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hair into a natural disaster area, but last night she d seen herself through Beck s eyes & and she d been beautiful. Beside her, Beck stirred and the sheet pulled taut between them, rolling her closer to the decadent, intense heat of his body. Feeling daring, Skye put her hand on the smooth, hard plane of his lower back, just above the sexy dip at the top of his ass. His skin was fine-grained beneath her fingers, like polished wood, but with the living, breathing beat of his heart pounding through it. In books, people always seemed to look different when asleep more innocent, or younger. But Beck seemed the same to her: a silent, immovable statue. A mystery. Even his tattoo & squinting in the dim morning light filtering in from the high window above her desk, Skye cocked her head to try to make it out. It was on the shoulder Beck slept on, and he had his right arm pillowing his head, which twisted the tat and pressed part of it into the mattress. Flicking a glance over Beck s sleeping face, Skye carefully sat up on her knees and put a hand on Beck s top shoulder. Exerting gentle pressure, she tried to get him to turn over on his stomach so she could get a better look at the swirling pattern of dark blue lines radiating out from his right shoulder blade. They almost looked like words & Skye meeped as the immovable statue suddenly moved. Without warning, between blinks, Skye was on her back staring up at Beck s fully awake face, both her wrists imprisoned in his large fists and pressed to the mattress on either side of her head. For one, terrifying heartbeat, she stared up into black eyes that held no light of recognition. But then her heart pounded out another beat, kicking painfully at her chest, and Beck blinked. His whole face changed a slow grin crinkled the skin at the corners of eyes that now sparked with desire, amusement, affection. Can I help you with something? His morning-rough voice reverberated through her ribcage where they were pressed so tightly together. His weight, which had been crushing in that first instant, was still heavy but now she felt safe, sheltered, coccooned. For some reason, the words I wanted to see your tattoo wouldn t come out. Feeling an embarrassed flush spread over her skin, Skye flexed her wrists in his grip and said, Just wondering if you wanted coffee or something before we have to get back to the competition kitchen. The hold on her arms had turned into a caress, more than anything. His thumbs brushed back and forth over her pulse points in a hypnotic rhythm. I want something before we go & but it isn t coffee. Giddy delight burbled up in Skye s chest. It came out as a breathless laugh, and she squirmed beneath him, loving the rasp of his body hair against her skin, the power of his heavy chest trapping her between the ancient futon and the vivid sensations overtaking her. Beck s hands trailed down her arms and over her breasts as he moved down the center line of her body, fingers following the shape of her, mouth searching out her sensitive places as if it had been just a day, instead of ten years, since they d last woken up together. As he kissed his way over her stomach, Skye fought the urge to suck in. To distract herself, she concentrated on the sensation, the contrast of his soft lips with the scratchy stubble of beard rasping at her skin. He kept going down, down, his hands moving to part her thighs as he lay between them, and Skye nearly lost it. She knew what he was about to do, and she d never been comfortable with it. Even when they were together before, they d get to this point and she d laugh, or pull away and detour him with kisses until he forgot about putting his mouth & down there. There was just something so vulnerable about it. So exposed. But as he pressed a gentle kiss to the crest of pale curls at the top of her mound, he flicked his eyes up to hers as if to say, Is this okay? It wasn t. At least, not yet. But Skye wanted it to be. She didn t want to be the sort of woman who backed away from pleasure, from life anymore. She gave him a short nod. Then she closed her eyes, because it had to be easier to let go and feel if she wasn t staring at his dark head moving between her thighs. But at the first slow, easy glide of his tongue, Skye s eyes flew open. Just as she remembered, the sensation was intense, a sharp jangling of nerves that couldn t quite tell pleasure from pain. She tensed, but Beck didn t stop. He licked her again. Not too fast, not too hard, and her nerves settled down. All it took was one more light swipe against the slickening folds of her sex for her nerves to be entirely sure & this was pleasure. Shockwaves of pleasure rolling through her in great bursts, like thunder shaking her mind to pieces until she lost herself, her worries, her fears everything but this moment and the man cradling her climax between his hands. She cried out mindlessly, again and again, until the hoarse sound of her own voice was all she could hear. Time stopped. Her heart stopped. Everything stopped except the relentless coil of feeling at the base of her spine, the knot of sensation between her legs pulling tighter and tighter and tighter until it burst in a shower of sparks. Breath, sight, pulse & everything came back to her slowly while Beck turned his face to the soft skin of her inner thigh and sucked up another red mark to match the one she could still feel throbbing on her throat. She couldn t speak yet, didn t have the brain power to form words, but as soon as she could lift her arms, she got one hand into Beck s thick, brown hair and tugged lightly, urging him up beside her. He gave her a smile, like dawn breaking over the bay, and said, God, I missed the taste of you. And & apparently her ability to feel complex emotions like embarrassment was back online. Embarrassment mixed with delight, actually, which was beyond complex. It was downright confusing. I missed you, she said honestly, forcing herself to meet his penetrating gaze. Something flared in the depths of his eyes, and he licked his lips, almost as if he were nervous. Skye. He hesitated, and her heart picked up speed. Do you think, when the competition is all over, maybe we He broke off abruptly, his entire body going still. Heart in her mouth, Skye poked him in the shoulder. What? What about us? But instead of finishing his question, Beck shot off the futon and landed on his feet in a single, powerful rush of controlled strength. Feet braced apart, hands cupped loosely, arms ready he looked like he expected an army to come marching through her office door any second. Before she could try to bring his attention back to what might happen after the RSC, there was a muffled thump from the kitchen. Clutching the blanket to her breasts, Skye sat up. Another thump, this time closer to the office door, and Skye s blood turned to ice water when the sound was accompanied by a familiar masculine voice. Ow! Damn it. Is anyone here? It couldn t be, she told herself frantically as she scrambled off the bed and wrapped the blanket around her body like a toga. He was in Africa. Burkina Faso. He couldn t be here, in the Queenie Pie kitchen, on the other side of that door. He couldn t be. But he was. The door opened, and Jeremiah Raleigh walked in. Chapter 24 Beck s mind automatically scanned and catalogued the threat: white male, early thirties, approximately six foot two, a hundred and ninety pounds. In good physical condition, moved like he knew how to handle himself. When the intruder stopped stock-still just inside the door and blinked in the darkness of the office, Beck noted his darkly tanned skin and shiny hair, light at the tips as if he d bleached it that way. But [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |