Tender Kisses (13 page)

“I'm trying, but it's hard.”

“I know it is. It took some time for me to find some balance. But a decade later, I'm better, and hopefully wiser. If there's anything I can do to help—whether you want me to listen or just hold you—I'll do it.”

“Thank you.”

He rose, kissed her temple and returned to his chair. They finished their dinner without speaking, both lost in thought. Afterward, he sat and held her.

An idea came to him. He knew exactly what she needed to help her relax. He smiled. This was going to be good.

Chapter 13

S
iobhan ran from the bathroom to catch her ringing phone, thinking it was Justin. “Ow!” She let out a loud groan when her foot connected with the edge of the nightstand. Biting back another moan, she lifted the receiver.

“Girl, I haven't talked to you since the party,” Kendra said after Siobhan's greeting.

“I know. Hopefully nothing else happens, and we can meet for lunch this week.” She sat on the side of the bed and rubbed her aching foot.

“What are you doing tonight?”

“Justin is picking me up in an hour, and we're having dinner at his house.”

Kendra screamed. “You've been holding out on us! Hold on, hold on.”

“Kendra? Kendra?” She shook her head.

“Hello?”

“Cynthia?” Siobhan said.

“Yeah. Siobhan, what's going on?”

“Siobhan's getting her groove back with Justin—that's what's going on,” Kendra cut in. “Tell us everything, and don't leave anything out.”

“Ooh, so you guys
are
dating,” Cynthia said. “You should have seen them at your party, Kendra. Justin has it bad for Siobhan.”

“Oh, brother.” Siobhan repeated what she had told Morgan about their weekend, but had to stop every other sentence because Kendra kept asking questions.

“Ooh wee, kidnapped,” Cynthia squealed. “That is so romantic.”

Kendra whistled. “So how was the sex?”

“Who said we slept together?” Siobhan asked.

“Just answer the question. We know you did. It must have felt real good to dust the cobwebs off.”

“Really, Kendra? Dust the cobwebs off?”

Cynthia laughed. “Well, it has been a while for you, girl, so...”

“It was good—better than good,” she confessed.

“I knew it. I told you that night at the gala,” Kendra boasted. “Cynthia, he's coming to pick her up for dinner
at his place
.”

“He takes you on a whirlwind trip to Vegas and to see a show featuring one of your favorite musical artists, all from a conversation,
and
he cooks? Siobhan, Justin sounds like a keeper.”

Admittedly, the man was setting the bar pretty high, but she wouldn't say he was a keeper, at least not yet. Siobhan couldn't wait to see what he whipped up for dinner tonight. She gasped. “I have to go. Justin is going to be here in ten minutes, and I'm not even dressed.”

“Have fun,” Cynthia and Kendra chorused.

“And we'll be waiting to hear the details next week at lunch,” Kendra added.

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” She hung up and dashed around the room getting dressed. Her foot was still hurting, and she had to change shoes at the last minute. In the bathroom, she applied moisturizer to her natural curls and checked her makeup. The doorbell rang promptly at five, the time he'd told her he would arrive. She liked a man with good time management skills.

She opened the door. “Hey, come on in.”

Justin entered and kissed her. “How was the rest of the week?”

Siobhan laughed. He was as bad as Brandon. “Busy, but I was out of the office by seven, at the latest.”

“Glad to hear it.”

“Let's go,” she said with a shake of her head and walked out the door.

He placed his hand over his heart. “I'm just trying to do my part to keep you from working yourself to death.”

She rolled her eyes. “Whatever, Justin.” But she was smiling.

They chatted amicably during the drive, and Siobhan hid her surprise when he took her to one of the more upscale neighborhoods. He had mentioned having a couple of safety products on the market, and by the looks of his home, they had to be performing well. He parked in the circular driveway and shut off the engine.

“Well, this is it.”

“How long have you lived here?”

“Almost five years,” he answered, getting out of the car and coming around to her side.

Siobhan was confused. From their conversation at her house last week, she estimated Justin's age to be somewhere around thirty-four, which meant that he had purchased the house before he turned thirty. Her curiosity peaked when he opened the door and her feet touched the glossy natural maple hardwood floor. He had an open layout, and each room flowed seamlessly into the next one. She walked over and ran her hand across the unique stone fireplace in the family room. “This is beautiful.”

