Carae's Touch (Long Line of Love, #4) Read online

"All right?"

  She leaned back against him. "I don't know...but it doesn't feel as strange or as scary as I thought it would."

  He kissed her cheek. "That's because you're with me."

  "Maybe so."

  "Maybe?"

  "Okay. It is because I'm with you."

  "That's better." He kissed the side of her neck.

  "Keep your lips to yourself and your eyes on the road, buddy," she said.

  "Blazer knows where we're going and he'll get us there safely."

  "Pay attention to where we're going," she insisted.

  "How many times do I need to remind you that I can multitask?"

  "What?"

  "I can ride Blazer and romance you at the same time."

  "Can you?"

  "Would you like me to prove it?"

  "No."

  He pressed a hand against her belly. "No?"

  "No..."

  He nibbled her neck. "No?"

  "Okay...yes," she whispered. "Yes."

  "Are you sure?"

  "No, but don't stop anyway."

  "I want you to be sure."

  "I'm not, but I'm not protesting...and that's as good as it's going to get."

  "Then that will have to do." He released the reins and unbuttoned her blouse and front fastening bra. When her breasts spilled out, he cupped them, rolling her nipples between his fingers.

  She inhaled quickly. "Oh...Brandon..." She tilted her head and pushed her breasts against his hands. "Brandon..."

  "I need you," he whispered.

  "I think you mean want."

  "I'm a reasonably intelligent, educated man. I know the difference between the two words. I said need and that's what I mean," he insisted. "I'll admit that I want you, but my needs outweigh my wants. I need you."

  "Out here?"

  "Don't knock it until you try it." He kissed her ear. "Want to?"

  "I think...yes...yes."

  Thank God. He fastened her bra but left her blouse open before he urged Blazer into a gentle trot. Ten minutes later, they arrived at one of two one-story, one-bedroom houses on Randall's property. He dismounted, reached up to lift her down, and led her to the building near a man-made pond.

  He entered a code on a keypad by the entrance. As he opened the door, the interior lights came on. He stepped back and motioned her to go inside. He followed her into the main room of the tiny house that was a combination dining and living room along with a small bar and kitchen area. "The door on your right leads to the bedroom. Would you like a drink?"

  She shook her head. "I'd like to freshen up."

  "The powder room is behind the door on your left."

  He waited until she went into the powder room before he went back outside to attend to Blazer. Then he walked into the bathroom beyond the bedroom to a small linen closet where he picked up two thick blankets and two pillows which he carried outside and spread on the ground near the right of the small building next to the pond.

  When she joined him outside, he had a bottle of chilled wine, along with two glasses and some cheese and grapes waiting for her. Noting that she'd fastened her blouse, he rose. "Join me."

  To his delighted surprise, she slowly walked towards him, unbuttoning her blouse as she did. By the time she reached him, it was open, revealing her bare breasts.

  He inhaled slowly. They were beautiful with large, dark areolas. He cupped his hands over her neck and bent his head to touch his mouth to her nipples. He kissed each tight, sweet bud before trailing his mouth up to hers. Settling his lips over hers, he kissed her slowly, while pushing her bottom and thong over her hips, past her ass, and down her body.

  She stepped out of them.

  Dragging his mouth from hers, he circled her slowly, drinking in her lush loveliness. In addition to her sweet, suckable breasts, she possessed a firm, round ass, and an intriguing triangle of hair he longed to explore between her long, sexy legs. "Damn, you're even more beautiful nude than I imagined you'd be."

  "Thanks, sweetie, but this isn't exactly the first time you've had access to all my assets up close and personal."

  He shook his head. "I told you I don't remember the other time. For me, this is the first time and you don't disappoint."

  "What is this penchant you have for always being so distressingly overdressed?"

  "You want me nude?"

  She nodded. "I have from the moment I saw you."

  He removed his shirt and tossed it aside.

  Her warm, brown gaze seemed to caress his shoulders and chest, making him thankful for the years he'd spent watching what he ate and exercising.

