat of him was like a sensual brand against her mound. She widened her legs until he was fully rested in the cradle of her hips. Josh fit perfectly.

“I never thought I’d ever be with you this way again. I’ve dreamed about it so many times…especially when I was deployed, so if this is another dream, don’t wake me up.”

Sarah realized she was trembling. It wasn’t cold or fear. It was the anticipation of making Josh hers again. She smoothed her fingers through his hair and twined her hands around his neck.

“If it’s a dream, we’re having the same one.”

“In that case, you know we’re headed for the good part.”

“I love that part.”

“Then you’ll love this.”

JOSH
went up on his knees and curled his fingers into her waistband. He tugged her boxers and panties down her legs and then tossed them over his shoulder. The way he stared down at her, made Sarah’s pulse race.

“God, Sarah, seeing you right now…Forget the dream. I’ve died and gone to heaven.” He took her ankles and pushed them in until her knees were up and her feet were flat on the mattress. Josh placed a hot kiss on each hip bone.

“What are you doing?”

His lips trailed along her inner thighs, licking and sucking on the sensitive skin next to the heart of her. His gaze flicked up as he went flat on his stomach. “You mean you don’t know?”

If it was what she thought, no one had ever done that before. “It looks like you’re going to…”

“Take you to heaven with me? You’d be right.” Sarah went up on her elbows. Josh pushed the pillows at the end of the bed toward her. “Rest against these and you can watch.”

Watch? Did she want to do that? Sarah took the pillows from him. Hell yes, she wanted to do that. She leaned back against the cushion, breaths coming faster, waiting, wondering, anxiously hoping for what would come next.

“Oh, sweet Sarah. Look how wet you are. You’re glistenin’ with it. Is that all for me?”

Sarah nodded out a yes.

He slid his hot, rough hands down her inner thighs and pushed them wider. “Tell me, Sarah. Tell me who you’re wet for.” Josh ran his tongue up and down the center of her, teasing her with long licks and gentle flicks until her thighs trembled. Sarah lifted her hips, trying to get closer, needing to feel more of that delicious sensation.

With the palm of his hand, he pushed down on her lower belly until Sarah was flat against the mattress again. Josh held her still, unable to move unless he let her. His fingers pressed into the soft flesh of her thighs. “Tell me and I’ll give you more.”

“Josh, please!”

“Tell me.” His voice was a low command.

Josh’s tempting mouth was barely an inch away from where she needed it most. His hot breaths teased over her wet, swollen flesh in teasing bursts. His calloused fingers squeezed and released, then he rubbed the prickly whiskers of his night beard in a gentle swipe against the sensitive skin where her thighs met her sex.
Oh, sweet Lord.
Sarah tried to arch up, but he kept her pinned down. Knowing Josh, he would stay put simply to torture her.

Her trembling was out of control. “It’s you. You do this to me.”

“That’s right. Remember that.”

If Sarah didn’t need more of that sweet torture, she’d yell at him for being so damned cocky. Josh lowered his head and lapped at her.
Oh God.
They both moaned. He laved against all her nerve endings, licking her, tasting her, he moved faster and faster. He pushed both hands under her ass and hoisted her closer so he could feast on her. It was so good, Sarah couldn’t get enough. Her body was tightening, coiling up, right on the precipice of going over. Seeing what he was doing to her, feeling all of that soft hair at his temples rubbing between her thighs and that wicked tongue flicking over and mastering her clitoris, it was almost more than she could take.

Sarah knew she was moaning, crying out his name and throwing a few “oh, Gods” in there for good measure. She couldn’t help it, couldn’t stop it. She didn’t think it could get any better until he entered her with two fingers, thrusting deep. He pumped into her as he sucked her bundle of nerves between his lips. That was all it took. The spasms started at her feet and pulsed all the way up until she was contracting around his fingers, riding out the spasms of her orgasm. Josh kissed along her thighs, smoothed his hands along her legs, waiting for the last of the aftershocks to settle.

She felt boneless when he kissed a path from her lower belly to her sternum. Josh wrapped her leg around his hips and latched on to her nipple, drawing her in, sucking her so hard she felt it in her womb. His left hand toyed with her other breast, rolling her nipple, holding it so he could switch sides and pull that one into his mouth too. Sarah lifted her pelvis and pulsed it against his in the same rhythm. The length of his cock slid along her slippery folds, not quite entering her. Up, down, suck, pull. Through their wicked dance, she was bathing him in the evidence of her desire.

Josh stilled his hips. They’d been rocking against hers just as hard as she was thrusting up against his.

He gave her nipple one final pull from his lips before letting go. “Hold on. I’m this close to thrusting inside you.”

“Do it! I want to feel you inside me. I need you to fill me up, Josh.” She canted her hips against him in another glide against his erection.

“Oh, Jesus. Wait! Hold on, Sarah. Damn. I gotta get a…” The thick head of his cock slid right toward her entrance. “…need a condom.”

“I don’t have any.” Sarah’s hips stilled.

Josh reached for a plastic bag on the floor next to the bed. “I do.”

“Thank God. Hurry, Josh.” Her legs crossed at his lower back and pulled him closer. She tightened her thighs to keep him in place.

Josh groaned. “God, Sarah, you’re tryin’ to kill me. Let go a minute. Just a minute.”

Sarah forced her legs to go slack so Josh could shift to the side and roll on the condom. His hand slid down his erection. Up, down, then back up again. She was fascinated. She put her hand around his and followed the movement. “Do you think about me when you touch yourself, Josh?”

He met her gaze and the heat she saw there was scorching. “Sarah, I’ve wanted to fuck you so many ways, so many times. Night after night, all I’ve had were thoughts of you and nothing but my hand.” He held himself up on his elbows. “Now I want the real thing.” He pushed in the merest inch, and Sarah tried to relax her muscles to accommodate him. “Tell me you want me.”

“I want you. Please, more, Josh!”

“Are you mine, Sarah?” He sank in a little farther.

“Josh!” How the hell the man had that much control was beyond her. She dug her heels into his lower back.

“Christ, Sarah.” He kissed her shoulder, moved on to the tendon at the base of her neck and gently nipped her. “Are. You. Mine?”

Unable to speak through the emotion bottled up in her throat, Sarah nodded. After a deep breath for control, she murmured, “Yes. And you’re mine.”

“Always.” Josh thrust home, and they both cried out. It was a tight but perfect fit. She shifted her legs until they were higher up on his back. He waited a second, trembling in his fight for control before pulling back and sliding home again. “God, you’re so tight. So fuckin’ amazin’.”

He started with a gentle rocking, pulsing his hips against hers until Sarah squeezed her thighs tighter against his hips and cried out for more. Josh took her faster, harder, until their skin grew damp and the bed crashed against the wall. Sarah fisted one of her hands in the sheets, holding on for dear life. There was nothing but breathy moans and deep cries of delight. The smell of sweat and sex filled the air like an erotic perfume.