As the ripples undulated through her, she was reduced to a litany of Yes, yes, yes, yes. Oh, yes.
DEV MAINTAINED HIS RHYTHM until her last tremor died away. He was a man in the grip of a fantasy, in bed with a woman he’d thought was an innocent nymph, a woman who’d turned out to be more seductive than even she knew.
Braced on his forearms, he let his hot gaze roam over her as he slowed the pace, fascinated by the effect of each thrust. He watched her change in expression and the shimmy of her br**sts only partly cupped by red leather. He watched the slide of his penis until it disappeared within that riot of drenched red curls. He watched as his dark strands mingled with flame.
If only this fantasy could go on forever, but he was fast approaching his limits. He thought he could make her come again, though, and that was a prize worth going for. Shifting his weight to his left arm, he paused in midstroke and reached down to swirl his thumb over her trigger point. Sure enough, she began to quiver.
Looking into her eyes, he rubbed gently as he continued to thrust. “Can…you?”
“Mmm.” Her green eyes darkened to jade.
“Yes?” He hoped she’d be able to come soon. His cli**x was bearing down on him like a 747 approaching the runway at O’Hare. Soon he’d have no choice but to land that sucker.
Her breath quickened and she nodded.
Ah, she felt so good. And he was too close, probably closer than she was. He might not last. Unless… It took a fair share of willpower, but he eased his penis free and slid down until his head was between her thighs. Her gasp of surprise pleased him. He liked being a step ahead.
No point in wasting time being hesitant, in case she might feel shy and try to stop him. He was on a mission and he took control, treating her to a thorough tongue bath. He loved his work. And from her response, she did, too. Before long she was making those wild cli**x noises and shuddering in his arms.
He let her play it out, and then he reclaimed his position. Locking his gaze with hers, he thrust deep inside her. Ah, yes. This would be something. This would be unreal. Yes. Yes. Spasms shook him from his scalp to the bottoms of his feet, taking away thought and speech. For long moments he hung above her, semiconscious, barely able to support himself on his braced arms as his body jerked with aftershocks.
Finally he was able to focus again, and he gazed down at her in wonder. Who would have thought that she’d be the one to give him the most incredible cli**x of his whole sexual life?
She cupped his face in both hands. “Are you…okay?”
Still not up to speaking, he nodded.
“Would you…like some coffee, now?”
He smiled inside, but his muscles were still quivering too much for him to risk a real smile. After all that, she still wanted to be a good hostess. He could fall for this woman if he wasn’t careful.
He licked his dry lips, tried to speak and had to clear his throat. Still, his voice sounded as if he’d been on the floor of the stock exchange all day. “Anything you have to offer, girl, I’ll take.”
JAMIE KISSED Dev goodbye at her door sometime after three in the morning. They’d already made plans for the next night. She went back to bed, trying to keep her promise to Dev that she’d get some sleep. But the bed was where they’d made love…three times. She lay in the dark, eyes wide, and remembered.
Every once in a while her brain shifted from all those hot memories and wandered into what-if territory. What if this was only a fling for Dev? What if it was more than a fling? What if Dev was on the rebound? What if he wasn’t? But mostly her what-ifs centered around one question: what if she hadn’t been trying out patchouli oil and leather lingerie?
Throwing back the covers, she climbed out of bed. After he’d left she’d put on her flannel granny gown. If she’d been wearing that under her white bathrobe, she never would have let him kiss her. You didn’t kiss a guy like Dev wearing a flannel granny gown.
In the living room she turned on her computer instead of a light. All she needed was on the screen, anyway. She opened the Hot Commodity file, which now included Dev’s questionnaire, and started to read. Grabbing the pen next to the computer, she started making notes. An hour later she went back to bed and dreamed of black lace and dangling ruby pendants.
THE NEXT MORNING as she boarded the bus for downtown, she seriously considered going in the back entrance and sneaking up to her office instead of meeting everyone for coffee. Everyone would include Dev. He’d already told her he’d be there. She wanted to see him so bad her teeth ached, but on the other hand, she would hardly be wearing leather to the office. When he came face-to-face with her ordinary self, he might reconsider.
