The Scale (Martha's Way) (7 page)

Her hazel eyes had drowned him and he made the mistake of
touching her hair. The way her lips had parted under his was so damn seductive
he just had to taste more of her. What he didn’t expect was the effect the kiss
would have on him. He wanted more.

Her aura told him she wasn’t ready for more than what she
was giving him at the moment. She didn’t strike him as someone who’d go home
with a stranger. So he’d withdrawn and broken the kiss. He was torn between
doing the right thing and walking away or pulling her back against him once
more. Either way, he wasn’t ready to say goodbye.

“Let’s dance,” he said. He needed a few minutes to regain
his composure. Something flickered in her eyes. An indication she was as
affected by the kiss as he was. Jason lifted one hand to caress her right
cheek. He felt her go still under his touch.

“Then I’ll say goodbye. I promise.” He meant the words. At
least he wanted to mean them. Only thing was she smelled of lavender. He liked
the scent. It made him want to ruffle her up a bit.

“I need to go.” Even as she spoke the words, she made no
attempt to move.

“One dance,” he
said,
his voice low
and husky. “That’s all I’m asking. That’s not much, is it?”

Jason gave her a moment to mull his words over, and when she
didn’t argue, he extended his hand to her once more. His gaze stayed on her as
she lowered her eyes and stared down at his offered hand. She didn’t trust him.
He could tell by the way she still had her arms wrapped around her body she was
leery of him. He sensed there were layers buried inside that caused her to be
so distrustful, so guarded, and he wanted to unglue the pieces of her wariness
bit by bit. In an effort to ease her discomfort, he smiled reassuringly at her.

“One dance,” he pleaded. “Then I will leave you alone.”

Slowly, she lowered her arms from her body to place one hand
in his and he led her back to the bar.

* * * *

What could possibly go wrong with a dance?
 
Their bodies would touch, and the thought
of being so close to him worried her a bit. But it also triggered a level of
excitement within her that she hadn’t known existed prior to tonight.

She wanted more. She wanted to feel him against her. Touch
his hair and hold him as close as possible. Tomorrow she could deal with Keely,
Blake, and reality. Tonight, she wanted to lose herself in Jason even if it was
for one dance.

Her hand remained locked in his as he guided her up the
stairs to the lounge. As they entered V-Lounge, Minka scanned the room. A
couple sat on the red velvet sofa kissing passionately; two men sat on stools
at the bar talking to the pretty bartender who flashed the man

holding
her hand a familiar smile
before turning her attention back to whatever concoction she was putting
together.

Jason swung her around to face him and started swaying to
the music. His arms tightened around her waist then and Minka placed her hands
on his chest with the hope of steadying her equilibrium. It was just a dance,
something men and women did in social situations every day. So why did the
light pressure of his hand against her hip feel way too intimate? Why did his
warm breath against her temple send shivers down her body? He moved closer and her
breasts brushed over his chest, the sweetness of it starting tremors deep in
her abdomen. His head lowered close to hers just as Caleb Followill of Kings of
Leon’s voice reverberated in the darkly lit room.

The lyrics of
Sex on
Fire
blasted in the room. There were no hidden messages. The title of the
song spoke for itself, but her life didn’t include uninhibited sex. Minka had
heard the lyrics a number of times, but she’d never really paid attention to
the intensity of the words until now.

She pressed her body against his, closing any remnants of
space between them. She welcomed the escape, the hardness of his body against
hers.
His scent.
She breathed him in.

“You smell good,” she said. He leaned closer, his lips very
close to hers.

Minka blamed her loose tongue on the eroticism of the
situation.

“So do you.”

She swallowed hard.

“Today is my birthday,” he said in a low, husky voice.

“Happy Birthday.
Did you do
anything special?”

He chuckled, his warm breath against her ear, making her
body tremble with need.

“I painted my house.”

She didn’t believe him. Men like Jason didn’t spend their
birthday at home alone. “That’s it?”

