The Heart Has Reasons (25 page)

* * * * *

Larissa breathed deeply, savoring the
masculine scent of him.  The man even smelled sexy.

Still
astride him, she pushed herself up.  In the darkness, she ran her hands
over the crisp hair on his chest and body, learning the rippling firmness of
his chest and taut abdomen, the feel of the muscles that bulged in his
arms.  He shuddered occasionally with the aftershocks, the hard muscles
quivering beneath her touch.

Her
hands worked their way up his neck to feel the sharp plains of his face. 
When she ran a thumb gently over his lips, he reached up to pull her face down
to his, devouring her mouth with his own.  Desire continued to skitter
through her stomach and burn low in her belly, despite her own orgasm.

And
what a surprise that had been.

Well,
maybe not
that
much of a surprise.

He
wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight to his chest, sparking little
tingles of pleasure from her swollen nipples.  “Jesus, Larissa.  I
don’t think I’ve ever experienced anything like that.”

“I
know I haven’t.”

“No
regrets?”

“Absolutely
not.”  Strangely, it was true.

She
pressed her lips against his neck, and could feel the working of his throat
muscles as he swallowed.  “Larissa, I … uh … well … I just want to say
that I’m deeply sorry for everything.  There’s no excuse for what I’ve
done.”

“Let’s
not talk about that now.”  She found his mouth with her own.  He
kissed as well as he did everything else.  He didn’t simply kiss her, he
made love to her mouth.  He was still inside her and she began to move
back and forth in small movements.

Very
soon, he was fully erect once again.  He broke off their kiss and,
clasping her tightly to him, rolled them over so he was on top.  He
started with long, slow strokes, pulling all the way back, and then thrusting
deeply.  Her body was still swollen and so exquisitely sensitive that the
pleasure was almost unbearable.  Moaning, she clenched his shoulders and
brought her legs up to wrap around his waist, her hips meeting his thrust for
thrust.  His mouth locked onto hers again as their bodies collided, the
two of them moving with a shared urgency.

She’d
always been limited to one orgasm.  Although the one was usually a good
one, it was all she’d ever been able to achieve.  But now, the tension
started to build again, coiling deep in her pelvis, winding tighter and
tighter.  As the rocking of her hips increased in tempo, he matched her
pace.  Her breathing got erratic, her limbs began trembling, her moans
tapered off into whimpers.

His
breath was hot on her ear as he whispered, “Come for me, baby.”

As
if his words had flipped a switch, her back arched and she cried out, digging
her nails into him as a second fiery explosion took place within her, the
fierce gusts of pleasure engulfing her.

He
kept going, striving for his own second orgasm.  Larissa was acutely aware
of every square inch of her body, her every nerve ending wound exquisitely
tight.  When he kissed her, she kissed him back with fervor.

Reaching
down to hook his arms under her knees, he raised her legs over his
shoulders.  When she groaned and involuntarily brought her palms up to
shove against his hips, he immediately paused.  “Are you okay?  I
don’t want to hurt you.”

“It’s
okay,” she whispered.  “Keep going.”  She gasped as he resumed, but
he started out slowly and shallowly, going just a tiny bit deeper with each new
thrust, giving her body time to adjust to the size of him.  Soon she was
arching up to meet him.

“Oh,
god,” she breathed.  “Oh-h-h-h.  Oh, god, don’t stop.  Don’t
stop.  Whatever you do, please … don’t …”  She cried out as the third
orgasm exploded, a lightning blast of rapture that seemed to go on forever.
 It triggered his second, and their mutual cries of ecstasy echoed through
the small room as swells of unbearable pleasure spiraled up and battered her
until she was limp and exhausted.

* * * * *

Chase rolled over and lay beside her in
the dark.  “Jesus,” he murmured when he could finally speak again. 
“Oh, sweet Jesus, that was fantastic.”