  "Nice," she said, allowing her gaze to slide over his chest down to his abs. "What else you got?"

  Already semi-erect, he kicked off his shoes, removed his socks, and then his jeans and briefs.

  She moistened her lips and stared at his cock and balls.

  "Satisfied?" he asked.

  She stared several moments longer before she raised her gaze to his. "Oh, lord. You are so big."

  "I'll get even bigger and a lot harder with a little encouragement from you."

  She stepped closer, leaning against him with her head tilted back and her lips parted.

  He bent his head and kissed her slowly.

  Moaning softly against his lips, she slipped a hand between their bodies to slide down his abs to his groin.

  It seemed an eternity since he'd enjoyed a woman's intimate touch. He groaned, feeling a jolt of need and desire as she cupped one hand over his nuts while stroking the fingertips of her other hand along the underside of his cock. He pushed his hips forward.

  She pumped him slowly and accepted his thrusting tongue between her soft, warm lips.

  He kissed her eagerly, sliding his palms along her back to cup her warm ass cheeks. Within a few minutes the need to draw her down to the blankets and ravish her made him burn. Instead, he kissed a path from her mouth to her breasts. Bringing his hands up from her ass to her waist, he tongued each breast until her nipples pebbled. Then he trailed his mouth down to rub his cheek against her belly on his way to nibbling her clit.

  "Oooh..." She arched her back, pressing herself against his mouth.

  He dragged his tongue along her slit, closing his eyes to more fully enjoy her scent. It intoxicated him, sending his senses reeling.

  He lapped at her slit several times before slipping his tongue inside her. She was wet and ready. Ecstasy would be to push deep into her and fuck her hard and fast.

  But he'd probably already done that twice before and failed to make a favorable impression. This time he had to do it the right way.

  Stroking one hand down from her waist, he gently parted her slit and pushed his tongue inside the wet warmth of her pussy.

  "Oooh...yes," she moaned.

  Settling both palms over her rear-end, he ate her slowly until she shivered uncontrollably. Then he drew her down onto the blankets. "Lift your hips, sweet."

  She obeyed.

  He eased one of the pillows under them.

  She parted her legs.

  He lay between them and slipping two fingers into her, he ate her slowly; savoring the taste and aroma of her pussy. When she moaned and came, he struggled to suppress the urge to rise and thrust into her.

  He contented himself with lapping up her cream before finally rising to position himself between her legs.

  She opened her eyes and stared up at him. "Brandon...sweetie..."

  "I need you," he whispered, rubbing himself against her.

  She pulled the band from his hair. As it fell around his face, she reached down to close her fingers around him.

  He considered reaching for his pants to retrieve one of the two condoms in his wallet only to reject the impulse almost immediately. He'd wear one if she insisted. When she didn't, he kissed her.

  With her fingers wrapped around him, she rubbed his cock against her slit before pushing her hips off the pillow.

  He felt his cock against her and then that firs
t sweet sensation as he slid between her slit and inside her. Oh God. He closed his eyes and lay still, breathing deeply and relishing finally being where he'd wanted and needed to be from the moment he first saw her.

  Beyond the expected physical satisfaction, he experienced a feeling of calmness he hadn't felt since Rissa's death. The strength of the resulting emotions nearly overwhelmed him. Having ensured she'd already come, he longed to ravish her. But resisted the urge. He wanted the first time that he could actually remember to be more about her than him.

  So, struggling to keep the focus on her satisfaction, he kissed her slowly and caressed her for several moments before finally beginning to move inside her. He relished the sweet, tight heat that not only sent jolts of pleasure sizzling through his cock, but his entire body.

  He lost himself almost completely in her. Although he ached to fuck her, he kept his movements slow and measured; his kisses long and deep.

  She rewarded him by welcoming each stroke of his cock deep inside her sweet pussy and returning his kisses and caresses with a hunger that matched and complimented his own. When he was close to coming, he reached between their bodies to rub and stroke her clit, determined not to come until she had.