He shrugged.
“More or less.”

She tilted her head back to meet his gaze. “Anything special
you wanted?”

The weight of the question hung between them for a while.
Their bodies moved slowly to the rhythm of the song.

He smiled. “You mean my special wish?”

She nodded, unable to speak.

“I wish to kiss you again. One kiss wasn’t enough.”

Oh my!
She opened
her mouth to say something, but before the words could be spoken, his lips were
against hers. The kiss was like nothing Minka had ever experienced. It was more
intense than earlier, causing her head to spin out of control. His tongue slipped
inside her mouth and her wall crumbled. She wanted more. Putting her inhibitions
aside for the night, she wrapped her arms around his neck and drew her body
even closer to his. He seemed to like that because he moaned before he deepened
the kiss.

“I want to take you home and make love to you,” he whispered
against her lips.

A sudden urge to abandon all she had ever known and give
herself to this man overpowered her. Maybe that was the point. Maybe for once
in her life, she needed to throw caution to the wind. She could tuck away all
of her insecurities, enjoy the moment and not think about what was to come.
Especially since she now possessed zero chance of ever taking the spot Keely
owned in Blake’s heart.

At that instant, Minka forgot they were standing in the
middle of Vapor’s lounge. She forgot the DJ wasn’t standing far away; she
forgot there were still a few stragglers at the bar. Jason’s hands rested on
the curve of her back. His lips brushed against her ear. His breathing
increased. She closed her eyes and lost herself in him.

“I want to go home with you.”

Chapter Five

“Incidentally, the
world is magical.

Magic is simply
what's off our human scale...at the moment.”

Vera Nazarian

Jason waited to finish their dance before taking her hand,
leading her outside to a parked black Jeep.

“Take my car instead,” she suggested, not quite sure how she
found the voice to speak.

A slight smile curved his beautiful lips as he extended his
hand to her.
“Keys.”

The man was either very alpha or thought she was incapable
of driving. Either way, she fumbled into her purse to retrieve her set of keys
and handed them to him.

Minutes later, Jason was sitting behind the wheel of her
black Audi. With little effort he maneuvered the car through constricted,
unfamiliar roads before reaching what she guessed was Main Street. One of the
things Minka had learned since her arrival was the island had no traffic lights
with few street lights, leaving most of the streets pitch black at night. She
found those little facts strange yet comforting.

As they drove into the night, she marveled at the few people
who chose to walk to their destination, relying solely on the silver orb in the
velvety sky as their guide. She caught a glimpse of Jason’s profile in the dark
car and bit her lower lip as her heart pounded with doubt.

This gorgeous man was about to see her naked. The
realization of what was in motion caused her stomach to roil with uncertainty.
What if he became turned off by her imperfections?

She could tell him she’d changed her mind. She didn’t think
he would mind. Men like Jason had no shortage of women. That realization
neither thrilled nor comforted her. With a sigh, Minka turned her attention to
the road, admiring the slight silver mist the moon cast upon the woods.

Jason reached for her hand and brought it to his lips. The
hair on his chin grazed her skin.
 
Once
again, the weight of his action drew her to him. She turned and peered at his
profile outlined by the night sky, and warmth flooded through her. They turned
onto a dark road, the car’s suspension rocking her gently as he maneuvered
around the ruts. Minka presumed they were on an unpaved road, which was pretty
common on the island. He pulled into a driveway before turning off the engine.

“We’re home,” he announced, his blue eyes gleaming in the
dimness of the night.

Minka would have opened her own door, but he moved quickly
and was by her side. With her hand in his, he led her inside the house.

She stood in the living room, her hands clasped together to
prevent them from trembling. The echo of the door clicking shut shot another
shiver up her spine as his hands slid up her arms and his warm breath poured
over her neck.

“Would you like something to drink?”