Yet if she chickened out, she’d get the third degree from Faith. During the bus ride she came up with her only alternative. She wasn’t sure she could pull it off, but she’d braved her way through the leather incident with outstanding results. She ought to be able to take the game a step further.
Faith, Dixie and Dev were already at the table when she walked in through the main entrance. When Faith waved, she waved back, but her heart was beating so fast she wondered if she’d pass out before she made it over to the table. Dev gave her one long, slow glance. Then he smiled.
One smile and she was a basket case. Maybe she couldn’t complete the routine she had in mind, after all. But it seemed like a surefire way to keep him interested. She’d read his questionnaire answers. She knew what she had to do.
“How’s everyone this morning?” she asked as she took off her scarf and coat to hang them over the back of the chair. Today Faith sat on one side of Dev and Dixie on the other, so Jamie ended up across from him. She’d chosen a black pantsuit with a snug fit, the best she could do under the circumstances. “Everyone sleep well?”
“Not really,” Dev said.
“Poor baby.” Faith patted his arm. “Worried about quarterly earnings already, I’ll bet.”
“I slept like a top,” Dixie said. “Flannel sheets are God’s gift to the single woman on a cold winter’s night.”
“I think something’s wrong with the thermostat in my apartment.” Jamie couldn’t risk looking at Dev. “I was hot all night.” She glanced up at Mr. Willis instead, who had appeared with her coffee. “Thank you so much.”
“My pleasure.” Mr. Willis’s gaze circled the table. “Does anyone care for anything more?”
“A foot warmer for these long winter nights,” Dixie said with a wink.
Mr. Willis blinked. “I beg your pardon?”
Dixie laughed. “Just kidding, Alfred.” After he left she leaned forward. “I can’t resist teasing him a little. I wonder if anything would loosen him up.”
“I don’t know, but that starched routine of his is great for business,” Faith said. “People love to hear him talk.” Then she turned to Jamie. “Get the super to fix that thermostat for you. Next thing you know, your utility bill will be through the roof.”
Jamie flicked a glance in Dev’s direction. “I will, but the heat was kind of nice. I put all my summer clothes in storage in the basement, though, and I don’t want to drag them out. So just in case I can’t get it fixed, I’m going to buy a couple of negligees from Sheer Delights this morning.”
Dixie smiled, obviously pleased. “I never thought I’d see the day. Sugar, please don’t tell me you want some ankle-length number that buttons up to your neck. Make Dixie happy and take home a sexy outfit for a change.”
Dixie was playing right into her hands. Jamie sighed, as if giving in to the inevitable. “Oh, okay. If you insist. I’ll try on that black lace set you’ve been raving about.”
“Oo, la, la!” Dixie rolled her eyes. “With your red hair, you’ll look fabulous in that one.” She pushed back her chair. “Bring your coffee and come on up. I can’t wait to see what you look like in it.”
“Why not?” Jamie’s pulse raced and she chanced one more look in Dev’s direction. “See you all later.”
Dev’s blue eyes smoldered. “You bet.”
As she left the table and followed Dixie to the stairs, she felt an uncharacteristic impulse to sway her h*ps as she walked. So she did, just a little. With luck, Dev was watching. With even more luck, he’d just swallowed his tongue.
DEV FOUND HIMSELF in a trap of his own making. As the days of anticipation and the nights of incredible pleasure went by, he knew Jamie was using the information on his questionnaire to spice up their encounters. More than once he’d started to tell her that he’d faked every last answer to confuse potential matchmakers. But he didn’t have the heart, because she was…blossoming.
The night she’d made love to him wearing only the ruby pendant she’d temporarily borrowed from The Diamond Mine, she’d admitted having no idea how sensuous a piece of fine jewelry could feel when you were nak*d. He’d had a little trouble working around the cumbersome necklace, and it had nearly put his eye out during one particular maneuver. But Jamie had been so turned on by the concept that, in the end, he’d been turned on by it, too.
By now he’d forgotten half the things he’d said on the questionnaire, but Jamie had it permanently recorded on a computer disk and she seemed determined to work in every sexual preference she thought he had. He found himself longing for the simple woman in the jeans and sweatshirt, but Jamie apparently had left that woman in the dust.