Things That Go Bump in the Night IV (24 page)

They broke through the trees and Jill froze in wonder. The earth fell away less than a dozen feet from where she stood. Beyond that, the great Pacific Ocean filled her vision in all its vast glory. It blurred outward and upward, melding with the star-filled sky. Jill crept closer to the edge of the embankment, Arden’s arm wrapped protectively around her waist. There, secluded from the road by trees and high above the crashing waves, the cliff top afforded a view for miles.

“It’s magnificent,” she murmured, almost afraid to speak and break the magic of the night.

“I stumbled across this place a few years ago, right after moving to Talisman Bay.

It’s become my favorite secret escape spot. Come here.” He tugged on her hand, taking her closer to the edge, pointing off in the distance. “See those lights over there? That’s the Talisman Bay pier. You should see it at Christmas time.”

“I bet it’s beautiful.”

“From here, all the twinkle lights look like fireworks with the spray distorting them.

We’ll have to come back here in a couple months so I can show you.”

“I’d like that.” She smiled up at him, her breath catching when she met his eyes. No one had ever looked at her like that before. Desire…need…yet it was more than that, something deeper. Like she alone could make his world right—or like she was the only person in his world. But that was crazy. Not yet. Not after only a couple hours together.

“T-thank you,” she whispered. “For tonight. For everything. It’s been amazing.”

“It’s not over yet.” Both his hands cradled her neck, his thumbs framing her face, running up and down, caressing her cheeks.

“Thank God,” she whispered as he leaned in and kissed her. He brushed his lips over hers, back and forth, softly, taking his time. His mouth teased along her jaw, his teeth lightly scraping down her neck. Then he moved back to her mouth and started all over again.

This was more than a seduction. It was a slow, sweet worshipping, making her feel cherished and adored. Yet beneath his tenderness, there was a sense of urgency in the way he kissed her, the way he held her. Like the moment would shatter if he pressed her too close. It was such a contradiction from their frantic entanglement on the motorcycle. Why was he holding back now?

When his lips returned to hers, she opened her mouth, rejoicing when he accepted her invitation and swept his tongue inside.

Arden had mastered the art of kissing. He kissed with his whole body, his mouth like a live wire that filled her from head to toe with electric energy. Unlike the duel of 145

Ashleigh Raine

earlier, this time his tongue slowly thrust and retreated, mimicking two bodies in the throes of lovemaking. Her fingers dug into his shoulders and she arched into him. She wanted to melt and explode, to find a way to relieve the pressure building inside.

He growled, sliding his hands down, caressing her. Not breaking the kiss, he lifted her into his arms, taking her down to a small patch of grass beneath a lone tree. His hair brushed against her neck and she wanted to purr, wanted to feel those wayward strands tease down her body. The thought alone had her letting out a strangled moan.

She couldn’t remember ever being this hot before, to the point she was ready to rip a man’s clothes off and take advantage of him.

He pulled away, his breath ragged, arms trembling as he held himself just above her body. “Jill…damn, you’re killing me.”

“Sorry,” she whispered, lifting up and kissing his jaw.

“No,” he rasped. “I mean, you deserve better than this.”

“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to be.”

His eyes darkened and he kissed her again, fully lowering his body over hers. She loved the feeling of his weight pressing into her, his heat burning through their clothes.

His erection throbbed against her thigh and she shifted her leg, rubbing his cock through the denim.

A low growl of pained desire came from deep inside Arden. He broke from the kiss, his eyes pinpoints of flame in the darkness. Desire. Fear. Regret. Hope. Her heart ached at the mix of emotions visible there. He didn’t outwardly portray vulnerability, but she knew it was there, just beneath the surface. Unsure of what to say, she tried to show that she felt a connection to him, too. She stroked his jaw, his face, tracing along his temples. With a harsh groan he buried his face into her neck and began to love her further.

While his mouth traced along the neckline of her sweater, his hands skimmed down her sides, coming to rest on the slopes of her breasts. He cradled and caressed, his fingertips lightly brushing over her erect nipples. She cried out as a shaft of desire shot from her nipples to deep inside her body. Liquid heat filled her, making her feel like she was being boiled alive.

There was still too much clothing separating them. Jill sat up and pulled the sweater over her head. Arden nodded his approval then lowered his head to her breast.

