Just One Week (10 page)

“God, baby,” he said finally.

“Wow,” she breathed.

Wow, indeed. He’d never felt anything like that. “I’ll get off you as soon as my bones solidify.”

She clutched his shoulders. “Don’t you dare move.”

“I must be crushing you.”

“I don’t care,” she said.

“I don’t think your colleagues would like you coming back as flat as a pancake.” He managed to roll onto his side, but he didn’t let go of her. Instead, he snuggled her against his chest. He slid from her body, but he’d have her again, and soon. Maybe he could take his time and not rush to the finish.

“Alex?” she said.

“Hm?”

“I did go out there hoping you’d find me,” she said. “You always did know when I was up to something.”

“And you always knew I’d be watching over you.”

“Do you regret what we just did?” she said.

“Not one little bit.” He probably would miss her terribly when they had to part, but he’d take that risk rather than lose the joy of making love with her.

She sighed. “I’m glad.”

“Why don’t we get under the covers before it starts getting cool in here?” he said.

“You’re staying?”

“I dare you to try shooing me away.”

Her eyebrow went up. “Your family will know we spent the night together.”

“Let ’em. We’ll deal with that in the morning.”

“True.” She wiggled out of his arms and got up long enough to pick up her end of the covers and slither underneath. He joined her so quickly his image might have blurred while he did it. After turning off the light, he pulled her against him again. With both of them naked, he was surrounded by her heat. The grin would not leave his face.

Chapter Seven

It had been one hell of a day. Or maybe yesterday had been, because it was no doubt after midnight when Michelle awoke to find herself surrounded by Alex Stafford’s body. Even in sleep, he clung to her like a barnacle.

Her body had that pleasantly exercised feel that good sex left as a little
lagniappe
—a reminder to bring back the glow. But, wow, that had been more than good. It had been more than sex. Her mind would take a while to wrap itself around everything that had happened to her in the past several hours. Alex Stafford had deliberately come into this cottage to make love to her. He’d even brought condoms, proving he’d planned for the encounter. Instead of berating her as he had on that afternoon when he’d found her with Phil, he’d taken her into his arms and shown her delights beyond what she’d imagined possible. It was a minor miracle, when you thought about it. He’d made the place of her humiliation into the place of newfound joy.

With some effort, she eased his arm from around her and slid out of bed. Still naked, she went to the bathroom. The light might wake him, so she went inside and closed the door before hitting the switch. After using the toilet, she went to the sink to wash her hands and found someone who looked like her staring back from the mirror.

Michelle and not Michelle. Her hair was wild, and her cheeks seemed flushed. Possibly from contact with the stubble of his beard. And he’d left a mark at the base of her neck. Her teddy bear of a lover had a savage side. Cute, but she’d have to hide it. His family might put two and two together and come up with Alex and Michelle spending the night together, but they didn’t need to see the evidence.

He did want you,
she told her younger self.
Things worked out exactly the way you dreamed. The fantasy came true.

She giggled, and put her hand to her mouth to stifle the sound. The giggling didn’t stop but turned to laughter. Almost hysterical, shaking her body. She had to lower the top of the toilet and sit to get control of herself.

Little Mickey Dennis had seduced the famous linebacker. The nerd had made one of the most desirable men on the planet want her. None of this would last, of course. He’d go back to dating glamorous women, and she’d go back to her academic life. But at least for the next few days he was hers. Hers!

She had to keep her wits about her and not make this brief affair into more than it was. He hadn’t trusted her with the fact of his learning disability, so he hadn’t truly opened up to her. She couldn’t involve her heart nor expect him to give her his. But for now, she could bask in the glow of knowing he saw her as a woman. He’d never again treat her like a stupid child.

God, don’t let me screw this up.
She didn’t have the greatest track record with men. Although she’d gotten over her shyness in professional settings, she still tripped over her own feet where dating was concerned. She’d never played in Alex’s league. If she acted as if this meant more than a temporary fling—like his relationships with the supermodels and actresses—he might reject her again. Then her victory would prove bittersweet at best.

No, even after everything that had happened between the two of them, she had to remain casual. The approach had worked so far, and it would continue if she didn’t lose her head over him.

That settled, she switched off the light and went into the bedroom. Her eyes took a few seconds to adapt to the dark. When they did, she could make out the huge lump under the covers. She walked to him and stared down at his face. With only the light from the illuminated dial of the clock on the table, she couldn’t make out much. But he was Alex Stafford, the sandy-haired Adonis who got padded up and slid into tight pants on Sundays during football season and made spectacular plays to the adoration of millions of fans. And he was in
her
bed.

