Samhain Publishing

Jordan slapped at the blaring alarm clock with enough force to knock it from the nightstand onto the floor. She opened one eye and scanned the room, hoping the light infiltrating her lids had been a lamp she’d forgotten to shut off and not the sun glaring through the windows. No such luck. Where had the night gone?

In a futile attempt to block out the day, she pulled the covers over her head. Several minutes passed before the guilt finally won out and she hauled herself from the warmth of her sheets. Yawning, she tugged the curtain back, peeked outside and squinted against the sun’s glare bouncing off the fresh dusting of snow that covered the ground and most of the cars. “Great,” she grumbled. Before she could go anywhere, she’d have to clean the annoying white stuff from her truck. Oh what she’d give to move somewhere warm.

She finished climbing from the bed and headed for the bathroom. Maybe a splash of cold water would help rid the fog inside her head. If she’d been on the ball last night, she would have set the coffeepot to brew this morning. No such luck. Without a good jolt of caffeine to wake her up, she’d have to shock her system instead. Pausing at the closed door, she cocked her head to one side. Funny, she didn’t remember closing it before bed last night. Then, with Derek being here things had been a little distracting, so maybe she had and simply didn’t remember. Jordan opened the door to step inside and stopped dead in her tracks. Derek stood naked, one foot on the side of the tub as he dried off. He froze. His eyes went wide as he saw her.

She couldn’t move, couldn’t tear her gaze away from the fine specimen of a man standing in front of her. Lean legs connected to solid, well-defined abs, not quite washboard, but damn close. Her gaze continued up, following his form. Light brown hair peppered his muscular chest. A large, angry red scar marred the perfect skin on his right shoulder. Most impressive of all was the fine set of equipment now hanging at half-mast between his legs. Damn if the man wasn’t built.

“I…I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize you were in here.” She tried to look away, but her eyes wouldn’t follow commands.

“It’s okay. I probably should have locked the door.” He stared intently at her even as she watched him. When she licked her lips, he dropped the towel. She hadn’t meant to do it, she’d wanted to turn and walk away, but her legs were lead weights, keeping her rooted in place.

He moved toward her and lifted his hand to her cheek. “Do you always watch your houseguests dry off after a shower?”

She skimmed her hand along his arm, feeling the hard muscle beneath tighten. “Not usually—then none of my house guests ever looked as good as you.”

With his thumb, he angled her chin up, his lips now millimeters away from hers. “Does that mean you like what you see?”

“I do.”

Her confession pulled a low growl from him as his mouth came down over hers. Caught off balance, she stumbled backward and landed against the wall with his body pressed against hers. His damp skin smelled of fresh soap and every place he touched made Jordan’s skin tingle. She slipped her tongue between his lips and felt him suck on it. This was wrong on so many levels, but need, raw and powerful, pulled at her pussy and pushed any arguments for stopping what she hoped was about to happen right out of her head. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d wanted a man so badly.

His hand slid down her back and cupped her ass, angling her into him. The evidence of his interest pressed against her belly. God, what she wouldn’t do to have that beautiful cock between her legs. She trailed her finger up his back and gripped at his shoulders, feeling his hard muscles flexing beneath her touch. She rocked her hips against him in response, hoping against hope he wouldn’t back down now.

He broke their kiss and she opened her eyes to see him staring down at her. “Are you sure about this, Jordan?”

Her reply was to reach between them and wrap her fingers around his engorged shaft, squeezing gently. The truth was, she wasn’t sure about anything other than trying to assuage the growing ache between her legs.

He pulled her hand away, nudged her from the wall and, with a hand in hers, led her across the hallway. Before his action had time to register, he’d already moved into her room and stood with her next to the bed. He slid his hands down her body and grabbed the hem of her tee-shirt, pulling it over her head. She watched his eyes widen with what she hoped was approval. “I thought I saw nipple rings beneath this shirt last night. Very sexy, Jordan.”

His approval made her smile. “I’m glad you like.”

“Oh I like, all right.” He lowered his head and sucked gently on one nipple, his tongue rolling the tiny nub against the roof of his mouth. She gasped as ripples of pleasure raced through her body, sending another shot of juices down her already wet channel. She snaked her arm around his head, cradling it in the crook of her elbow while she played with his hair. When was the last time she’d had a man appreciate her breasts the way he was? Her brain slowly fogged over with desire, killing what was left of her thoughts. Running on sensation alone, she moaned and began backing to the bed.

She wanted nothing more than to feel him inside her, now. When he finally pulled away, she climbed onto the mattress and smiled as she rested on her knees. “Join me?” she asked, hearing the husky desire in her voice.

Without a word, Derek joined her and she felt the mattress sink beneath her as he also rested on his knees. “Tell me what you want,” he whispered as he began planting slow drugged kisses along her neck and jaw. Overwhelmed by his tender touch, she sighed and let the sensation of his kisses take over. It had been so very long since the sex had been about her pleasure she couldn’t help but relish the moment. Instead of answering him, she reached over and opened the nightstand drawer, retrieving a condom and a bottle of lube.

Derek took the condom and tossed the bottle back into the open drawer, causing her to frown. “What did you do that for?”

He mouthed along the edge of her ear, flicking his tongue over the lobe. “I’m all for being safe, honey. But I promise, by the time I’m done with you, we won’t need the lube.”