Enticing Emma (5 page)

Starting at her ankles, he explored her entire body. His rough hands left goose bumps on her skin as he skimmed them over her heated flesh. He stroked up her calves and thighs before covering both cheeks of her behind and squeezing. “You’ve got a great ass.”

Emma didn’t know what to say, but thankfully he didn’t seem to expect a reply. The metal railing dug into her palms and fingers as her grip tightened. Her legs were shaky and she needed the support.

Tucker continued his exploration, his fingers skimming her rib cage, her sides and her waist. He touched her everywhere except where she desperately wanted to be touched. She squeezed the railing in frustration as his hand skimmed beneath her breasts and then trailed lightly down her stomach and thighs.

“Tucker,” she cried.

“What, honey?” Leaning forward, he ran his tongue up the inside of her thigh, licking off the moisture that trickled from her core. “Tell me what you want.”

“Touch me.”

“Here?” Slowly, he trailed his fingers through her damp curls, just grazing her clit.

“Yes,” she hissed and thrust her hips forward.

“You’re so wet.” He stroked several fingers over the swollen folds of her sex and held them up to her mouth. “Taste how good you are.”

Tucker’s fingers lightly traced her lips until she opened them. Slipping them inside, he moved them slowly in and out of her mouth. “Suck them. Hard.”

She licked at his fingers, tasting her essence on her lips.

“Damn, I wish that was my cock in your mouth.”

She sucked harder as his words made her hotter. She tried to close her legs to help ease the throbbing ache, but he quickly put a stop to it. The minute she moved, he pulled his fingers from her mouth and sat back on his heels.

She couldn’t believe he would leave her like this. His smile was filled with gentle understanding and implacable determination. It would be his way or no way. “It’s up to you,” he reminded her.

Emma licked her lips, needing his hands and mouth on her, needing him to pleasure her. The past two months had been interminable. She’d spent too many nights lying awake imagining Tucker touching her.

She could either do things his way or not at all. The heel of her shoe scraped along the floor of the elevator as she moved it back to its original position.

When he continued to crouch in front of her, she flexed her hips, thrusting her mound toward him. Tucker made a sound of approval, reached up and gently pinched her nipples between his thumbs and forefingers. Caught off guard by the unexpected caress, she cried out, her entire body clenching with pleasure.

“Doesn’t that feel good?”

She nodded, unable to speak. Tucker pinched the taut nubs again before reaching into the pocket of his jeans and bringing out two little strings of shimmering stones with a loop at the top. “Do you know what these are?”

Emma shook her head, unable to take her eyes off the sparkly gems.

“I bought them for you several weeks ago and I’ve been carrying them around with me.” Lifting one of the little strings to her nipple, he slipped the loop over the turgid nub and tightened it. The slight pinch sent a blast of heat rocketing from her breasts to between her thighs.

“It’s called a nipple dangle. It will help keep your nipple aroused, giving you more pleasure.” Tucker secured the second one in place. She was expecting the pinch this time but it didn’t stop her body from responding. Her core clenched as heat flooded her.

Emma glanced down, enthralled by the wanton picture she made standing there. Although the strings of stones weren’t overly heavy, the slight pressure from them combined with the pinch from the loop was extremely arousing. She never would have tried something this daring on her own.

Reaching out, Tucker flicked one of the dangle of stones with his index finger, making them sway. Arousal shot through her and she cried out. Her inner muscles clenched hard.

Tucker settled himself between her legs again and traced her slick folds. Emma clenched her teeth to keep from crying out. He leaned forward and flicked his tongue against her clit. At the same time, he slid one thick finger deep inside her.

“Tucker!” she cried, half afraid he’d stop and half afraid he wouldn’t. It was too much, too intense, but she wanted more.

“Tell me what you want,” he urged her as he continued to thrust his finger in and out of her tight channel.

“More,” she panted.

He slid another finger inside her, stretching her even further as he caught her clit between his teeth and held it captive while he flicked it with his tongue.

She leaned back, causing the small strings of stone attached to her nipples to swing. Thought was totally beyond her. She was drowning in the sensations of desire swamping her.

“Reach for it, honey,” he encouraged. He nipped at the inside of her thigh as his thumb pressed hard on her clit.

Emma tossed aside all thought of control and let herself go. When he plunged his fingers deep once again, she shattered. Convulsions shook her entire body. Her inner muscles clenched around Tucker’s fingers as he continued to pump them in and out. Clutching the railing for support, she screamed as waves of pleasure swept her away. It was even more intense than she remembered, more than she’d ever imagined it could be, more powerful and overwhelming.