Minka wanted to say yes, anything to control her nerves. But
once again, she found herself unable to look away, unable to blink. The feeling
of being in his arms was more intoxicating than anything else he could offer.
She shook her head.

Long fingers touched her bare shoulder and pushed aside the
adjustable straps of her blouse. His lips followed, placing light kisses where
his fingers had been igniting her senses. Her pulse quickened. She turned to
face him and their eyes locked. They stood in silence, the charged atmosphere
crackled between them. He edged in closer, obliterating any remnant of space
left as their bodies touched, their faces inches away from each other.

A smile spread
over his face
as one
hand caressed her supple cheek. He lifted her chin, their noses almost
touching. She could feel the warmth of his breath brushing the top of her lips.
She stared into his eyes.

“Are you sure?”

Unable to speak but consumed with need, she nodded. Her lips
parted and waited as his lips came down on hers. She leaned toward him; the
strength of his soft kiss engulfed her.

That’s all it took, a kiss. Minka moaned with need, desire.
Jason pressed himself closer to her, seeming to understand what her body was
asking for.

“The bedroom,” he breathed against her lips.

He swept her into his arms and carried her down the hall, his
lips on hers the whole time. He kicked open what she assumed to be the bedroom
door before lowering her onto the firm bed.

The room was dark. The shades and windows were open,
allowing a cool breeze to flow through and over her burning skin. Her eyes
adjusted in the darkness and glossed over her surroundings. Even in a room lit
only by the moon, casting a hazy glow across his face, she noticed his eyes had
darkened with desire. He removed his shirt and kicked off his shoes before
crushing her body to his, the force of his embrace lifting her to her toes. In
the moonlit room, she spotted several other tattoos on his body. Her curiosity
piqued. She wanted to see what they were, kiss and touch each one of them.
Instead, she said, “No light, please.” The words were spoken in such a low
voice for a moment Minka questioned whether or not he heard her. “I don’t have
condoms.” Oh God, she was rambling.

Amusement glimmered in his eyes as he continued to examine
her face. Minka felt her cheeks growing warm under his gaze and looked away.

“We are good,” he informed her.

His lips caressed hers; with ease he removed the silky
material from her body by gently sweeping it over her head. The movement caused
wild locks to spill over her shoulders. Her head fell back as his fingers found
the waistband of her jeans.

Minka sucked in a deep breath. Within seconds, she lay there
clad only in matching black silk underwear.

The urge to cover her body was never greater, especially with
the way he took his time to examine every inch of her, taking in her far too
curvy form, from the fullness of her breasts to the roundness of her stomach
and the plumpness of her thighs. Minka felt fat, naked.

He seemed oblivious to her flaws. His big hands cupped her
bra and removed her breasts from their cage as he lowered his head to suck on one
nipple, then the other.

“Relax,” he whispered just as his lips left her breasts to
place light kisses on her stomach. Minka wished she could suck in her breath to
make her stomach flatten. Unfortunately, even that didn’t help.

Then his hands were on her thighs to remove her panties. His
face was a dark mask in the night.

“Relax,” he whispered again as he drew her panties down her
legs.

Because Minka had Keely for a sister, she had mastered the
art of surrendering; therefore, she leaned back against the softness of the
sheets. He placed himself between her legs and slipped one finger inside her,
then another.

“So wet,” he noted as he withdrew his fingers.

She could only watch as he held her gaze and brought the two
fingers to his mouth, tasting her.

“And delicious.
I want more.”

His lips were on her, stroking her. He spread her folds with
his tongue and licked some more. The texture of his beard against her skin made
her weak in the knees. Minka moaned and reached for his head. Her fingers
buried into his silky hair, holding his head steady as she ground her core into
his lips, losing all control.

Her muscles stiffened and she let out a tortured whimper. Her
pelvis seemed to have a mind of its own and tilted to be as close to him as
possible. Without breaking their connection, he cupped her butt and guided her
to her peak.