She
uttered a sigh of pleasure.  “I told you we’d be good together.  We
should have done this days ago.”

He
pulled her into his arms and nuzzled her neck.  “Believe me, I wanted
to.”  He knew he should be feeling guilt and regret for what he’d just
done, but he simply felt too damned good to allow a guilty conscience to plague
him.

“You’re
lucky I took the sleeping pills, or I’d have kept you up all night.”  She
paused for a moment, and he thought,
Here comes the guilt trip
. 
However, she surprised him by whispering, “We should stay here an extra day.”

“As
much as I’d like that, it wouldn’t be prudent.”

She
propped herself on elbow and ran a hand lightly through the hair on his
chest.  When she lowered the hand to his stomach, tracing the ridges on
his abdomen with the tips of her fingers, his muscles quivered and
jumped.  “Call your client and tell him we’re having car trouble.”

Although
it sounded like a
damned
good idea, he said, “I can’t do that.”

She
leaned down to give him a leisurely kiss that went on forever and, even though
he’d come twice in the past hour, his cock began stirring back to life. 
“We could spend the entire day in bed.”

Reaching
up, he traced the line of her lips with his thumb.  “It wouldn’t be—”

“—Right?”
she finished.  “It’s a little late to concern yourself with moral concepts
such as right and wrong.”  Her words slurred slightly, a clear sign the
sleeping pills were taking effect.  “I’m too sleepy to argue with you now
but, in the morning, I’m sure I can come up with
a suitable inducement
for staying an extra day.”

“We’ll
see.”

“Yes,
we will.”  She gave him one last kiss, and then eased down beside him, one
hand on his chest.  “But in any case, thank you.”  Her breathing grew
slower and deeper and, within minutes, she was asleep.

Damn
it!  He shouldn’t have given her the pills.  At least, not so early.

Then
a horrible thought occurred to him.  How would she react in the
morning?  Would she be upset?  Would she claim he’d taken advantage
of her while she was under the influence of the sleeping pills?

Had
he taken advantage of
her while she was under the influence?

No,
he hadn’t.  She’d begun her seduction
before
he’d given her the
pills.  His guilt lay in not having stronger self-control.  But now
that they’d already driven off that particular bridge, he considered her
suggestion.  What if he did
call Keswick claiming car
trouble?  Shit happened.  The idea of spending an entire languorous
day in bed was immeasurably appealing.

However,
a whole day’s delay might make Keswick suspicious.  In addition, it would
make turning her over to her husband even more onerous.

If
Keswick truly
was
her husband.

He
cursed all the nagging little doubts that had crept in over the past few
days.  If she’d cleaned out her husband’s bank account and run off, then
the husband would be the first person she’d suspect, yet she’d never once
mentioned him, in fact, denied ever having been married.  Of course, that
didn’t necessarily mean anything.  She could simply have decided to stand
by her original story to the very end.

But
what if she really
had
shot a man in her bedroom, and he was now
delivering her to that very man? 

There
was no fucking way he could take such a chance.

Unbidden,
an image came to his mind of the two of them together as a couple. 
Clearly, she didn’t hate him.  Even though she’d had an ulterior motive in
seducing him, there was
definitely
chemistry between them.  If he
released her, would she be able to forgive him?  And, if so, would she
ever be able to trust him enough to have a relationship with him?

He
shook his head, realizing how ludicrous his fantasy was.

No,
he’d destroyed any chance of a relationship the moment he’d abducted her. 
Nevertheless, in the morning he’d confront her with everything Keswick had told
him and see what she had to say about it.  Then, if even the slightest
doubt still lingered, there was only one thing for him to do: Drive her to the
nearest airport — or, if she truly
was
afraid to fly — the nearest
Greyhound station, give her money for a ticket, and allow her to walk out of
his life forever.

The
decision pained him greatly, although it did seem to loosen the tightness in
his chest.  He leaned over to kiss her, then eased down beside her.