She crept back in beside him and pulled the covers up over her shoulders. Immediately, Alex’s arm snaked out, wrapped around her ribs, and tugged her toward him until her back nestled against his front.

“You ’kay?” he mumbled.

“Great,” she answered.

“You were making some odd noises,” he said.

Lord, he’d heard her? “Just coughing.”

“Sounded like laughter. Did I do something funny?”

“It wasn’t anything. Don’t worry about it.”

“Okay.” He yawned and kissed her shoulder and tugged her closer, if that was possible, and then his soft, even breathing said he’d fallen asleep. Michelle wouldn’t manage that for a while if she did at all. But she could enjoy being right where she was. If she was going to worry about anything, she could do it tomorrow.

Michelle awoke from an incredibly erotic dream to discover the reason she’d become so hot and bothered. In her dreamscape, the man making love to her had Alex’s face and an incredibly huge erection. Something she’d never be able to enjoy in reality, but for sleep-induced fantasy, it worked just fine.

The actual cause of her arousal became clear as consciousness dawned. Alex had reached around her, and his fingers had parted the lips of her sex. One now toyed with her using the same amazing technique he’d done with his tongue the night before.

“What are you doing?” she said, her voice breathy with sexual excitement.

“Thought that would get your attention,” he answered.

Another reality penetrated the fog in her brain. He’d become erect, the outline of his hardness pressed against her ass. The texture of latex against her skin told her he’d managed to put on a condom without waking her.

He was going to give her sleepy sex—the kind you simply enjoyed and didn’t worry about your own response or your partner’s. Just for the hell of it, she let her mind drift back to her dream, and she was taking that huge instrument inside her and it was pushing her closer and closer to climax.

Just when things couldn’t get any more heavenly, he shifted, lifting her leg up and over his and positioning himself to enter her. Spread wide like this, she felt impaled on him as he filled her completely. Now, she had him stretching her while his fingers continued his magic on her most sensitive flesh.

Pleasure so absolute she couldn’t bear it, and yet it got even better as he moved inside her. If she’d thought the night before had been a fluke, she had to admit now that Alex could make her body respond in ways she’d never imagined. And she selfishly took all he was giving her with no thought to satisfying him. She’d pay him back. Oh yes, she would.

He was driving faster now, and he rubbed harder. As the arousal built to unimaginable levels, she gave in to the inevitable. The orgasm rushed through her, starting at the spot between her legs and radiating out to encompass her entire being. She shouted as the spasms started, and she gripped him again and again. So intense. So beautiful.

Behind her, he stiffened, and he let out a muffled roar against her shoulder. He’d be coming, too, making her climax all the more powerful.

After a minute, they lay together, both working for breath. He still held her against him as if he’d found a treasure.

“Morning, sunshine,” he said finally.

“You sure know how to wake a girl up.”

“Not just any girl. You.”

Her heart did a little stutter at that.

He pulled out of her and rolled onto his back. “We’re going to have to face the family.”

“What’ll we tell them?”

“Depends on who knows what, I guess,” he said. “Maybe no one realizes I spent the night here.”

“So we might have avoided detection entirely,” she said.

“Possibly.”

He sounded relieved. What had she expected? A declaration that they’d let the whole family know they were a couple? Obviously, he had no intention of doing anything like that.

“Kyle won’t be very happy with me,” he said. “He put me on warning the other day.”

“How so?”

“No guy likes to think of someone having sex with his little sister,” he said.

She raised herself up on her elbow to study his face. “And you know this because you have how many sisters?”

“Zero, but it’s common knowledge.”

“We don’t want to make Kyle mad.”

“We’d better hit the showers.” He sat up. “I’ll go inside. You freshen up here and meet me in the kitchen in ten.”

“Twenty,” she said as she also climbed out of bed.

He rose and bent to grab his PJs from the pile of clothing on the floor. For a moment, he stood clutching his robe and staring at her. “Damn, you’re beautiful.”

“You’re pretty impressive, too.”

He went to her and put his arms around her, clutching his robe behind her. With his other hand, he tipped her face up to his. “We’re in this together. Everything’s going to be fine.”

“If you say so.”

He gave her one of his beautiful smiles and kissed her. To think…before her visit here, she’d had no idea what his kisses tasted like. Already, she’d become addicted.

He grabbed her butt in a playful gesture. “The kitchen in twenty minutes.”

“I’ll be there.”

