The Temporary Wife (10 page)

When they got to the short gangway that led onto the boat, Meg gasped when Jason didn’t hesitate and lifted her into his arms. “You still haven’t gotten those walking lessons.”

Meg looped her arms around his neck, loving how secure she felt with him, but not missing an opportunity to tease him.

“You’re pretty strong for a senior citizen.”

He chuckled. “I stay in shape. You know, for my young girlfriend.”

Meg giggled. “Those younger women are insatiable, I hear.”

Jason stopped when they stepped on the deck, and Meg was done debating with herself and with him. She wanted to make love with him. Consequences be damned. This was her honeymoon, and she wanted to sleep with her husband.

Meg touched her lips to the corner of his mouth and breathed out, letting the air circle around him while she absorbed his scent. Lightly brushing her lips across his jaw, she felt Jason hold her closer. “Meg, what are you doing?”

“I’m trying to seduce you.” Her tongue flicked his earlobe and he sucked in a breath. “How am I doing?”

“Great,” he ground out.

“Yeah?” She kissed his neck, feeling his body tense, knowing she was driving him crazy.

“Have you thought this through? Are you sure?” They were standing on the deck with the breeze snapping away at the flag on the mast overhead. Gulls circled, and the sounds of the town faded away until it was just the two of them.

Jason forced her to look at him, and his blue eyes just swallowed her. She was never more sure of anything. “Jason, do you know what I think?”

“What?” he asked, his eyes never leaving hers.

“I think you should make love to your wife.”

Chapter 10

Jason set her down and immediately pulled her close, loving how she felt pressed against him and imagining how she was going to feel under him.

Meg’s green eyes had gone misty, and there was a tilt at the corner of her mouth that let him know she wasn’t messing with him. She wanted this, and if Jason didn’t think there was something wrong with thanking the Big Guy for some action, he would have been on his knees saying a prayer.

“Your place or mine, Mr. Campbell?”

“As long as you’re there and you’re naked, I don’t care where we go.”

He gripped her hips and pressed against her, knowing Meg felt the hard ridge of his erection coming through his shorts. Her body was heating up, and he was losing control as her scent, the feel of her, got inside him. Something primal and proprietary took over. This was his woman, his, and no one else’s. He kissed her long and hard, his tongue slipping in her mouth, tasting the ice cream cone they’d had on the dock before coming back on board. She was sweet, always so sweet.

“I need to freshen up,” she said.

“Use my bathroom. I’ll be there in a couple of minutes.”

Meg came up on her toes and kissed him again, not at all shy or hesitant. He was relieved that she wanted this as much as he did. He’d missed her over the years. No one ever fit him the way Meg did. No one read his body, his moods, or his signals like her. Even as teenagers, they were good together.

Over the years he’d been with more experienced women, but no one harnessed her sexuality like Meg. There’d always been this vibe around her, something hot and erotic, something that made men go crazy, and he wondered if that’s why he kept her from his friends.

He told Robert to hold dinner, but had him get a tray ready with champagne and strawberries that Jason brought to his stateroom. The bathroom door was still closed, and he heard the water running. Jesus, he was nervous. He wanted this to be perfect for her. Partially because she deserved the romance and the attention, but also because he wanted her to keep coming to his bed. She was the only woman he wanted, and since she was married to him, that was a very good thing.

He took off his shirt and popped the cork on the champagne. He’d gotten one glass poured when he heard the bathroom door open.

He turned and lost his breath, along with his power of speech. Meg walked into the room and stopped a few steps away.

She’d shed her clothes and was wearing only a silky pink bra and panties. The thong was nothing more than a scrap of material, and he was sure the bra was too small, because her breasts were spilling out. A sexy surprise was the little jewel that winked at him from her belly button. She was a vision. Sensual, beautiful, hot . . . None of those words adequately described how she looked or her effect on him.

“Aww, Meg. God.” He reached for her, pulling her close and letting his hands run all over her body. He groaned a little when Meg arched toward him, needing to get closer. Her hands settled on his chest, and she looked up at him half-innocent, half-seductive, inviting him to take what he wanted.

Slowly, her hands slid up his chest and locked around his neck, and his beautiful wife pulled him down for a kiss, a kiss that seared his brain and sent shock waves through his body.

“I guess I don’t have to ask you if you’re sure about this,” he said.

She nodded. “I’m sure. But you’ll have to forgive me for being so aggressive. It’s been a while, and I just want this so much. Even if it’s just while we’re on this trip, I want you.”

“Okay. How long has it been for you?”

