Falling for the Wrong Twin (23 page)

He glanced at her. “I have no problem with my women being friends too.”

“But what about someone who hangs out with your mother? Or her car dies and she needs Nurturing You to help with that?” She touched his arm. “I didn’t ask you to find me a new car, but you did it anyway. I’m grateful, but now maybe I’m verging on the wrong territory here.”

He looked at him, his expression blank. Then eventually he shrugged. “I don’t like it when people intrude on my family.”

“Especially fan girls because you’re afraid they’ll freak out on you like Susie did.”

“Yeah.” This time he was the one who touched her. He slid his fingers across her shoulders and down her arm. She had the sheet wrapped around her torso and her back propped up with a pillow. In short, she was covered and there was very little sexual in his touch. And yet, she felt it everywhere at once. A single caress that made her nipples tighten, her breath catch, and her eyes fix on his lips.

“I’m not going to do that,” she said. “We’re vacation flinging, remember. Yeah, I’m hanging out with your family, but…” She shook her head. “In a couple days we’ll go our separate ways.”

“And maybe that’s the problem,” he said softly. “Maybe I don’t want you to keep you in a neat little compartment.”

She smiled. “I like the sound of that.”

“I like the sound you make when I thrust inside you.”

She blinked, startled by his sudden graphic words, but also aroused. Really, really aroused. “You’re trying to distract me from this conversation.”

He nodded as he pushed up on one elbow. The sheet slid down from his torso revealing his sculpted chest. “Is it working?”

“Yes.” She grinned. “You know it is, but--” She pressed her fingers against him, holding him back. “We’ve still got this whole question of the future. Of how I want more in my life. How we both do.”

He reached down and pulled her hand off his chest, lifting it to his mouth where he proceeded to suck on her fingertips. Her belly tightened and her legs went slack. He could make her wet faster than any man alive.

“Does it have to be answered tonight?”

She bit her lip. The words “of course not” trembled on her lips, but what came out was very different. “Tell me that we can try for more, Mike. Tell me you want to…I don’t know, see if we can work for longer than tonight.”

He stilled, his lips still on her fingers, but not actually moving. “Long distance relationship?”

She shrugged. “Maybe. We could try.”

He nodded and his hand slid from her face to her neck. “Maybe. Okay.”

Not really the ringing endorsement, but she wasn’t quibbling. After all, she’d been the one to say “maybe” first. Rather than think about that, she leaned forward. Their mouths met, their tongues entwined, but there was no battle here for dominance. It was a kiss shared instead of taken. In some ways it was tentative and sweet, but in the most important way, it was absolutely perfect because it felt like a new beginning. A new doorway to a brand new life.

And when it ended, she pulled back and looked into his eyes. She saw the same nervousness she felt echoed in his eyes. Anxiety, excitement, hunger--they were all there, and all part of this new beginning.

“Mike,” she whispered, “you sure you want to do this?”

His smile was slow and devastating for how handsome he was. “This stuff?” he leaned down and nuzzled the sheet away, kissing a trail of fire between her breasts. “Absolutely.”

She stopped him before he went further, touching his face and gently pulling him up to look at him. “Not this,” she said. Then she dropped her hand to his heart. “This.”

He swallowed, his expression sobering. “Yes,” he said. “I think I have to or risk splintering apart.”

She flinched. “So I’m just the girl who’s here?”

“No,” he said. “You’re the girl who got through. You’re the one who is so amazing that I couldn’t keep her contained. The one who has obsessed every part of me from the very beginning.” He stroked her cheek with his thumb. “Anna, you’re the only one for me. Period. “

She felt her fears begin to melt. They didn’t disappear by any means, but they eased. “I’m not a halfway kind of girl, you know. I meant it when I said I want a whole family. Not just the nuclear family--a husband and kids--but also Aunt Tilde and your mom, your sister and cousins.”

He closed his eyes. “Shit, you really want all of them?”

She nodded, even though her words weren’t as certain. “Yeah, I think I do.”

He opened his eyes, and she read agreement in his face. “Can we start with just me first?”

She grinned as she let her hand slip down his side, around his waist, until she squeezed his firm butt. “I think that’s about all I can handle right now.”