  When he finally felt the contractions around his shaft and knew she was coming, he slid his hands under her ass, buried his lips against her ear and neck, and whispered to her as he filled her pussy with jet after jet of his seed before collapsing on top of her.

  She pressed a soft kiss against his face before she held him in her arms.

  Feeling far more sated than he'd ever felt before, his inclination was to roll off her and fall asleep. Instead, remaining inside her, he turned onto his back. He kissed her and gently stroked and caressed her, whispering that he adored her until she finally fell asleep lying on top of him. Only then did he pull the cover up over their bodies and finally surrendered to the urge to sleep himself.

  He woke several hours later alone on the blanket with the cover draped over his waist. Blazer stood near the pond. The door to the building was open. Kicking the cover aside, he rose, pulled on his briefs and trousers and walked over to pat Blazer's flank before going inside.

  He found Carae, fully dressed, staring at her reflection in the mirror on the door of the bath beyond the bedroom.

  Satisfied that she was okay, he walked back outside to saddle Blazer and then returned inside. She stood still staring at her reflection. "Are you all right?" He asked, standing just behind her.

  She briefly met his gaze in the mirror and nodded. "Yes." She turned and started pass him.

  He caught her hand, turning her to face him. "Then what's your hurry?"

  "Hurry? I've been waiting for you to wake for nearly an hour and a half."

  "Why didn't you wake me?"

  "I tried, but you didn't respond. It's been a long day. Now that you're awake, I'm ready to go home." She attempted to pull her hand from his.

  He tightened his grip. "Your haste to go home isn't very flattering. Let me guess, you didn't enjoy the third time any more than you did the first two?"

  She shook her head. "If I had found the first two times half as unpleasant as you seem to think I did, there wouldn't have been a third time."

  "But you said...you implied—"

  "I was angry."

  "That's no reason to make a man doubt his sexual prowess, Carae."

  "I doubt you did that, Brandon."

  He caressed her cheek. "I thought we'd agreed that I'd drive you home early Monday morning."

  "No. We didn't, but even if we had, I want to go home now."

  "And I want you to stay," he said, bending his head to kiss her cheek. "You will stay until Monday. Won't you?"

  She leaned against him. "Yes," she whispered.

  He put his arm around her. "Thank you."

  She looked up at him.

  He saw the uncertainty in her gaze and knew she needed reassurance. "I adore you," he said. "You know that. Don't you?"

  "I know you say you do."

  "I've never had to lie to get what I wanted from a woman," he said, annoyed.

  She shook her head. "Adoration is nice, but it's not enough."

  Women! Why the hell did they always insist on more than a man was prepared to admit before he was ready to admit it? "What do you want, Carae? You want me to profess emotions I may or may not feel?"

  She pulled away from him. "Which is it, Brandon? Do you or don't you feel them?"

  Why the hell did he bother trying to please or understand her when she was so clearly determined not to be pleased or understood? Probably because she was the only woman who'd been equal to the task of making life without Rissa seem worth living. He caressed her cheek. "I don't know. That's why I asked for your patience and understanding. Is that really too much to ask?"

  "I can't wait indefinitely for you to decide how you feel."

  "Is there something you want to tell me, Carae?"

  She recoiled and slapped his hand away from her cheek. "Yes! Don't try to invade my thoughts. If there's something I want or need to tell you, I'll do it in my own way and own time."

  "Let's not argue."

  "I have no desire to argue or to settle for less than I want, need or desire from you."

  He caught her hand and raised it to his lips. "I understand. Now can we agree to spend the rest of the weekend together just getting to know each other and deciding how long it will take you to whip me into shape?"

  She laughed but quickly sobered. "Do you want to be whipped into shape, Brandon?"

  He nodded. "Absolutely, but only by you."

  "I wished you loved me."

  How the hell was he supposed to respond without getting himself into more trouble than he was ready to handle? "Are you in love with me?"

  "I easily could be."

