Tequila And Tingles: Turtle Pine, Book 2 (12 page)

It was probably a death sentence to go in there and have sex. It would be hot and they’d be slick with sweat and all over each other. Her throat got a little tight. Somewhere during all that hot, sweaty rolling, they would fall off the bench, crack their heads and be found naked and together in the morning. But oh man, how amazing it would be until that happened. Her breath gave over to heavy inhalations. Maybe she needed a quick rinse in one of the cold showers.

She paused by the sauna, with plans to leave it. Then she went and touched the knob controlling the temperature. They didn’t have to jack the heat all the way up to dizzying temperatures. Just have it set to a little warm. Then only get a little sweaty.

What sounded like the men’s locker room door opened and thudded closed, getting her heart to jump. That had to be him, and it meant he was about done. Would he actually come hunt her down and look to see if she was hiding in there? He’d dropped the hint for it. And would he be disappointed if she wasn’t? More importantly, would she be disappointed if she missed this opportunity?

She turned away from the sauna, rubbed a hand over her face and turned back. Oh, what the hell. She twisted the knob to the heat and a little squeal escaped her. More doors in the next room opened and closed.

It was countdown mode. Either they were going to do this or they weren’t. This was the whole point of being here, wasn’t it? To do this or not? She wanted to. She’d wanted to get over her past, and Jason was the guy for that. Knowing he was leaving made him perfect for the no-strings-attached kind of man she needed. Rebound was a cliché because people needed and used it.

Another door opened and she pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it to the front door of the women’s locker room. She sent her pants flying next, making a short trail to the sauna. She dropped her bra and stepped in the sauna as the main door to the women’s locker room opened.

Heat hugged her in a blanket of warmth. The heater in the center of the room ticked and clicked, creating an orange glow under the bed of fake coals. Maybe it was the coziness of the room. Dim light poured in through the glass door, creating a welcoming space that left her calm and comfortable. She was good stepping in here, even knowing what was ahead. She eased around the heater, careful of the makeshift guardrail that was marked as hot and not to touch.

Her knees shook. Fingers trembled. Even still, confidence ran through her blood. It was anticipation threading her limbs. Excitement picked up her breath. She traced the long, smooth line of one of the wooden benches and eased onto it. The strong boards beneath her were warm like they’d been in the summer sun all afternoon.

She flattened her hands next to her and looked up. Jason stood at the glass door. His eyes were downcast, near her waist. She put a hand over the softness of her belly and started to suck in, but his hot, devouring look chased off any reservations. She moved her hand away and shook hair off her shoulders. His gaze made a slow trek up her body. Chills were back as he stared through the glass, his lips parting like a man about to devour a dessert. She had vague memories of his heated gaze, but they were too foggy. The way he stared at her now, it shortened her breath.

There, on the opposite side of a small barrier, within reach but untouchable. In moments, he was stripped down to his jeans. The sculpted muscles of his chest shaped every last cut and definition of him. His arms were firm and toned from years of pulling him through the water. He parted his jeans and her breath caught in her chest.

In a fluid motion, he was naked. Maybe he had been commando. Maybe he’d shoved underwear off at the same time as his jeans. Maybe she really didn’t give a flying flip, because Jason was naked and stepping in the sauna with her.

A cold blast of outside air washed over her and her breath came back a rush. Sketches of memories teased at her brain from that night. Had she seen him naked at all? What about just his chest? Had she slipped her hands over the front of his jeans? What about the breadth of his shoulders?

All the late nights tossing and turning with questions dulled in comparison. Long limbed, tall and topped off with light hair, he walked toward her. She didn’t have to wonder anymore what the feel of his hands would be like sliding from her thighs up her hips to her waist.

The hardness of his smooth chest pressed against hers, and his length settled against her belly. Her heart raced and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down and getting her mouth over his. Going a year without sex and then getting presented with Jason?

Might as well wrap him with a ribbon and hand him over on a silver platter. His body was a statue. And for the moment, he was all hers. He cupped her waist, eased long fingers around her hips and reached for her rear. His fingertips pinched at her bottom with a grip screaming with need.