“Oh baby,” he said, his words a low rumble. “You ain’t handled nothing yet.”

She laughed. “Is that a challenge?”

“Yup.”

“Then I suggest you get back to work. You need to prove to me that you’re worth my effort.”

He laughed. “Not a problem there.”

No, there wasn’t. But she couldn’t resist teasing him some more. He leaned down and captured her nipple between his teeth. He was thorough as he sucked and swirled around her tip. By the time he addressed his attention to her other nipple, her legs had slipped open and the blood was roaring in her ears. But she kept her mouth closed and her breath silent. No whimpers from her. She didn’t even gasp despite the way electric sparks seemed to be shooting from her breasts to her belly and back.

He straightened up to look her in the eye. “How’s that?”

She tried to fake a casual air. She might have succeeded if she hadn’t sounded so breathless. “Oh. It was okay, I suppose.”

He grinned. “Liar.”

She was about to protest when he slid his hand down her belly. By the time she’d drawn breath, his fingers were between her legs, sliding through her wetness to push deep inside her.

“You’re impressed,” he said smugly.

“I’m interested,” she countered, going now for blasé. “It’s not the same thing.”

“Very true,” he said as he began to stroke her. Deep thrusts with his fingers, then long teasing caresses all over her groin. He had magic fingers, it seemed, knowing just went to thrust a thumb hard against her clit and when to circle around it before plunging deep into her again.

He played her for a long time, building the excitement until her mind was fracturing from the pleasure, then easing off while she moaned her frustration.

“Impressed yet?” he taunted during one of those damnably awful easing-off times.

“Are you?” She reached between his legs until she grabbed his erection. He was rock hard, and she loved the way his breath hissed between his teeth as she began to stroke him.

He shook his head. “Not yet.”

She grinned, and she knew her expression was fierce. “Me neither.”

“Then I guess we’ll just have to try harder.”

She agreed. She tugged him toward her. He had to go up on his knees, given her position. But as she leaned down and he moved up, she was finally able to start sucking his cock. It was thick in her mouth, but she loved the salty taste. She loved his low moan even more.

Then she felt herself opened up, and as she pulled him deep into her throat, he widened her legs and began licking every part of her. He wasn’t specific in his movements, just very, very thorough.

Sixty-nine and loving it.

It wasn’t long until she was at the brink again. Him too, but the way he was thrusting into her mouth. And no part of her wanted to stop.

He started to slow down a bit, maybe to catch his breath, maybe to gain back some control. She gripped him tighter and sucked him hard. They would do this together or not at all.

He must have gotten the message. Or maybe he just couldn’t control himself. He narrowed down his mouth to her clit.

Yes! she wanted to scream, but she hadn’t the breath. And besides, she was busy with him.

Then he sucked on her once. Hard.

She arched, her entire spine going electric.

She squeezed his balls, half in reaction, half because she knew he liked it.

He growled and thrust himself to the back of her throat.

Then he stroked over her clit--

Oh yes!

--and sucked.

Her body convulsed, pleasure cascading through her. She might have screamed.

He released too. Hard, jerking thrusts that she loved.

Some time later she realized she was grinning. Well, maybe not actually grinning. She hadn’t the strength, but inside her soul seemed to be dancing. Her body was suffused with giddiness. She’d just 69ed to orgasm. Both of them at the same time. And she’d loved it!

It’s not like she’d been a prude all her life, but Mike was taking her places she’d never been before.

She flopped backwards with a sigh, her body completely open because every cell was satiated. She heard him do the same, his breath coming in a soft pant, his hand stroking idly across her thigh.

“I’m impressed,” he breathed.

“Yeah. Me too.”

He chuckled. So did she. It was the most perfect moment of the day because there was no thought, no questioning, and no real fear. Just a satiated perfection.

And in that total silence, a thought whispered through her mind. It was a whisper of a notion, but in her total silence she heard it like a foghorn. And it spelled disaster. A complete and total explosion of her world.

She loved him. It wasn’t the sex--though that was awesome--it was everything about him. His generosity with his family, his understanding of himself and his willingness to give to her.