With that, he put on his pajama bottoms and left the cottage. Barefoot and shirtless. A walking advertisement to their night of sin. She sighed and headed off to the shower. Then, she’d have to find a top that covered the mark on her neck.

…

The roof didn’t cave in on Alex when he went into the kitchen after spending an unbelievable night with Michelle. If he’d feared the fact she’d given his world a 7.0 on the Richter scale would show on his face, he needn’t have worried. Other than “good morning” no one said a word to him as he got a mug out of the cupboard and poured himself coffee from the pot. Then he went to the stove where his mother was cooking a mound of bacon and kissed her on the cheek. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes and gave him a smile full of “I told you so.”

Okay, maybe she knew something. He’d have to gauge how much later and figure out what to do about it. He went to the table, sat down, and sipped his coffee.

His father looked up from his paper. “Sleep well, son?”

“Yup,” he answered.

At the end of the table, his brother gave him a more inquisitive look. After all, the two of them had discussed the possibility of him having a relationship with Michelle. So maybe Chase was clued in, too.

Oh, brother. He could rapidly lose control of this situation. His mother might start making remarks about just how much time he’d spent in his own bed the night before. Then his brother could chime in with questions and wise-ass opinions. And Kyle could walk in and hear it all.

His father set aside his paper and turned toward where Mom stood at the stove. “What’s up for today?”

“Lots of deliveries,” Mom answered. “I need you home for them. Michelle and I are going to the spa.”

“Neither of you need any beauty treatments, honey,” Dad said.

“It’s so the two of them can relax for a few hours, Dad,” Chase said.

“And I can spend some girl time with Michelle,” Mom added.

Yeah, and pump Michelle for information about where Alex had spent the night. If the truth got out, his whole family would consider them a couple, when in reality, she’d go back home after the celebration. Without him.

Kyle appeared before Michelle did. As Alex had done, he made a beeline for the coffee pot. Then he stood, sipping his brew. “Morning, all.”

“We’re having a debate about breakfast,” Dad said. “Pancakes or eggs?”

“Pancakes,” Kyle said. “And I still want you to marry me, Mrs. Stafford.”

Typical Kyle. If he could, he’d take them all back to junior high. Alex and Michelle had moved way past that the night before, but Kyle would never see things that way.

“When Michelle gets here, we’ll let her decide,” Mom said.

And where was she, anyway? Alex had given her the full twenty minutes, and now another ten had passed. He shouldn’t miss her. He’d held her in his arms less than an hour earlier. She’d be with him again soon, one way or another. He seemed to have developed a craving for her, and that couldn’t be healthy. Still, his body had a mind of its own where she was concerned.

She showed up finally. She wore a flowery skirt that went to mid-calf and a peasant blouse. She’d tied a brightly colored scarf around her neck. Right. To cover the mark he’d given her. His cheeks warmed as he remembered getting so carried away with their lovemaking. If he blushed, she probably would, too, and the situation would get downright tense. Kyle poured her a mug of coffee and didn’t say anything.

“Good morning, sweetie,” Mom said finally. “Your vote—eggs or pancakes?”

Michelle glanced around as tense as if this were a job interview. “What everyone else wants.”

“I voted for eggs,” Chase said.

His mother looked at Alex. “What about you?”

He shrugged. “I’ll eat whatever’s put in front of me.”

“Oh for the love of heaven,” Mom said. “I’ll make both.”

Kyle took a seat near Chase, and Michelle sat next to him. Not so far from Alex that he couldn’t touch her if he wanted. He wanted, all right. In the worst way. You didn’t make love with a woman the way he had last night and not ache to keep her close. But her brother—his best friend—hovered right nearby. He had enough trouble with his mother knowing…well…whatever it was she knew about his whereabouts the night before. If Kyle found out he and Michelle had slept together, there’d be an argument. His parents didn’t need that right before their celebration.

Trouble was, he’d fallen in love with Michelle. He might as well admit it. He’d told her in his mind he loved her during their most intimate moment. As he watched his brother set out plates and silverware, the truth settled into his stomach like a solid weight. He hadn’t thought that in the heat of passion only. It had been real.

Now, he couldn’t take his eyes off her, and he had to keep his fingers clutched around his mug to keep from reaching for her. When his mother set a platter of bacon and scrambled eggs in the center of the table, he managed to dish some for his father and then helped himself. For crying out loud, he didn’t even dare serve Michelle without giving himself away. He’d hidden his dyslexia from people his entire life, and now he had to conceal his feelings for her, too. Normally, he could ride herd on his emotions easily enough, but caring for Michelle and not being able to express it might test him beyond even his limits.