“Thanks. I'll give you a tour and then start dinner.”

She followed him through the stunning home with four bedrooms, each with a private bath, and she saw two additional half baths—one off the kitchen and the other near the door leading to the backyard. The exquisitely crafted master retreat had a sitting area, fireplace and a luxurious spa-like bath. “Were you married before?”

Justin's brow lifted, and he folded his arms across his chest. “No.”

“You've lived in this huge house by yourself this entire time?”

“Yes,” he answered with a chuckle.

“It's kind of large for just one person.”

“I could say the same about yours.”

“No. I only have three bedrooms and nowhere near the square footage of this place. Besides, I have four siblings, and one or all of them might end up staying the night.”

“Same here. In fact, that second bedroom with all the purple is Jocelyn's. She claimed it two months after I moved in and spends parts of the summer here.”

“So, what's for dinner?”

He burst out laughing. “Woman, you can change a subject on a dime.” He led Siobhan to the kitchen and directed her to a stool at the bar. “We're having steaks, corn with chili lime butter roasted in the husk, some sliced potatoes and a salad. Everything will be cooked on the grill except the salad.”

“Ooh, that sounds delicious. What do you want me to do?”

“Sit your beautiful self right there and keep me company.” He pointed to a stool. “Would you like a glass of wine?”

“Sure.”

“I have a sauvignon blanc, Chardonnay or Merlot.”

“Merlot, please.”

Justin poured them each a glass and went about the dinner preparations. Once the food had been placed on the grill, they relaxed with their wine on the deck.

Over dinner, they talked more about their childhoods and respective jobs. He shared openly about developing video games in college with his friend and working his first job at a software company. Siobhan's conversation around her job stayed very general because she had withheld her true identity, a fact that had begun to bother her more and more.

Later, he stood and extended his hand. “Come sit with me.” They moved from the table to a lounger, and Justin pulled her down onto his lap. He tightened his arms around her and kissed the side of her neck. “I've been waiting to hold you all night.” He shifted her until she lay in the crook of his arm and slanted his mouth over hers. “I like the T-shirt, but I like what's under it even more,” he whispered against her lips. She had worn the T-shirt he'd bought in Vegas.

His hand searched under her shirt and bra, baring her breasts to the cool evening air. Siobhan sucked in a sharp breath at the contrasting warmth of his tongue circling and teasing first one nipple then the other. His hand left her breasts and made a path down her front, where he unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans and slipped his hand inside her panties. She squirmed and writhed against the solid bulge beneath her bottom, wanting and needing to get closer to him. She pushed his shirt up and trailed her fingers over the smooth wall of muscles in his abs and chest.

Justin stilled her hips. “Not right now,” he husked out.

Siobhan left his lap and planted her hands on her hips. “Then stop playing and make love to me.”

“Whatever the lady wants.” Taking her by the hand, he led her to his darkened bedroom. “Stand right here.”

“Are you going to turn on the lights? And what are you doing?” she asked. She could barely make him out in the shadows kneeling on the other side of the room.

“Patience, baby.”

A moment later the ceiling was flooded with tiny white lights resembling the night sky filled with stars. In one corner sat a larger dim light that she guessed was supposed to be the moon. She gasped and brought her hand to her mouth. “I don't believe it,” she said, turning in a slow circle. “How did you...? Why did you...?”

Justin came and stood in front of her, resting his hands on her waist. “Remember after the movie—black velvet night, millions of stars in the sky, the moonlight playing over your naked body and—” he pressed the button on a remote in his hand “—the sounds of the waves crashing against the shore. Since I couldn't coax you outdoors, I decided to bring the beach inside.”

The sounds of the ocean filtered into the room through hidden speakers. “I don't know what to say. It's...it's
wonderful
. I can't believe you went through all this fuss just for...sex.”

He framed her face and rested his forehead against hers. “It's not
just sex
, Siobhan. Not anymore. It's something else, something different. You feel it, don't you?”

Siobhan closed her eyes, clenched her teeth and tried to shove the truth of his words to the side.
No!
She didn't want to
feel
. Allowing feelings always ended with her heart being shattered.

