Close Up (18 page)

“I can do that.” He collected some water in his cupped palms, then ran them over her breasts, removing the remaining soap residue from her cool flesh. That accomplished, he felt he was free to take the weight of her breasts in each hand and squeeze and knead, thumbs rising to tweak at her nipples.

“How is that helping?” she asked, her voice suddenly breathless.

“I’m just being thorough.” Sean dipped his tongue into her ear, loving the smell of the cold air, the water and her. Kristine smelled precisely as he remembered—of soft perfume, strawberries and sex.

Not that she actually smelled like sex, but to him, one whiff of her made him want her. It was as if her scent had been specially created to drive him wild, and it never failed to work.

“Let’s go inside,” he said, biting her lobe and she gasped, her hot breath rushing across his cheek.

“I should have gotten a towel.”

Sean leaned over and turned off the water. “Put my shirt on, it’s warm.” He stepped back and stripped off his top layer, leaving him wearing a thermal shirt. Then he pulled the sweatshirt over her head while she shivered and giggled.

It was a damn shame to have to cover her back up, but once inside, he’d enjoy undressing her all over again. “Are you feeling better?”

“Yes. I don’t know what that was all about. I feel fine now.”

“Good. Let’s get you in the house.” And into his bed.

She snuggled into his shirt, drawing her fingers up into the sleeves. “Ah, this is cozy, and it smells like man, not fish. Nice.”

There was something incredibly hot about watching her have a tactile orgasm over snuggling into his shirt. Let her cuddle in it now, because he was about to take it off her the minute they got inside.

But she clearly wasn’t having the same thread of thought he was. She paused by the roaring fire and held out her hands. “Can we make s’mores now? I saw chocolate bars and marshmallows inside. We just need to find the graham crackers.”

“They might be stale, but they’re in there somewhere.” He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, not wanting to stop touching her now that he’d been given the green light to start.

It felt good to have her in his arms. The afternoon had been relaxing and he hadn’t thought about work once. He hadn’t checked his phone for emails or texts, and he had ignored a voice mail from Michigan. He was a workaholic, with a successful business, but he knew when to shut it off, when to sneak away and enjoy the cabin. Usually, he did it solo, though, and this was a thousand times better. Kristine seemed to be enjoying herself, and that pleased him.

It wasn’t hard to remember why they had fallen in love when they were together like this. Away from the reality of the world, one on one, they got along wonderfully. They made each other laugh and the chemistry between them was explosive. But the real world was what had nudged in between them and destroyed their marriage before it had started.

“I guess this isn’t the weekend to worry about my diet,” she said ruefully, but she didn’t sound worried about it.

“You don’t need to be on a diet. I say we eat s’mores and drink champagne. What could be a better combo than that?”

She laughed. “None.”

Dusk was creeping on, and the fire danced in front of them, wood popping, ash jumping out then floating gently back down into the dirt surrounding the fire pit. It was mesmerizing, and he was more content than he had been in a very long time. Monday seemed far, far away.

“Are we having s’mores now?” he asked. “Or did you mean later?”

“What else would we do right now?” she asked, her tone light, her backside nestled against him. “I guess I could blow-dry my hair. It didn’t get wet all the way through, but it’s damp.”

“That wasn’t what I had in mind.”

“No?”

Sean rested his chin on top of her head, his fingers laced through hers. He’d forgotten how short she was without her ever-present high heels. “No. I was thinking more along the lines of showing you my bedroom. And not so you can unpack, but so I can strip you down and make love to you properly this time.”

There was a long pause, where she seemed to be contemplating his suggestion. Sean figured she was just trying to torment him. Maybe it was a bit of a payback for his bringing her out here. Whatever the reason, he wasn’t about to settle for blue balls. Nor would he feel guilty about playing dirty. Bending over, he nuzzled her neck at the same time he took his hands, still entwined with hers, and brushed his fingers over her nipples. “What do you think, baby? Can I show you my bedroom?”

“I hope you can show me all sorts of things.”

Hot damn. Sean disentangled himself from her and put another log on the fire so it would continue to burn while they were inside. He could rebuild another one if it went out, but it was easier just to keep it stoked.