  "So could I. As I’ve already told you, I'm probably already in love with you. I know you're not exactly happy with that answer, but can we please leave it at that for now?"

  "Do I have a choice?"

  "Yes. You can insist I say what you want to hear or go to hell, but I hope you won't."

  "And if I did? Which would you do?"

  He sighed. "Are you insisting, Carae?"

  "I should. I really should." She shook her head. "But I'm not—at least not yet."

  Relieved, he bent his head and kissed her.

  She responded warmly, parting her lips and curling her fingers in his hair before dancing away from him. Following her outside, he gathered the blankets, cover, and pillows and the hamper. After taking them inside, he turned off the lights and locked the building.

  He came to an abrupt stop. Carae sat astride Blazer, smiling at him. "Don't look so surprised, sweetie. While you were sleeping the sleep of the sexually sated, Blazer and I were getting better acquainted." She paused. "You were sated. Weren't you?"

  "Oh, yes."

  "Good."

  "And you?"

  She nodded, smiling at him.

  "I'm delighted to hear it." He mounted Blazer, settling behind her. "How would you like to spend the rest of the night?"

  "It's been a long, eventful day. I want to go home and just relax."

  "By home you mean to my place. Yes?"

  "Yes," she said.

  They made the return drive to his condo in silence. When they arrived, the aroma of food greeted them. Frowning, he walked through the condo to the kitchen where he saw several warming trays on the kitchen island. A folded piece of paper rested on the top.

  He opened it, smiling as he read.

  Randall told me you went for a ride. I thought you might be hungry when you returned. Enjoy. Croft.

  "Something smells wonderful," Carae said, entering the kitchen.

  "Complements of Croft," he said, lifting the lids. "Let's see. This looks like...Fish Milanese...this is some type of Cornish Hen...a steak dish...roasted vegetables...and chocolate cheesecake of some sort. Hungry?"

  "Starving," she said, getting plates from the cab
inet. "Bancroft is priceless. I just might have to turn my romantic attention to him." She laughed. When he didn't respond, she turned to look at him. "I was joking, Brandon. You must know that I have no more interest in him than he has in me."

  "He's a far better catch than I am."

  She shook her head. "Not for me. For me there's only one Grayhawk worth a second look and I'm looking at him now."

  He stroked her cheek. "I don't know what I did to deserve you, but I'm so grateful you feel that way."

  "I do. Now let's eat and then I want to fall asleep in your arms."

  "Is that all you want to do in my arms?"

  "Yes," she said firmly. "That's all."

  "Why?"

  "Because you never use a condom."

  "I will if you insist."

  "You're supposedly a reasonably intelligent, educated man. I shouldn't have to insist."

  He couldn't argue with her logic. "I'll use a condom."

  "Not tonight you won't."

  Great. He had another long, sexless night to suffer through.

  They took their food out to the balcony.

  He turned on his stereo and they ate in silence. Afterwards, she smiled at him. "Dance with me, sweetie?"

  "My pleasure," he said rising and urging her to her feet.

  She melted into his embrace, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder.

  Mindful that they would not be making love that night, he took care to keep his lower body from intimate contact with hers. They danced until she yawned and burrowed closer. "Let's go to sleep, sweetie."

  Although sleep was the last thing on his mind, he nodded and they went inside to his bedroom. He took a quick, cool shower before joining her in bed wearing a pair of pajama bottoms.

  The moment he settled beside her, she cuddled close, laying a hand almost possessively on his chest while keeping her body pressed against the side of his.

  Damn it was going to be an endless night. Long after she slept, he lay awake beside her. When the desire to make love to her proved difficult to overcome, he slipped out of bed. Getting a bottle of water from the refrigerator, he went to sit on the balcony. Staring up at the stars, he allowed his thoughts to turn to Rissa. After what felt like a long time, he realized that the pain that usually overwhelmed him when he thought of her was bearable. As was the pain of knowing that she had been unfaithful after they'd agreed to see each other exclusively.