He broke the kiss and his heated breath went across her cheeks. He felt down her body again, moving in and out with her curves and trailing kisses downward. He sat and pulled her across his lap. His length jutted between her thighs, was firm against his belly. She trembled to her bones and a whimper shuddered out of her.

An ache settled in her. A need to want more. His hands moved along her, gripping and holding, his kiss becoming impatient. A demand that echoed her own. It had been too long since a man had touched her with such urgency. The scruff on his chin chafed at the turn of her breast. His breath panted over her. This was no sweet and short lovemaking, as she knew.

It was raw and aching. Exciting, and every last inch of her woke to his touch and craved him. He teased at her sensitive nipples with his lips. They pulled into tight buds as he licked.

Heat from the room crawled up her back, swarmed around her and touched her everywhere. His fingers cupped her bottom. The tips dug in her skin, swiping at her nerves. With her straddled across his lap, her center was against his length. Each tempting pinch and touch brought her along him. Easy, tantalizingly light strokes grew fierce.

He kissed her neck, up to her jaw, back over her mouth. He was everywhere all at once. His palms were wide, flat and warm as he skimmed them across her back and kept her tugged to him. It was all she could do to just hold him as he worked magic over her body.

Where he touched, she shuddered. Where he kissed, she trembled. Where he hadn’t gotten to yet, she ached. He tangled his hands in her hair and pulled, arching her to him, lifting her breasts to his face and holding her there. She cried out as he sucked her in his mouth, then released her for a soothing lick before treating her other breast to a quick nip, followed by soothing, tender care.

He freed his hands from her hair and wrapped her tightly in his arms, bringing her in against him. His shaft pressed firmly against the most sensitive part of her.

The heat, the touch of his hands, his body against her all swarmed through her mind. A cloud draped over her thoughts that dulled the outside world and its problems. There was only the two of them. She settled her focus on his hands sliding up her thighs.

His thumb cut a close line to her center, only to pull away and leave her wanting. Over and over, he teased and retreated.

His mouth was back on hers, and she reached between them and got her hands around his length. A growl eased from the back of his throat and she firmed her grip. He tightened under her hands. Thighs even hardened under her seat.

She pulled her hand up his length, drawing a bead of liquid from his tip for her fingers to smooth over his sensitive skin. He nipped at her lips and finally slid his palm under her. She gasped as he parted her, turning to putty at his touch. Another swath of fog took her mind as he stroked and caressed her intimately.

Nerves bundled and sensation pooled through her veins as he teased and toyed. She squeezed her insides, wanting to hold him there, but she couldn’t keep him. His touch roughened, moved faster, and he slowly answered her pleas.

She wasn’t sure what all he did, didn’t care either. So long as he didn’t stop. Sweat dripped. Liquid pebbled across her skin. It curled through her hair.

She moved with him, greedily seeking out her own release until it came. A heart-stopping orgasm teased from his fingertips left her gasping and falling apart in his arms. It left her fulfilled and also wanting more.

Her face was tucked in against his shoulder and she kissed him there, not wanting this moment to end for even a second. Stopping was too much of a risk that it might not start again. She kissed his neck to his shoulder and spotted a condom on the bench at his hip. He must have come in with it. She lifted it, fully intending to make the absolute most of this.

Who knew how long it would be again before she stole away and got him alone? He reached for the package, but she pulled it away from him. She leaned forward, found his mouth and kissed him, pressing against him and encouraging him to lean back.

Stretched out before her, he was hers for the taking. He was tall and strong under her. His abs tightened and member jerked as she touched him and covered him. His hazy gaze met hers. He cupped her hips, lifted and guided until she was over him.

She lowered, slowly taking him in. Tender skin stretched around him, robbing her breath as she sank until she was seated on his thighs. He held her hips, keeping her as still as his body. Deep breaths moved in and out of his chest that she mirrored. She lifted ever so slightly and he allowed her, but he didn’t release her.

