Oriana and the Three Werebears (11 page)

“God, I love you,” she murmured.

“That’s good to know.”

She laughed softly. “It seems I have no shame when it comes to you.”

He weighed her words before replying. “I like that.”

Strangely enough, she did too.

His fingers traveled down her back, working the muscles with gentle pressure. The tingling within rapidly turned into sparks of spreading heat.

“God, your touch is so…arousing. You know, I’ll do whatever you want—anything—forever and ever more, if you don’t stop.”

“Are you always this honest and compliant?” he asked.

“Honest, always, compliant, never…not anymore. But for you, I’ll be both.”

“Another good thing to know.”

Despite the cooling water, she was on fire. “Later, I’ll remember this discussion and want to die from embarrassment. Right now, I don’t care. I’ll even beg.”

Jack guided her back and rinsed her hair. After moving her back into a sitting position, he found the bottle of conditioner, poured a good amount into his hand, and then went about spreading the cream throughout her hair. Once finished, he retrieved the sponge and body wash, and began cleansing her body.

He did not linger on any one part more than another, nor did he do anything that could be construed as purposely sexual. He just went about his task in a purely professional manner.

It fueled her desire nonetheless.

Her hunger blazed to the point that she thought she might come after all—no conventional stimulation needed. She moved into his hand, searching for that one unintentional caress that would push her over the edge.

“Why will you be embarrassed?” he asked.

Sighing in frustration, she ceased her movements. “Because I’m throwing myself at you like some sex-starved nympho—and it seems you haven’t noticed. I will take the lack of interest as a rejection, and will be ashamed for acting like such a slut in the first place.”

Jack abruptly dropped the sponge and carefully lowered her backward, rinsing her hair and body under the water. When done, he sat her up and released the drain. After retrieving two towels from the shelf, he helped her out of the tub, wrapped her hair with one towel, and began drying her off with brusque pats from the other.

Okay, perhaps she’d been
too
honest.

“Don’t be angry, Jack. I understand if you don’t find me sexually attractive. I’m not holding it against it you. I’m a grown-up. I promise I’ll get over it.”

“I find you very sexually attractive.” He crouched and started drying the lower part of her body.

She gave his broad shoulder a placating squeeze. “That’s nice of you to say, but don’t feel obligated to spare my feelings. Honestly. I’m okay.”

He tilted his head up and glared at her.

The silent message was very clear.

Yikes!

Cringing, she bit her lip, then amended, “Thank you for the compliment.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I’m sorry.”

He rose up and threw the towel in the corner. “Stay here,” he ordered, then left the bathroom.

God, he was so fucking sexy. There was something about his strong-silent-authoritative personality that sent flutters of pure thrill through her blood. It made her want to test him, to push him, to see how far he would allow her to take it, and to see if he would correct her, and if she would defer to him again.

Removing the towel from around her head, she scolded herself for wanting to be manipulative.

But oh, the games they could play.

Jack returned with clothing—her bra and underwear, an unknown tank top and pair of flannel pajama pants. He held them out to her. “You’ll be more comfortable wearing these than the clothes you came here in.”

She didn’t take the offering.

“Tell me why you were avoiding me,” she whispered. “And why you are here with me now.”

A blink. That was the amount of time it took for him to grasp her arms, draw her to him, and seize her lips, capturing her breath of surprise as his tongue swept in and conquered her.

Trapped within his the confines of his solid arms and hard chest, she yielded to his domination, moaning her acceptance and pressing against him in encouragement. Sensing her surrender, he slowed the assault on her mouth and deepened the kiss, which reignited the wanton flames within her. With her passion still smoldering from the bath, it took only a few seconds for her body to reach critical levels. Her breath labored, her heart pounded, her limbs trembled, her core throbbed.

Jack abruptly released her and stepped back, his searing gaze raking over her. “That is why,” he said.

Unfortunately, Oriana ruined his dramatic confession by succumbing to an orgasm so powerful that she crumbled.

To Jack’s relief, he managed to catch Oriana before she hit the floor.

Gathering her close, he lowered her down, holding her in his lap while she trembled against him, her hands clutching his shirt, her face buried in his chest.

Hell, it was only a kiss.

Yet there she was, falling apart in his arms.

Jack tightened his hold and nuzzled the top her head, rocking her back and forth while whispering words of comfort and apology. Meanwhile, he tried to sort through the intense emotions rushing through him: fear, astonishment, remorse, pride, lust—just a few among the many.

Collapsing like that had scared the living fuck out of him.

He couldn’t believe that a simple kiss had brought her to such a powerful climax.

He had meant to prove a point, not overwhelm her to the point of unconsciousness.

But it thrilled him to have so much power over her body.

And he wanted her more than anything in the world.

Oriana slid off his lap and kneeled beside him. With one hand grasping his shoulder in support, her other hand jerked open his pants and delved down, her fingers grasping his cock, which throbbed painfully to life under her touch.

“I want you, Jack,” she panted softly, her breath warm against his ear. “Will you let me?”

Growling, he fisted the hair at the base of her skull and captured her lips in a fierce, punishing kiss. Because dammit—he was going to let her. He was too weak to resist the little temptress.

While he assaulted her mouth, she pulled his hardness out of its fabric confines, moving her palm up and down his length in sure, solid strokes. He knew he should stop this, stop her, but she had consumed his thoughts for the last three days, and this moment was his wicked fantasy come true.