“Tell me I'm not the only one, baby. I need to hear you say it.”

“No, you're not,” she finally confessed. She heard his sigh of relief at the same time he slanted his mouth over hers in a scorching kiss that left her aching with need.

Justin divested Siobhan of her clothes in a matter of seconds, pulled back the covers and lowered her to the bed.

The magical kisses started again, and she held his head in place, taking control and devouring his mouth.

He shuddered and broke off the kiss, his breathing ragged. “Be right back. I need one more thing.” She moaned in frustration, and he chuckled.

He came back a few minutes later with a small bottle of honey. Siobhan sat up. “What are you going to do with that?”

A wicked grin covered his mouth. “I'm going to pour this all over your body and lick off. Every. Drop.”

Her heart skipped a beat, and her clit pulsed.

Justin placed the bottle on the nightstand, removed his clothes and donned a condom. He climbed onto the bed and reached for the bottle.

She watched as he poured a small amount on his finger and smeared it on her lips. He leaned forward and swiped his tongue from one corner to the other. Siobhan captured his tongue and sucked hard, tasting the sweetness of the honey mixed with remnants of the wine and making him groan. He lifted the bottle and drizzled the warm liquid over her breasts, belly and at the juncture of her thighs. Slowly, meticulously, he charted a path with his tongue, pausing to torment the sensitive peaks of her nipples and continuing to her belly button.

“Mmm. You taste so good.”

Siobhan had never experienced such intense sensations and couldn't stop the moans spilling from her lips. Each tantalizing lick and suckle had every nerve ending in her body tingling. His tongue made one long swipe across her clit. She cried out, and her hips flew off the bed.

“And so damn sweet,” Justin murmured as he plunged his skilled tongue deep inside.

She trembled and gyrated her hips to his erotic rhythm. His tongue moved faster while his thumb circled the tiny nub. She felt her body tense, and seconds later she screamed as bolts of ecstasy shot through her. She shuddered uncontrollably. Justin moved up her body and entered her with one driving thrust. She arched up to meet him and wrapped her legs around his waist. He delved deeper with each measured stroke. Needing him to move faster, she squeezed her muscles around his shaft.

His breath hissed out of him. “Don't do that.”

“Faster,” she panted.

His eyes flashed, and he increased the pace. “Is this what you want?”

“Yesss.”
She clutched his back and tightened her legs around him.

“What about this?” Justin pulled out, flipped her over and up on all fours, then thrust back inside.

He plunged into her and she threw her hips back, matching his fluid movements. The tension built in her again and she came wildly, explosively.

Justin followed her over the edge with a loud shout. “Siobhan!” he called almost reverently. He placed a kiss in the center of her back and drew them down to the bed.

It took several minutes for their breathing to slow. The sounds of the ocean filtered into her consciousness. Siobhan chuckled tiredly. “I totally forgot about those ocean sounds.”

She felt the low rumble of Justin's laughter against her back. “So did I, but then again, the only sounds I wanted to hear were your screams of passion.”

She had certainly made lots of those. She was amazed by what he had done, and secretly pleased, but it complicated things. All her efforts to remain emotionally distant weren't working. She stared up at the twinkling lights and lost another piece of her heart.

* * *

Justin propped up on his elbow next to Siobhan, still in awe of their lovemaking. His gaze roamed over her naked body. Just as he'd anticipated, the subtle lighting shimmering on her satiny skin made for an alluring picture. He watched the rise and fall of her chest as she slept. Her features were relaxed, and a slight smile played around the corners of her mouth. He lay back on the pillow and stared at the ceiling. He had tried to keep it about the physical, but the insistent tug on his heart wouldn't allow it. But was he ready for a serious commitment? He sighed heavily. He had to decide what he wanted, and soon, because the last thing he needed to do was hurt Siobhan. He closed his eyes and snuggled closer to her.

He dozed off and woke to the feeling of something dripping on his chest. Siobhan sat on her knees with a seductive smile, holding the bottle of honey. She dragged her finger through the sticky puddle and, holding his eyes, slowly sucked it into her mouth. Justin muttered a curse.