Through the thin fabric of her leotard, his warm mouth suckled, his teeth tugging on the nub of flesh. His other hand slid down her abdomen, stopping when his fingers hit the zipper of her jeans. She whimpered, pushing up against his hands and mouth and body. “Arden…” she moaned, tossing her head back and forth.

There was a rustle in the bushes to her right. Visions of rapists, murderers, and other creepy things from the late night news filled her mind. Could it be the wind? No, the wind had died down. And Arden hadn’t noticed anything—was she imagining it?

She blinked, trying to focus in the dark.

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Twofold Desires

Glowing lion eyes blinked back at her. Before she could draw breath to scream, a lion jumped back into the brush.

“Oh my God!” Jill scrambled out from underneath Arden, yanking on his arm, trying to pull him with her.

“Jill? What’s wrong?”

She pointed a shaking hand in the direction the lion had disappeared. But had it even existed in the first place? It had been so quick…

He lifted her to standing, his arms surrounding her protectively. Arden’s concerned face filled her vision. “Jill? What did you see? What’s wrong? Was someone there?”

Trying to come to grips with what she’d just seen—or thought she’d seen—Jill looked back into the bushes. Nothing was there. “A lion…I swear I just saw a lion. It was watching us…” She shook her head. “I must be seeing things…”

“We should go just in case,” he said.

“Yeah.” Jill swallowed hard, her eyes still trained on the last location of the lion her mind had most probably fabricated. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, Jill.” Grabbing her discarded sweater, Arden tore her away from the cliff and all the fiery passion they’d shared there. She threw one last glance behind her. No lion. Just the undisturbed beauty of coastline.

Arriving back at
Silver Twilight
, Arden parked next to her car. “You going to be okay?” he asked as they dismounted.

“Yes. I’m okay now. More ticked off at myself than anything. A lion? I mean, what was I thinking?” She sighed. “I’m sorry it ended that way—”

“Shhh…” He pressed a finger to her lips. “Can I see you tomorrow night? To avoid lions, we’ll take it inside this time. My house? Dinner?”

“You cook?”

“And clean.” He winked.

“Then I’ll definitely be there.” She smiled, relieved that he wasn’t taking tonight as a blow off. “I get off work at five. I’m all yours after that.”

He pulled his wallet from his back pocket, then handed her a business card. She traced her finger over the embossed lettering. “Griffin Designs—Arden Griffin—

Owner” and a phone number beneath it.

“Call me in the morning and I’ll give you directions to my place.” As though sealing the deal, he placed a hand on her cheek and kissed her so sweetly, her knees weakened. His other hand trailed down, resting on her hip. “I’ll see you then.”

147

Ashleigh Raine

Jill’s stomach fluttered excitedly as she drove toward Arden’s place. Today had felt insufferably long and even though she’d been remarkably busy, the day had dragged by. Especially after she’d spoken with Arden. All she’d wanted to do was close her shop and spend the day remembering the way he had kissed her. The way he used his whole body when he kissed, the strength, heat and power of him melding with her. Every part of her had felt that touch, even though he hadn’t touched the parts of her that burned the hottest.

Jill blushed at the memory. She wasn’t the type to have sex on the first date, but she’d been more than willing last night. Right there on the cliff overlooking the deep dark ocean. If she hadn’t been spooked by the lion, or what she’d thought was a lion, she would’ve happily gone for it.

“Lions and tigers and bears, oh my,” she sang in a high-pitched voice. The stupid thing was that she still couldn’t completely convince herself that she hadn’t seen a lion.

Although she knew it was near impossible that a wildcat would be prowling around the outskirts of Talisman Bay, in that brief moment it had seemed absolutely real.

She turned onto Arden’s street and parked in front of his house. No lion was going to screw things up tonight. Grinning, she grabbed the bottle of wine she’d brought as her portion of tonight’s dinner and practically skipped up to the house, following the flagstone walkway that led to the front door.

Before knocking she took half a second to assess herself, smoothing the wrinkles out of her pale pink sundress. Did she look too
Little House on the Prairie
? Darn it, she might as well have put on a bonnet and gone barefoot. She should have gone for a more casual, please-have-sex-with-me outfit. Although she was wearing tiny lace panties and a white lacy bra—not exactly über-vixen but it was the closest she got. But like he was going to see them underneath her Amish attire! Maybe if she loosened the laces over her breasts, exposed a little skin…

“Arden was right. He lucked out when you bumped into him last night.”