Though his fingers were still entwined in her damp hair, he broke off the kiss to give her enough leeway to straddle him. She instantly accepted the invitation, and moaned as she slid down his rigid girth. She was so tight, so hot. Finally, she began to move her hips, the movement tentative at first, then building up a slow, steady rhythm. He pulled back harder on her golden locks, forcing her to expose her creamy neck to him. His free hand soothed feather light caresses underneath her ass as he licked and nipped at her throat, tasting her dewy flesh.

“Oh God, Jack. You feel too good.”

With her nails digging into his shoulders for leverage, she increased her grinding pace, back and forth, up and down, side to side, forcing him deeper and deeper into her moist channel. Another tug on her hair had her arching her back and thrusting her chest up, her breasts swaying like teasing morsels begging to be devoured. He lowered his head and seized a taut nipple in his mouth, sucking it in and flicking it with his tongue.

Her pussy clenched around his shaft and she groaned. “More,” she rasped.

His fingers tightened on her scalp and he nibbled on the hard bud. His free hand slid up her side and cupped her other breast, kneading it with firm pressure while strumming the nipple with his thumb.

Oriana’s movements became more intense and she panted her passion in gasping yelps. He released his hold on her and leaned back slightly, allowing her to ride him harder without interference. Her beautiful features tensed as she sought her pleasure, her quivering core clenching onto his cock like a vice that refused to let up, pushing his own desires to a breaking point. His balls tightened and the base of his shaft tingled. Suddenly, she tensed and cried out his name, her sweet pussy milking him with every shudder as it succumbed to orgasm. Unable to resist the coaxing of her tight heat, he spilled within her.

It was the most intense release he’d ever had.

He held her close as she clung to him, resting her head against his shoulder, trying to catch her breath. While he gently rubbed her back, he tried not to think beyond the sensations of bliss, tried to ignore the internal warnings that wanted to ruin the moment by dwelling on his reckless and irresponsible behavior.

Jack adjusted his hold and moved her slightly, pulling out of her moist warmth. He gathered her close and lifted her into his arms, then brought her into the room. After carefully depositing her on the bed, he pulled the covers over her body. She snuggled into the warmth, releasing a small yawn. She looked extremely tired, but in the best possible way. Passionately sated.

“Sit, stay with me,” she whispered.

Her request, spoken with a lover’s softness, moved him more than he cared to admit, and like a moth drawn to flame, he found he could not turn away from the temptation.

Sitting beside her, Jack gently stroked Oriana’s hair in soothing caresses, watching as her eyes fluttered closed and she succumbed to sleep. He was humbled by the moment, by the trust and faith she placed in him. She was angelic in her slumber. Her lips, still swollen from their passion, were slightly parted, and her creamy cheeks still faintly flushed. Peaceful, innocent, enchanting, she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

But Oriana was so much more than her looks. In addition to her intelligence, confidence, and sharp wit, she had a sweet nature that made him want to be around her. She was charming and sincere.
Candid
, she’d said.

Then there was the way she embraced her own sexuality, finding no shame in expressing her pleasure. She made him hunger for more.

Which was why he’d avoided her in the first place.

She was a tantalizing package that they would have to return soon, and he didn’t want to get attached.

Leaning over, he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. She moaned, like she was annoyed, then huffed and rolled over, snatching up a second pillow and holding it in her arms like a plush teddy bear. He smiled, knowing from their first encounter how much she hated having her sleep disturbed.

Jack was about to leave when something caught his eye. A thin, black cord protruded from underneath a third pillow on the far side from where he sat. He reached over her and tugged gently, which produced the earpieces of headphones.
CD player?
Another tug showed that whatever was it was plugged into was too heavy to be pulled out by the cord.

Concern and suspicion marred his endearing emotions. He stood up and bent over Oriana’s sleeping form, slipping his hand beneath the fluff-stuffed hiding place. The moment his fingers encountered the hard, plastic shell case, he knew what it was.

The new rush of emotions assaulted him, all negative, with anxiety being the driving one that forced him to sit down and open the laptop right there and then. Questions drilled in his mind.
How did she get it? Who has she been in contact with?

His anger surged next at what he saw on the screen.

It was Jordan’s laptop.

And it wasn’t as if she stole it. His brother had obviously given it to her. He’d even made her a user profile.

Jack clicked on her profile name and he was in, no password needed—something that actually irritated him more.

His fingers flew across the keys as he retrieved internal data and searched through logs that showed him all Oriana had done while on the machine, pleased that all the monitoring files seemed intact, nothing altered or tampered with. From what he could tell, her use of the laptop was innocent enough—listened to music, played games, watched movies, read some e-books, and the like.

However, he didn’t find any peace of mind until he went through her e-mail account. Thankfully, she’d only contacted her customers, canceling her appointments due to her malfunctioning plane, apologizing for the inconvenience, but ensuring them that she’d be back in touch again once it was repaired. Over all, it was a generic e-mail with a simple explanation.

No mention of her location.

No mention of an emergency landing.

No mention of her being in distress.

No mention of her needing rescue.

No mention of
them.

The responses that came in seemed pleasant enough, and very understanding. No one had really asked personal questions, and those regular customers who had received fairly vague replies, usually with Oriana assuring them that she was fine and well and “enjoying her unexpected time off.”

He was relieved…and elated.

Funny. The feeling did not come from the fact that he’d overreacted—again—by thinking her some spy that had come with purpose of gathering sensitive information, nor did the joyous feeling come from her obvious willingness to keep their location a secret. But his heart seemed to swell at her assurances that she was okay and enjoying herself.