Kristine watched him with a relaxed smile. Oh, yeah, he knew this look. He was about to get really lucky.

“I think I can arrange that.” Taking her hand again, he led her up the stairs to the deck and into the cabin.

Did she feel the same way he did, this edgy anticipation? This sense of rightness that her hand was in his?

He wanted to ask her...something. But he wasn’t sure what it was, so he stayed silent, tracing a pattern over the palm of her hand with his thumb. Thank God the house was small. In a minute, he had her in the bedroom and he drew her to the bed.

Leaning down, Sean kissed her, suddenly aware that his time with her was limited. How many more chances would he have to press his lips to hers? For ten years, he had lived without her touch, and mostly, he hadn’t given it a thought, but he had missed it. Her. It was there, every time a woman tried to get close. He pulled away because she wasn’t Kristy.

Now here Kristy was, again in his arms, and it felt surreal and amazing and fleeting. He wanted to enjoy their connection, to dive into it, to close this chapter in his life.

So he kissed her, her tongue mating with his with aching sweetness. Her hands reached up, trailing across his chest, and her thigh rubbed against his. She pulled back, her hair mussed from her pseudo shower, fiery red strands sticking out in various directions, her eye shadow and mascara much less pronounced than they had been when he had picked her up. She looked sexy, tousled, more than a little dangerous.

Which she proved when she lowered her eyelashes and dropped her teasing touch. “You know what I’ve been thinking about?”

He could only imagine. Every muscle in his body tensed in anticipation. “What?”

“That I’d like to do this.” She sat on the edge of the bed in front of him and popped open his jeans.

Before he could truly process his good fortune, she had him in her mouth.

Oh, yeah. Dangerous in the best way possible.

* * *

K
RISTINE FIGURED GOING
down on Sean was the ultimate goodwill gesture. She wanted him to know she was sorry for the past, sorry for her immaturity, sorry if in any way she had been the cause of his loneliness over the years. Nothing said I’m sorry like a Bundt cake or a blow job, and since she was one Bundt pan shy of a cake, Sean was getting the latter. It seemed fitting, and she was a woman who actually really enjoyed this particular form of sexual favor.

She loved everything about it, from the sounds a man made, to the taste of him, to the power she felt and the increase in her own arousal. With Sean, it went even beyond that. With Sean, it felt particularly intimate.

So while she drew him into her mouth and sucked, she hooked her hands into the pockets of his jeans and closed her eyes to enjoy the moment.

Within a few strokes, Sean was gripping the back of her head, his fingers knotting in her hair as he encouraged her to take him deeper. She opened her throat and obliged him, which earned her a long, deep moan.

“Holy shit, you’re amazing, Kristy.”

She’d gotten used to him using her ancient nickname again. At first it had been jarring, but now it felt familiar, loving.

There was that word again.
Love.

Ack. She was just going to have to admit it, at least to herself. She still loved him. She had always loved him. They hadn’t ended their relationship; they had just interrupted it with a door slamming and a plane ticket to Vegas. Or rather, she had done that.

This was her time. Her time with Sean to show him without words that she had loved him then and she loved him now. She probably always would.

Using her hand to cup his balls, she slicked him up, over and over, the steady panting of his breath exciting and satisfying. After several minutes, Sean pulled back, raking his hand through his hair.

“Damn, Kristy, stop for a second. It’s too good. Too much.”

Before she could answer, she found herself being pushed back by her shoulders onto the mattress. “Oh!”

“You’re overdressed,” he told her, popping the snap on her jeans.

“First you say I’m underdressed, then I’m overdressed,” she teased. “Make up your mind.”

“Oh, my mind is made up.” He yanked her jeans down for the second time. “These are such a pain in the ass to remove, I think you should just stay naked until we leave tomorrow night.”

“That works for me. I can eat s’mores naked. I have no issue with that whatsoever.” The way Sean looked at her, she didn’t even worry about the various imperfections here and there on her body. When he stared at her like that, as if he could eat her and enjoy every single bite, she felt beautiful. As long as he was touching her, she would happily stay naked as long as possible.