His tight control excited her just that much more. She lifted again, her pulse threading through her veins and thundering in her ears. He stretched her, and she had to spread her thighs more to take him in. Leaning over, she captured his lips with her movement. He released her hips and wrapped his hands around her bottom, keeping her against him and adjusting her into a rocking motion that skittered her nerves. So much happened to her at once.

He held her and encouraged her to thrust harder, faster. She moved over him, pulling into a tightly wound coil ready to spring. His grunts mixed with her gasps. She gripped his shoulders and took him over and over. The warm air smelled of sex and masculine energy. A bead of sweat let loose and slid down her temple as she gripped him until she finally couldn’t anymore.

Stillness wrenched her body for a fleeting moment as release sprinkled through her limbs and swept her in a flood. His grip pinched her hips. He thrust up, continuing the rhythm she couldn’t keep, until he gasped.

His fingers eased and his touch was gentle. Soothing strokes caressed her back and pulled hair away from her face. He kissed her cheek and forehead and she lay limp against his chest.

She traced the lines of his collar bones, up his neck, down and across his shoulder. “That was worth waiting to be sober for.”

His chuckle was heavy and vibrated against her chest. “Yes, it was.”

He rubbed along her sides, exploring the length of her arms until coming to her fingers and intertwining them. He left a kiss on her knuckles and rested their clasped hands on his chest. Her heart rate slowed. The flushing heat eased but the room remained warm, leaving her comfortably naked in his arms. She wanted to stay here for hours. Just spend the rest of the evening tucked away privately. To have this moment with him, never have to share it. Remain him and her, and that was it.

The outside world was sure to intrude sooner or later. Likely sooner, but she would hold them here as long as she could. She rubbed her thumb against his chest. “What brought you to Turtle Pine?”

“A job.”

“But you’re an Olympic medalist who offers private lessons.”

“I’m between clients right now and needed the work.”

“I would think someone like you would be in high demand.”

He lifted a shoulder. “I’ve had a few offers, but none I’m up for taking right now.”

“Having too much fun turning tadpoles into guppies?”

His chuckle vibrated against her, making her smile. The deep breath that came after it made her grin fall. There was a long pause in the breath. Information waiting to be given out. His arm around her stilled and then settled down with a flap of his hand that felt disturbingly like giving up. “Things didn’t end well with my last client, and she put me off wanting to work with teens again. Not forever, just not right now.”

That sounded like a good story. Or at least like a story that would last long enough to make this moment continue. She just didn’t want to get up. Somehow, she knew that the moment that glass door to the sauna was opened, the bubble they were in would be popped and this would be over. It had been forever since she’d had something like this.

Maybe she’d never had it. It hadn’t been like this with Bill. When things were good, they’d had intimacy. It had been different. Nice. Not this all-consuming desire like with Jason. Which was both intriguing and scary. For now, she would settle on intriguing. “What happened?”

Silence was his answer. Only the ticking of the heater in the center of the room disturbed the quiet until he put his hand back in motion. “She got pregnant by her loser boyfriend.”

“That sucks.”

“Yeah, it did. She didn’t want her parents to know she was seeing the kid, so she told them the baby was mine.”

She sat up. “What?”

He shook his head. “Her parents had made it clear she wasn’t to see that boy again, that they’d have him arrested. They had some proof that he was involved with drugs and used that to break them up. Only, you know how kids are. So she popped up pregnant and said it was mine.” He rubbed a hand over his head. “Thank God, the parents didn’t immediately go to the cops and file charges. Other than correcting arm motion in the water, I never put a hand on her. They pulled me in for a private meeting instead.”

“Kids can be terrible.”

“Yeah. That’s putting it lightly. We were all in a room together. She sat right there next to me, looked me in the face and kept saying it was mine. Her parents could have ruined me. The only thing that stopped them was that I said I could prove it. I offered to pay for the DNA testing and to give them a sample right then. They eventually got the truth out of her, but she’d already told her friends it was mine. Rumors started and I left town.”