For the last hour or more, her mind had been busy quantifying and hedging, asking if he was willing to try a long distance relationship, if they could push this a little farther. But all that time, her heart had simply taken matters into its own hands. While she’d been saying “maybe,” it had already thrown its arms open wide.

She was in love with Mike.

That’s okay, she told herself. After all, they’d just agreed to try things out. So maybe she’d jumped the gun a bit. That’s what relationships were: just opening up her heart and hoping she could fly.

“Anna?” he asked, the word filled with concern. Clearly she’d made some noise or something. Clearly, he’d noticed her reaction. Now what did she say? Did she tell him it all and just hope everything worked out? Or did she hide?

Oh what the hell. It’s not like she could keep secrets for long anyway.

“I…um…hey, Mike. Turns out I’ve fallen in love. With you. In love. Oh shit, I think I’m going to be sick.”

Chapter 17

“What? Oh shit!” Mike bolted out of bed, doing his best to shake off the post-sex lethargy. For a woman as composed as Anna to say she was going to throw up was beyond serious. He had the wastepaper basket held out for her long before his mind settled on the other part. The love part. And at that point, he froze.

Meanwhile, Anna touched his arm. “No,” she said, her voice breathy. “My stomach just cramps up sometimes. It’s…um…” She released a slow laugh that held no humor in it. “It’s a stress reaction.”

“Ah,” he said.

“Kill me now,” she said as she rolled onto her side with a groan. He couldn’t help but notice the sweet line of her back side now exposed to his view.

He set down the basket, and sat down on her side of the bed. He stroked the long line of her spine in a slow caress, feeling her muscles ripple beneath his touch. Eventually, he saw when she exhaled some of her tension. Her shoulders eased down from her ears and her legs extended beneath the sheets.

But she didn’t say a word and neither did he.

She loved him?

Couldn’t be possible. They’d only known each other a few days and for the first part of that, he’d accused her of being a psycho stalker. Not his most stellar moment. And in that second he knew what he had to say.

“Anna, listen to me.”

She buried her face in a pillow. “No. I’m humiliated enough.”

He chuckled then tugged on her shoulder. “Come on, beautiful, let me talk to your face not your adorable backside.” He smoothed his hand down her bottom, then abruptly slapped it. Not hard. The sound probably created more of a reaction than the blow. Whatever it was, though, he got the results he wanted.

She twisted to glare at him, her eyes narrowed. “Did you just spank me?”

“If you have to ask, then I clearly didn’t do it right.”

“I am not into spanking!”

“Are you sure?” he challenged as he waggled his brows.

She frowned as stared at him. “What? Of course I’m sure. Wait…are you?”

He shrugged. “There’s spanking and then there’s
spanking
. Lots of different kinds of kink out there, and not all of it as weird as it might sound.”

She pushed up on her elbows. Sadly, she kept her breasts covered, but her expression was wary. “Spanking. Really. You’ve done this before?”

He nodded. “Once. As an experiment.”

“Giving or receiving?”

“Giving.”

“Of course.”

He chuckled. “Didn’t do a thing for me, but she seemed to like it.”

Anna dropped back against the headboard and folded her arms, clearly studying his face. She adjusted the covers so she was completely beneath the sheet. He, on the other hand, was still sitting there completely naked. But given her previous declaration, he was pretty sure she was the one who felt most vulnerable.

Finally she spoke. “You’re trying to distract me.”

“Maybe.”

“Good. It’s working. I really want to learn more about your college years.”

He smiled. “Right back at you. In fact, I want to learn more about everything about you. College, high school, every crappy job you’ve ever had--”

“God, that’s a long list.”

“And where you see yourself in the future.”

She bit her lip at that. “Look, I know I jumped the gun there. We’ve only known each other for a few days.”

“Plus you’ve suddenly decided that your life is going no where. That you want to have a family and a relationship.”

She snorted. “Hate to break it to you, but that’s not big news in my life. I’ve known it for a while. Just hadn’t…” Her legs twisted beneath the sheet. “I just needed an extra push, you know? To bring it front and center in my brain. And if a dream or a ghost did that, then it was about time.”