Make Your Move (5 page)

“That’s not what I came here for, Jodie. I wanted to have dinner with you, and…”

“And?” she asked, leaning in to brush her lips over his.

Hot damn.

“I don’t know. There’s something we should do, or talk about, or something, but I can’t seem to remember,” he said roughly. Feeling like an actor from an old movie, he pulled her up close to him and crushed his mouth to hers in a kiss that let loose all the pent-up feelings, fantasies and desires he’d kept tightly contained for so long.

“You feel so good,” he muttered against her mouth, his mind a haze of lust, his body leading the way. Sliding his hands over the silky slope of her back, he closed his palms gently over the curves of her backside and pressed her in against him, swallowing her gasp in another kiss.

He could feel the points of her breasts poking into his shirt. He broke the kiss to bend and suck one delicate nub through the material, rewarded as she shuddered, her hands digging into his shoulders.

“Dan,” she breathed, then moaned, as he sucked a little harder.

Down on his knees now, he brought his hands to her delicate ankles, looking up at her.

“You’re perfect, you know that?”

She shook her head and tried to step away, but he wouldn’t let her. Only need drove him now, and the sole purpose of making sure she experienced every nuance of pleasure he could offer her.

His thumbs caressed the arches of her bare feet, his hands sliding slowly up her beautiful legs, over rounded calves, strong from her daily runs, lifting the dress as he went. He stopped to notice her knees in particular, planting a kiss on each as his fingers caressed the sensitive skin at the back.

“Most people think the knee is a simple hinge, but it’s so amazingly complex…it bears so much weight, does so much work…and yours are absolutely perfect,” he said. “There’s the patella,” he said, running his tongue over a small spot at the front. “And the articular surface,” he whispered, kissing her on the inner side.

“Dan,” she said, breathless, and he felt her shudder again as his fingers caressed the back—she liked that.

“Back here, under my fingers, the ligaments and muscles that all work together when you move. You move very gracefully, Jodie,” he said, his hands riding up a little higher. “I don’t think I ever told you that.”

“Why would you?”

“Because even as your friend, I couldn’t ignore how lovely you are,” he said honestly, pushing the bottom of the dress up to reveal shapely thighs and finally, the mystery of what hid beneath the satin.

He held the material bunched in one fist against her hip, moving his other hand over the almost bare skin of her abdomen. Swallowing hard, he leaned in to plant
a kiss just above the softly swollen lips of her sex, her flowery scent encompassing him.

“Dan!” she said, her cry mingling need and surprise, maybe confusion. He looked up, though it was difficult to break away.

“You want me to stop?”

She looked at him for a long moment with dark, blazing azure eyes and shook her head.

“No. Please don’t stop.”

I
T WASN’T SUPPOSED
to go this way, Jodie thought, looking down at Dan kneeling before her, so incredibly sexy. The new hair, his transformed image almost made him a stranger, but as their eyes met, she knew an intimate familiarity.

She knew his face better than anyone else’s. She knew him happy, sad, intense, frustrated and angry—but she’d never seen him like this. His jaw was strong, his lips sensual and full—how had she never noticed before? His hands…his long, nimble fingers…were magic.

She hadn’t counted on this.

Consuming enough Passionate Hearts to inflame a navy battalion, Jodie had planned to take him to the brink, arouse him until he couldn’t think straight and then show him the door. In all the ways she’d envisioned the scenario, she’d stayed in cool control, demanding an explanation for his betrayal.

Now, she just wanted his mouth on her, as soon and as completely as possible.

She knew it was the cologne—and in this case, his
cologne mixed with a whopping dose of Passionate Hearts frosting extract—but she didn’t care.

The way he looked at her, so deeply, so sincerely, she could almost believe this was real. When he slipped gentle fingers between the slick folds of her labia, she stopping worrying about it.

She wanted him to have both hands free and lifted her gown, pulling the entire thing up over her head and throwing it over a chair, standing naked before him.

His eyes deepened to a rich espresso, taking in every inch of her so acutely that she shivered, but he didn’t say a word. He didn’t need to—his fingers were doing the talking, stroking her lightly, playing and exploring as he inspected her with an intense gaze that missed nothing.

She trembled, heat spreading from the touch of his fingers outward, her muscles tightening as the touch triggered her nerve endings into a response. She reached out to stabilize herself by grabbing the back of the sofa, holding herself in check as she could.

This time she wouldn’t be alone, making herself vulnerable and exposed when she lost control. She’d make sure she took him with her.

“Ah, I think one of us has too many clothes on,” she said, trying to catch her breath.

“I enjoy this. You came for me in the shop, when we kissed. It was amazing. I want to make it happen again.”

She smiled. “Me, too, believe me. But not alone. I want you with me.”

“You think you can hold back?” he said in playful
challenge, finding the pearl of her clit with his thumb, expertly parting her flesh and then diving in to plant a wet, hot kiss on the spot.

Who was this incredible, playful and daring stranger? Certainly not her Dan…

She moaned, her legs trembling with the effort to resist bearing down and taking what he was offering as his tongue teased her. How had he gotten so good at this, having dated so few women?

Dan obviously had secrets, not that she was complaining. Whether it was the frosting, the cologne or the man, she knew she’d never gotten this hot this fast with anyone, ever.