Sobbing at the physical and emotional overload, Emma’s knees gave out. Tucker caught her, pulled her onto his lap and cuddled her close to his chest. When he wrapped his arms around her, she felt the pounding of his heart against his chest. Exhausted, she rested her head on his shoulder. He began to rock her gently in his embrace.

Emma slid her arms around his neck. Both their bodies were slick with perspiration and her breasts slid against his torso. Moaning, she buried her face against his shoulder and kissed him. He tasted salty and male and absolutely delicious. She shivered when her sex clenched hard in response.

Her knees were spread wide as she faced him and she clamped her thighs tight around his waist for stability. The hardness of his erection was pressed firmly against her still-pulsing mound.

Tucker’s breathing grew more ragged and his arms constricted until she could hardly breathe. She had to get hold of herself. Emma inhaled slowly and then exhaled.

Tucker finally loosened his grip and caught her chin in his hand. Tipping her face up so that he could see her, he kissed the tearstains on her cheeks.

“That was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” The look on his face was one she’d never seen before. Tenderness, lust, possessiveness, and something she couldn’t quite name were all displayed for her to see.

He opened his mouth to speak again, but the world suddenly exploded in a flash of light.

Chapter Six

Emma flinched when the bright light hit her eyes. Tucker brought his hand up to cover her face even as he began to swear. The reality of the situation hit her like a slap in the face. What had she done?

Scrambling to her feet, she tugged her skirt down to cover herself and snatched her jacket off the floor. The elevator lurched suddenly and began to move upward. She stuffed her arms into her jacket and managed to secure two buttons with her shaking fingers. Just in time, too. The bell dinged, signaling their floor.

Emma scooped her silk camisole and panties off the floor and stuffed them into her jacket pocket before seizing her purse and holding it like a protective shield against her body.

Tucker plucked his shirts off the floor and slung them casually over his shoulder. For some reason, that little gesture made her blood boil. He didn’t have a hair out of place and looked casually relaxed while she felt hot, sticky, and totally emotional. She didn’t know whether she wanted to kiss him or smack him, so she settled on just glaring at him.

He cocked his eyebrow questioningly, but she sniffed haughtily and turned away as the door opened. It was just her luck that Mr. Meyers was waiting for them in the hallway, leaning heavily on his cane. He cast them a worried look.

“Are you kids all right?” The older man wore suspenders, a bow tie and glasses, just as he had every day since she’d moved into the building.

She reached out to slide open the metal gate, but Tucker beat her to it. She scowled at him before stepping out into the hallway and meeting Mr. Meyers’s anxious gaze. Forcing a smile on her face, she reached out and gave his arm a reassuring squeeze. It was sweet of him to be concerned. “We’re perfectly fine.”

Tucker hovered behind her. “We just got caught in the elevator when the power went.”

“I was worried. I knew you were in there because Mrs. Jacobs from the first floor called me and told me that she’d seen the two of you getting on the elevator. But I didn’t know how to get the doors open and the building superintendent didn’t answer his phone. I called emergency but they told me to call back in twenty minutes if the power wasn’t back on.” The older man barely paused for a breath as he continued. “Seems there was a bad accident at the intersection of Main and Anderson Avenue when the traffic light went out. And that’s not the only one. The police and fire departments are all busy.”

Emma felt her smile become genuine. Mr. Meyers was a good neighbor, more than willing to get involved and try to rescue someone in need, even though he was in his eighties. People weren’t always that caring, and it wasn’t something she took for granted. “Thank you so much. But other than being hot and rumpled, we’re fine.” She felt the need to try to explain the state she was in.

Mr. Meyers laughed and nodded. “I imagine it would get extremely hot in that elevator after about twenty minutes.”

“You have no idea,” Tucker muttered behind her.

The older man cocked a questioning eyebrow, but Emma didn’t want to give him a chance to ask any more questions. She could feel the moisture seeping down her thighs and between her breasts. Right now, she just wanted to be alone. “Shouldn’t one of us call the emergency operator back and tell her we’re fine before she sends someone here?”

“Right you are, young lady. I’ll take care of that and then I’ll give Mrs. Jacobs a call and let her know that you’re both fine.” He shooed them down the hall with one hand. “You two go and try to cool off.” Turning, he walked back toward his apartment. “I find it even too hot just standing out here. Now that the power is back on, once I make my phone calls, I’m going to go and sit back in front of my air conditioner and read my newspaper.”