“Three years. A long time.”

“Wow, so the man you were seeing . . .”

“It hadn’t gotten that far. You?”

“It’s been a few months.” He hoped she stopped talking soon. He really didn’t want her to ask any more questions.

“Well,” she said, reaching for his fly, “I’ll make you forget all about her.”

His shorts hit the floor, and Meg settled back on the bed, pulling him down with her. He held himself over her, taking in her gorgeous body, her beautiful face, and the sweet smile that was just for him. Jason knew this wasn’t a real marriage, but if it were, he hoped it would feel just like this.

***

Somehow, somewhere, Meg realized that when Jason touched her, there was no way to resist him. She’d tried. She’d told herself all the reasons to keep her distance, just like he had done, but there was some force at work, pulling them together. He gazed up and down her body, flicking the pink gem of her belly button ring, and then let his hands go to work.

“Don’t move,” he said. “I have a plan.”

“A plan?”

“Uh-huh, and it has you screaming out my name several times before this is over.” One hand ran up and down her body, warming her from the inside out. God, she loved when he touched her. She’d always loved when he touched her.

“A little cocky, are we?”

“When I put my mind to something, I always do well. I got straight As in school.” He unhooked the front clasp on her bra and pushed it open.

“I heard something about that.”

He pulled his hand away and let his eyes wander over her. Meg should have felt exposed as he eased the thong over her legs and tossed it on the floor, but instead she moved her body, pushing herself farther into the down comforter and stretching her arms over her head, giving him even more invitation to touch her. There was power in this, in the way she felt with him, in knowing she could bring him to his knees with a touch. Even with everything that had happened, with the sad history between them, Meg trusted Jason, and whatever was going to happen down the road was going to happen. She’d suffered without him for fourteen years; if she lost him again, she’d survive. Meg always survived.

“I dream about you. Since I first saw you last month, I’ve dreamed about you every night, but no dream prepared me for the reality of you.”

Meg couldn’t speak, but brought a hand up to Jason’s face, arched her body up, and kissed him. It wasn’t a deep kiss, but one that let him know she was his, and only his.

The past, the future, their families, the other people in their lives, nothing mattered in this moment but the two of them.

His lips grazed her lips again, then her jaw and neck, leaving a trail until he reached her breasts. Jason pulled back and smiled as he passed one hand over each nipple and watched them pebble and peak. Then the torture began when his mouth came down and took one in. Meg sucked in a breath at the sensation and held his head as he pulled her into his mouth. It was heaven, pure heaven, with the heat rising in her core and moving out to all parts of her body.

He switched to the other side and she gasped again, and a little smile flickered in his eyes.

“Oh, Jason,” she whispered.

“Not quite a scream, but that’ll do for one.”

She giggled and wrapped her arms around him, enjoying the lightness she felt in her heart. When was the last time she had laughed with a partner? Maybe when she was sixteen and lying in his arms in the boathouse while he told her bad jokes? Had it been that long?

He stretched out above her and stroked the hair away from her face. “I love seeing you like this,” he said.

Meg smiled and kissed him. “How is that? Naked?”

“No.” He kissed her again, and she felt his hand stroke her damp center. “I love seeing you happy.”

“Oh, well if you keep doing that, I’m going to be real happy, real soon.”

“Yeah?” His grin was wicked and grew wider as he slipped first one finger and then another inside her. “I’m counting on it.”

Meg couldn’t help it; her body ground against him, and the orgasm ripped through her almost immediately. “Oh . . . oh! Oh, my God.”

She didn’t know how long it took her to settle exactly, but when she did, he was looking at her again, completely pleased with himself. “You get the most amazing look on your face when you come.”

Meg stretched her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. She felt his erection, hot and smooth against her tummy, and all she wanted was for him to be inside her, moving, putting that look he loved on her face again.

“You should know,” she said while nibbling his ear, “that I had a checkup and there’s nothing for you to worry about. I’m also on the pill.”

“I’m fine, too,” he said. “But I’ll use protection if you want.”

“I want to feel you inside me,” she said in his ear. “Just you.”

Her hands traveled down his smooth back and cupped his rear, urging him forward, and as he nestled between her legs, Meg saw something flicker in his eyes, something familiar, something from long ago that she never thought she’d see again. And as Jason entered her, slowly to allow her to adjust to his size, his face was bliss. Pure bliss.

They’d been here before, this perfect place where they came together as one and thought of nothing else but each other. The pain of old wounds slipped away, no longer mattered, and as Jason filled her completely, he called her name. And Megan felt bliss of her own.