Ah,
Jesus.  He was going to miss her.

CHAPTER
15

As Larissa lay there unmoving beside him,
she concentrated on breathing slowly and deeply, rather than focusing on the
ice creeping up her spine.

So
far, everything had gone according to plan, although he’d proven a little more
difficult to seduce than she’d expected.

But
— oh my god —
it’d been good
.

Finally,
he leaned over to brush her cheek with his lips, and then settled down onto the
mattress beside her.  Within minutes, he was asleep and snoring
softly.  She waited, giving him time to sink deeper into slumber while, on
the other side of the door, freedom beckoned.

After
what seemed ages, she breathlessly lifted her hand from his chest and
waited.  When there was no response, she rolled away from him slightly and
again paused.  When he still didn’t stir, she very slowly rolled out of
bed, located her discarded tee and yoga pants on the floor, then padded
silently through the blackness to the dresser to grab her athletic shoes.

As
she tiptoed toward the door, a floorboard groaned.  In the utter stillness
it seemed loud as a gunshot.  She froze, her entire body tensed and ready
for flight.  From the direction of the bed, his deep, slow breathing did
not alter.

Finally,
she released the breath she’d been holding.  Clutching clothes and shoes
to her chest, she made it to the door, located the chain by touch and silently
slid it off.  After another pause, she twisted the lock’s
thumbturn.   Unfiltered moonlight poured into the room as she cracked
the door.  Quickly squeezing through, she pushed it softly closed behind
her.

The
office was located at the far end of the parking lot.  Modesty was the
last thing on her mind as she ran barefoot and naked down the concrete walkway
edging the row of dark motel rooms.  Coming to a halt before the office,
she grabbed the door handle and tried to wrench it open.

Locked.

She
pounded on the door.  Dropping her shoes, she stepped into her pants and
tugged them to her waist.  The little calico cat suddenly appeared from
the darkness to purr and rub against her legs.  Ignoring it, she pounded
on the door again, then pulled her tee shirt on.

The
OPEN sign was in the window and the light was on inside, so where the hell was
the clerk?

* * * * *

Chase jerked awake.  Eyes straining
to see in the darkness, he reached out a hand toward Larissa and found only the
still-warm mattress.  Thinking she was in the bathroom, he called her name
softly.  When she failed to answer, he shot from the bed and turned on the
light.

She
was gone, as were her clothes and athletic shoes.  His heart slammed into
overdrive as adrenal glands dumped their load into his bloodstream. 
“Goddamn it!”

He
threw on jeans, shirt, and mask, shoved his sockless feet into shoes, and
yanked open the unlocked door.  At the opposite end of the parking lot,
illuminated by the rectangle of bright florescent light pouring from the office
window, she was tying her shoelaces.  The little calico twirled around her
ankles, doing its best to impede her efforts.

Jesus,
what a fucking idiot he was.  The conniving bitch had conned him but good.

He
started toward her, moving silently and keeping to the shadows.  She
finished tying her shoelaces, straightened up, and immediately spotted
him.  Spinning on one foot, she bolted across the gravel lot toward the
road.  He took off after her, angling across the parking lot but —
goddamn
it
— the duplicitous bitch could run.  Her long legs ate up the
parking lot and in mere seconds she’d reached the main road.

She
cut to the right, running down the centerline of the blacktopped two-lane
road.  He pounded after her, picking up a little speed now that he was off
the gravel.

How
much traffic would be out this time of night?  All it would take would be
one vehicle to come along.  Even if the driver were afraid to stop, they’d
most certainly place an immediate call to the local sheriff.

Rounding
the first curve of the sinuous road, she veered into the left lane.  The
mental image of an oncoming vehicle slamming into her made his heart skip
several beats.  For an endless, harrowing moment he lost sight of her
beyond the trees.  Then he rounded the curve and there she was
again.  He put on a burst of speed and the distance between them slowly
began to shorten.