“Thanks again, Mr. Meyers. I plan to do just that.” She watched until he was safely in his apartment before hurrying down the hallway toward her own with Tucker close on her heels. There was no way to ignore his large presence behind her.

Emma picked up her pace until she was practically running. Opening her purse as she went, she fumbled for her keys. Her hands were shaking so badly that she dropped her leather bag and all the contents spilled out onto the floor.

Swearing under her breath, she dropped to her knees and frantically began to scoop her wallet, papers, breath mints, and assorted cosmetics back into her purse. She stilled when Tucker’s large hand covered hers.

“Emma,” he began, but stopped when she stood suddenly and rushed to her apartment door. If she’d missed something, she would find it later. The important thing right now was to get away from Tucker and all the unsettling feelings he’d stirred within her. She’d thought she was emotionally equipped to deal with an affair with Tucker. Now she wasn’t sure.

She jammed the key into the lock, turned it and pushed the door open. The relative safety of her apartment beckoned. Tucker grasped her by the shoulder and turned her to face him. “You forgot your mail.”

Sighing with relief when she realized he wasn’t going to push her to talk, she summoned a polite smile and reached out to take it. “Thank you.” She was pleased that her voice sounded even.

He passed her the envelopes and then grasped her shoulders. Hauling her close, he leaned down until his lips were almost touching hers. “You also forgot this.” With that, he kissed her. When she gasped with surprise, he thrust his tongue into her mouth.

Emma knew she could have stopped him simply by pulling away. Instead, she found herself leaning into his kiss. Her tongue stroked his and she felt the now-familiar heat rising inside her once again. She was damp between her thighs and her nipples ached as the jeweled nipple ornaments brushed against her coat jacket. Moaning, she raised her hands toward his chest and touched . . . nothing.

Tucker had stepped away from her and was watching her, his eyes blazing with passion. “You know where you can find me if you want more.” After throwing down that provocative challenge, he turned away and let himself in through the door across from hers. She was still staring at him when his door closed with a thud.

She stood there totally stunned for a moment before shaking herself free from her enthrallment and hurrying into her own apartment. She closed the door, leaned against it for support and fanned herself furiously with the envelopes still clutched in her hand. The man was impossible! She tossed her purse onto the sofa, kicked off her heels and dumped the mail on the kitchen table on her way to the bathroom.

She turned the water on in the shower and peeled off her sweat-soaked clothes, shivering as she remembered Tucker’s hands shoving her skirt up and around her waist. She was still unbelievably aroused, and just rolling her stockings down her legs became an act of pure torture. When she was finally naked, she glanced at herself in the mirror and barely recognized the woman staring back at her.

Her eyes were luminous, her skin rosy, and her lips were swollen from Tucker’s kisses. With her short brown hair mussed up, she looked a little wild and certainly like a woman who’d been well pleasured. It was only when she looked a little lower that she noticed the little strings of jewels hanging from her nipples. She’d become so used to the small adornments she’d forgotten she was wearing them.

She carefully removed them, taking the time to examine them more closely. They were beautiful. The strands of multicolored stones set into silver appeared small in her hands, and looking at them like this, it was amazing to think about how much pleasure they’d given her. She’d been startled and absurdly pleased when Tucker had told her he’d bought them for her. She wondered where he’d purchased them. Certainly nowhere around here. He’d probably found them online. She placed them safely on the countertop before she stepped into the shower.

The cool spray pummeled her heated flesh and washed away all signs of her orgasm. When she started to feel human again, she grabbed her shower gel and soaped herself from head to toe before rinsing off. Washing between her legs was pure agony, as she was still unbelievably aroused. Not wanting to linger any longer than necessary, she turned off the taps and stepped out onto the bath mat. She quickly dried off and then hung the damp towel over the rod before heading to the bedroom to dress.

The air was warm, as the power outage had shut down the air-conditioning. Even in the short length of time it had been off, the extreme heat had started to take control. Naked, she strolled across her bedroom and went straight to her dresser. She opened her lingerie drawer, grabbed a pair of panties and tugged them on. Next she dug out her favorite denim shorts and paired them with a halter top, not bothering with a bra.

Her breasts were fairly substantial and she usually wore a bra to work. It almost seemed prophetic in some way that she hadn’t worn one today because of the unbearable heat. But around the house, you couldn’t pay her to wear one. Besides, who was going to see?