Jill jumped and whipped around to face the man behind the voice, her heart practically beating out of her chest. But the surprise was far from over. “You? But…”

That same knowing smile she remembered from last night covered his face. In fact, he looked much the same, his long blond hair cascading down his back, amber eyes alight with mischief, his arms full of groceries.

Wait a second. Groceries? Just what was he doing here?

He looked pointedly at her arm, his smile widening. “You can lower the wine bottle. I’m just bringing home some stuff to make a salad. I’m not going to hurt you.”

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Twofold Desires

Jill looked over at her arm, realizing that she was hefting the bottle like a weapon.

Smirking, she lowered the bottle. “Well, that’s what you get for sneaking up on me.”

He laughed, a rich golden sound that made her insides feel like putty. He shifted the bag of groceries into one arm, held out his hand and winked. “Sorry. We weren’t properly introduced last night. I’m Leo.”

The man’s—Leo’s—charm was just as apparent and appealing as it had been last night at
Silver Twilight
. It was like he immediately drew you inside of him, making you feel like you belonged, even when you were caught off guard by his overwhelming presence.

She mentally kicked herself in the rump, then, promising herself she’d ask about Arden in a second, she took Leo’s offered hand. “I’m Jill.” Her gaze wandered from his eyes to his dark green T-shirt, leather jacket and finally to his faded blue jeans. For those few moments, Jill couldn’t remember why she was there or who she was there to see.

She shook it off, returning her gaze to Leo’s face. Perhaps the blond god was more dangerous than appearances suggested.

“Jill, it’s a pleasure.”

Leo’s hand was warm and firm, swallowing her smaller one. The same tingling sensation she’d felt last night when he touched her wrist assaulted her senses. What the…

The door behind her opened and a familiar deep voice said, “Hey, beautiful.”

Feeling like she’d just been rescued from drowning, she turned toward Arden with a smile just in time for his lips to land soundly over hers.

Oh my…

Strong arms—Arden’s arms—surrounded her and she melted against him, tipping her head back to give him better access. His tongue parted her lips and slipped inside.

Her whole body reacted to his kiss, the intense longing and desire that had been floating around inside her all day flooding to the surface.

He pulled away and she blinked up at him, his dark eyes staring back down into hers. His hand cupped the back of her neck and he smiled. “I see you met my brother, Leo.”

She blinked again. “Brother?” No wonder she found Leo just as irresistible as Arden. It must run in the genes—or jeans since they both knew how to fill out a pair.

She chastised herself for noticing their matching asses—um…assets—then shot her gaze to Leo, who was watching their exchange with interest.

“Brother,” Leo repeated. He squeezed her hand—she was still holding his hand?—

then let it fall. “The brother who is wishing he hadn’t let you go last night. Leave it to Arden to rub it in by bringing you home for dinner. Not that it bothers me. Tonight it’s my turn to win you over.” With a vibrant twinkle in his eyes and that telling phrase, he entered the house.

Jill knew her eyes were probably as wide as saucers. She expected Arden to say something, stake his claim, or even make fun of his brother. Instead he turned her in his 149

Ashleigh Raine

arms so she was facing him, then kissed her again before leaning his forehead against hers. “I’m so glad you came tonight, Jill. I haven’t stopped thinking about you all day.”

“Feeling’s mutual,” she said breathlessly, her rapidly pounding heart somehow managing to stay inside her chest.

“Good…now do you mind that Leo’s here? He’ll be on his best behavior—which probably means you’ll be flirted with nonstop.” He grinned. “Not that I blame him for it, of course. But you just say the word and I’ll kick his ass to the curb.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Jill said with a laugh. “I’m sure I can handle the both of you.”

Jill waited to be struck down for that lie. What the heck was she thinking? It was one of those moments she wished she could freeze in time, dissect, and figure out exactly what to do next. Two hot men. Two brothers. And she’d be in the same house, spending the evening with both of them. Well, maybe Leo would bow out early. But it was his house, too. How could she expect him to bow out? It was too much to think about. Should she be worried? Nervous? Scared even?