In fact, she was going to assist him in the process. She peeled off the sweatshirt he had given her and tossed it onto the floor. “I left my bra outside anyway.”

“I hope it doesn’t rain.”

“I hope a bear doesn’t steal it.”

Sean smirked as he finally managed to tug her jeans over her ankles. He shucked his own a second later. “Somehow I don’t think a bear is going to be impressed with your bra. If it was food, sure, but bears generally speaking aren’t into lingerie.”

“You don’t know that. Given the chance, maybe they would be.”

But he just shook his head with a smile. “Shh, Kristy. The only sounds I want coming out of your mouth now are screams of pleasure.”

Well, then. “I guess you should stop talking yourself so you can make that happen.”

She expected him to move between her legs, either with his tongue or with his erection, but he surprised her by kissing his way up the length of her body, one tantalizing inch at a time. He paused briefly over her inner thighs, as she sucked in an anticipatory breath, but he merely skirted her heat and continued upward after stripping off his thermal shirt. It gave her the opportunity to skim her own hands over his chest, exploring all the new hard lines and planes. His body was familiar, yet harder, broader. It fascinated her to feel the changes time, age and a gym membership had brought to his build.

“You have an impressive bod, you know,” she said, digging her nails into his shoulders as he finally reached her breasts, pulling one nipple tightly into his mouth.

He released the bud. “Thank you. Working out gives me a release.”

As opposed to sex. She practically heard the unfinished sentence, but she didn’t comment on it. It wasn’t the time, and the last thing she wanted to do was distract him.

But he apparently did that himself. He said, “Besides, working out means I can do this.” He did a push-up over her, descending so that his body skimmed hers, mouth pushing her lips, before he rose back up. After the second one, Kristine was laughing. “You’re insane.”

“That’s why you love me.” His words were casual, something a person would say to anyone—a friend, a sibling.

But with their history, the words suddenly dropped into the air between them and hovered. Sean’s face froze and he started to pull away from her. “I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant—”

“Shh.” She half sat up, intent on keeping him there, on not ruining the magic of the moment they’d been sharing. “I know. I know what you meant. And yes, that is part of why I loved you.” Then she took a deep breath and decided to be honest. “Why I never truly stopped loving you.”

Now he looked as if she’d hit him. He actually flinched. Maybe it wasn’t fair to share her emotions, maybe it would make it harder for him to move on with his life, which she knew he wanted to do. But despite that possibility, she felt that for once she needed to look into his eyes and be honest, not run scared.

“You mean you still love me in a sort of nostalgic way.”

It wasn’t a question. He spoke it as a statement.

“I mean when I left, it wasn’t because I didn’t love you. I loved you so much I didn’t know how to handle it, and I made a huge and childish mistake in leaving the way I did. But love like that isn’t something you just shut off.” She felt bare to him, both emotionally and physically, lying completely naked beneath him, speaking her true feelings. She didn’t have lipstick on anymore, and normally that was her armor against the world. Every woman felt stronger with a red lip. But she forged ahead. “So, while I can’t say that I truly know Sean, the thirty-one-year-old man, or what you have been through or experienced the past ten years, I can say that yes, I love you.”

So there it was. The whole truth. Kristine held her breath and waited for his reaction.

He nodded slowly. “That means a lot to me, Kristy.”

That was it? Oh, God. She felt her cheeks start to burn. But hell, what had she expected? That he would still be carrying a torch for her?

But then again, if he were totally 100 percent over her, the past relegated to the past, she wouldn’t be here, would she?

So she reached up, chest heaving from nerves and emotion and desire, and traced his bottom lip with her thumb. It felt so good, so right, to be with him. His eyes closed briefly and he kissed her fingertip.

“I couldn’t turn my love off, either,” he said. “I’ve spent ten years ignoring the fact that I never truly got over you. I do still love you, too. I do.”

She was afraid she was going to cry. Just burst into tears and soak Sean. Because hearing his words was like forgiveness. It didn’t really matter what happened on Monday, being here with him, it was going to allow them both to heal, and that meant everything in the world to her. She wanted him happy. Hell, she wanted herself happy.