Emma detoured to the kitchen and poured herself a large glass of lemonade before settling into the comfortable chair right in front of the air-conditioning unit. She grabbed her e-reader and clicked on the new book she’d downloaded, determined to put today’s incident totally out of her mind.

She didn’t know how long she’d been reading when she noticed the lack of cold air blowing on her parched skin. It was only then she noted the absence of noise. She’d been lost in the latest erotic romance by Ms. Lillian, one of her new favorite authors.

It had been a mistake to start the book today, as the provocative love scenes only conjured images of Tucker and her in the elevator, but she’d desperately forged ahead, attempting to block all thoughts of him from her mind. She’d managed for brief moments, but even the compelling story couldn’t get her mind off Tucker for long. She turned off her e-reader and set it on the small table beside her.

The silence was so complete that she knew the power had gone out again, at least in this building. “Great,” she muttered as she heaved herself out of her chair.

She strolled to the kitchen, opened her freezer door and dumped the last two ice cubes from the tray into her glass. She’d meant to fill up the trays when she’d poured her drink earlier but had gotten distracted. If the electricity was out for long, she’d have to venture outside in search of ice.

She went to the living room window, opened it and glanced outside. It was still light outside, so she couldn’t tell if other buildings had lost their power too. The stoplight on the corner was still working. Emma quickly closed the window to help keep in the cool air. It would be stifling in the apartment soon enough.

It was probably just a minor glitch in the power grid, but it wouldn’t hurt to check. Padding back to the kitchen, she grabbed her cell phone, figuring she’d check out the town website to see if there were any updates on the power situation. It was dead. She’d forgotten to charge it . . . again.

Time to go low-tech. She pulled out her portable radio and turned it on. Nothing. She shook it, but it did no good. The batteries were dead. How could that be? She’d replaced them . . . she thought for a moment and groaned as she remembered it had been Christmas when she’d done it. And not this past one, but the one before.

Chewing on her bottom lip, she pondered her options. Should she wait and hope that the blackout wouldn’t last long, or should she go next door to Tucker’s and borrow some batteries so she could listen to the local news report? Tucker would have a portable radio, batteries and probably even more ice. Heck, he most likely had a charged cell phone too.

Besides, as an electrician, he might have an idea how long this situation might last. Another blackout so soon after the one in the elevator couldn’t be good. With the heat wave they’d been experiencing, everyone in the town had been running their air-conditioning nonstop. They could be without power for an hour or even a day or more. It was only prudent to find out what was going on, and for that, she needed a radio.

She groaned and set the dead radio on the counter next to her phone. Who was she kidding? She knew she was just looking for an excuse to be with Tucker again. The man had whetted her appetite for sexual pleasure and now she wanted more. It was like eating chocolate. You knew too much of it wasn’t good for you, but you couldn’t stop yourself.

Not giving herself time enough to talk herself out of what she was about to do, she hurried to the bathroom and tugged down her halter top. Just thinking about Tucker had made her nipples pucker, but she pinched them between her thumb and forefingers to make them even harder. Picking up one of the nipple ornaments, she slipped it on and tightened it, making herself moan. Her panties were wet by the time she finished securing the second one.

Watching herself in the mirror, she shimmied, making them swing. She shivered with pleasure and tugged her halter top back into place. You could see the outline of the dangles through the material, but only slightly.

When Tucker had put them on her, he’d mentioned that he’d bought them several weeks ago. It excited her to think about a man as large and strong as Tucker carrying around these delicate nipple ornaments in his pocket for all that time.

Emma hesitated. Was she being wise in seeking out Tucker and risking a relationship with a man who could easily break her heart? Or was it already too late?

If she was honest with herself, she’d been drawn to Tucker’s quiet, steady presence from their very first meeting. He had an innate strength and a kindness about him that she found very attractive. But now she also knew just how sexy and talented a lover he was.

“This is just silly.” She glared at herself in the mirror, turned on her heel, and stalked to her front door.

She was a grown woman. If she wanted to have a lover, she could. It didn’t mean they were serious, or even that she was looking for anything permanent. It would be two adults enjoying one another. It would last as long as they wanted one another. After that, they’d go their separate ways and still be friends.

Emma ignored the pang in her heart at the thought of Tucker with another woman. It was bound to happen eventually. In the meantime, she planned on taking advantage of their time together. She’d already wasted two months yearning for him. Maybe if she gorged herself on him, she’d get him out of her system. Staying away from him obviously hadn’t worked.