***

Meg stretched when she awoke in Jason’s bed. It was dark outside, and glancing at the clock she saw she’d been asleep for two hours. Sadly, she was alone. When she sat up, everything ached, but it was that lovely ache that came from being on the receiving end of really great sex.
Really
great sex.

There was a familiarity and comfort between the two of them that Meg knew she would never have with anyone else. Jason knew her deep down, who she was and who she wanted to be, and that only came when you were with people who knew you when you were young.

She had worried that making love with him would be awkward or tentative, but it wasn’t. It was fun, playful, and very, very hot—just like it was years ago when they didn’t think about anything but being together. When she didn’t think about anything but being with him. But all the memories were mixed with something new, with maturity and the tenderness that came when you started thinking about your lover and not yourself.

The anger and hurt flashed for just a moment, and Meg did what she’d been doing for the past few years—she crushed it down. Now, especially, she had to let go of the feelings of anger and sadness she associated with that time in her life and with Jason and his family. Maybe the time together, maybe the intimacy, could help settle things between them. They’d have time to talk it all out, and it was possible, with all that tension diffused, they could go back to being the friends they once were.

She stretched again, and thought about staying naked in this bed for the rest of the trip. It was like lying on a cloud of silk. Everything was smooth and luxurious, but she missed the feel of Jason’s body. His strong muscles, his smooth skin.

She looked around the cabin for a T-shirt and found an old one from MIT in his drawer. There was also a plush terry bathrobe that had been left for her. Pulling it on over the T-shirt, Meg ventured out of the stateroom to find Jason.

Just thinking about him made her girl parts all tingly, and after more orgasms than she could ever remember having in a year, let alone one night, she wanted him again.

Shaking her head and laughing, Meg thought about herself in the role of nympho after three years of celibacy. He was everything she could want in a lover. Everything she’d never want to give up, but would have to because of their agreement. He didn’t do long-term relationships, because for some reason he’d convinced himself that was best. So she’d enjoy it while she could.

Wandering through the living area, she saw a light and followed it, finding the galley and Jason sitting at the small table in a pair of baggy sweatpants and nothing else. He had a cup of coffee next to him, his laptop in front of him, and he was totally zoned out.

“Hey,” she said softly. “Couldn’t sleep?”

“Hey.” He pulled off his reading glasses and laid them on the table. “I had to take a call about an hour ago.”

Meg let her fingers comb through the hair at the nape of his neck. “Didn’t I see an office right off your stateroom?”

He nodded, looping an arm around her waist and pulling her close. “You were sleeping, and I didn’t want to disturb you.”

With a slight shift of position, Meg was now standing between his knees with both Jason’s arms wrapped around her waist. It was a delicious place to be, snug and secure and close to him, but as much as she wanted to stay right here, she heard her stomach rumble and realized she was starving. Leaning in, Meg kissed him, and he took that as an invitation to pull her into his lap.

“Are you all rested up?” he asked.

“Yes, but I’m hungry. We missed dinner.”

“That we did. It’s a good thing my crew is very efficient. It’s all packed up in the fridge. We just have to heat it up.”

He kissed her again, and again, and Meg melted into him, thinking she should stand and get them both something to eat before they passed out. Sitting in his lap felt perfect, and she didn’t want him to stop kissing her, but it was time for her to exercise some self-control.

“Jason, I need food. We both do.”

“Hmmm. Are you sure?”

“Positive.” With her hands on his chest, she pushed away, even though it killed her to do it. Once she was free, she moved toward the fridge.

He smiled and winked at her, and Meg had to put another barrier up around her heart, because this man was lethal. With everyone else he was the computer nerd, a rich and gorgeous one to be sure, but that night he was her personal Prince Charming.

“So,” she said, opening the refrigerator. “What are you hungry for?”

“You.”

His grin was positively wolfish, and Meg held up her index finger in warning. “This isn’t funny anymore. I’m growing weak.”

“There’s some seafood pasta in a container in there. How about that?”

“Perfect. Carbs and protein.”

“Should give you lots of energy.”

Meg shook her head. “I’m going to be crippled by the time this trip is over.” Examining the different containers, Meg found the one with the pasta and took it out. “Don’t you dare suggest that I get on a bike after what you’ve done to me.”

“What I’ve done to you?” Rising and coming toward her, Jason grabbed her hips and moved her against the wall. Once his thighs had her locked in place, he took both her wrists and shackled them with one of his hands, extending her arms over her head.