“You’re beautiful, Jodie,” he whispered, bending so that he could flick his tongue up against her, sending her skyrocketing. Her body tensed and she hissed out a breath through her teeth, trying to hold on.

When he removed his hands to shift position, she sighed in relief and dropped to her knees, face-to-face with him.

Her best friend. Her lover. At least for tonight.

“Both of us, Dan,” she insisted, reaching for the clasp of his belt but letting her hand drift down to cradle his erection in her palm first, feeling through his pants that he was more than enough for her. “Please,” she said, meeting his eyes and squeezing.

His jaw went slightly slack as she massaged him and she regained her sense of power, grabbed back some control. But not for long.

Within minutes, they were both naked and she subjected him to the same slow inspection he’d offered her,
stopping at strategic spots to touch and taste, and by the time he gently pushed her down on the soft living room carpet, she was sure she’d lose her mind if he didn’t get inside of her.

But Dan was a scientist. He was methodical and patient. He experimented, starting with a gentle bite by her ankle, working his way upward, as if trying to find the tiniest spot that would drive her crazy.

He observed, sitting back to watch as he played with her breasts, tweaking her nipples as she arched her back in a desperate attempt to get closer, to find what she craved.

Control? What control? Dan was the one in control, she realized with a shiver by the time he finally grabbed a condom from his wallet. Poised between her thighs, the broad crown of his cock slightly nudging her as he stroked himself, he still didn’t rush.

“Dan,” Jodie practically panted. She never begged, but she needed him more than she needed to be in control. “Please…”

She gasped as he finally leaned over her, stealing her moan with a deep kiss as he slid into her body in one firm thrust, hands planted on either side of her shoulders. As he started moving, the rhythm robbed her of all remaining questions.

D
AN DIDN’T USUALLY DREAM,
or if he did, he was one of those people who didn’t remember any of the details.

Waking up naked in bed with Jodie, her face on his chest, her leg thrown over him, he was sure that he was dreaming, though he could remember
every
detail.

His morning meditation routine, normally the first thing he did upon waking, was the last thing from his mind. Jodie’s soft, silky hair was splayed over him, and his immediate response to her closeness was the predictable male one. Meditating was not what he wanted to do right now.

Sliding gently out from beneath her, he smiled as she mumbled grumpily in her sleep. Jodie slept like the dead. But he was going to run a couple more experiments, seeing just what would make her wake up.

Facedown on the mattress now, her arms up over her head, he let his eyes wander over her delectable bare curves as she stretched out before him like a feast.

She was incredible. More so than he ever imagined.

He reached over, running his hands lightly across her
back, massaging gently. Her skin was warm satin, and his cock was hard and eager, but he had only patience when it came to Jodie. He’d waited for this forever, and now he was going to take his time.

She sighed in her sleep, obviously liking his touch, and he kept at it, working his way lower, curving his hands over her beautiful bottom and raining kisses along the way.

Still, she slept.

Kneeling in between her already parted thighs, he slid his hand down between her legs, petting the perfectly trimmed pubic hair that covered her flesh, feeling his fingers moisten as he found the hard nub of her clit and rubbed, eliciting a sleepy moan and then a gasp.

When she lifted her bottom, sleepily asking for more, Dan found his patience was running out and, ever so slowly, he entered her, slowly and easily filling the warm channel of her body as he lay down over her, stretching out, winding his fingers into hers. They’d used condoms for the first few times last night, but then mutual disclosure had revealed the barrier unnecessary.

He moved languorously, and she responded by rotating her hips in a delicious, seductive swirl. She was with him, he knew, even though her eyes remained closed.

Her breathing deepened, her cheeks turning pink as their movements became faster, more insistent, and he knew she was close. After just one night together, he’d studied and memorized the signals of her body. He knew what she liked. He wanted to know more.

He pushed himself back to his knees, grabbing her hips and pumping hard to find his own release, pouring
himself into her as she cried out, her pretty red nails clawing into the sheets.

“Oh, Dan, that was so good,” she said, her eyes still closed.

“It’s always good with you, Jodie,” he said, the warmth that stole over him having nothing to do with sex. He’d had plenty of sexual encounters—more than Jodie probably thought—but he had never experienced anything like this. Dreaming of being with Jodie was nothing like the real thing. He was glad she felt the same way.

He chuckled when she snored lightly two seconds later. He dropped back down beside her, watching her sleep. She was his, but he knew the very idea of that wouldn’t wash with her. Jodie wouldn’t give in that easily, not even with him.

Even though she would tell him he was crazy, that she was a strong woman in charge of her own life and that her past was behind her—and that would be true—he also knew better than anyone that childhood wounds had left her believing she wasn’t worth loving. He knew she would bolt from any emotional entanglement past friendship. He knew he had to convince her differently.

So while she dozed, he planned.

J
ODIE SAT
on the edge of the bed, listening to Dan in the shower. She’d dozed after their sleepy sex, which she’d thought at first was just a hot dream, though it certainly felt better than any sex dream she’d ever had before. Now she was awake. She’d waited Dan out, or
so she thought, until he finally got out of bed and went in to use the shower.

She should have known better than to think she could fool him. Chuckling, he’d leaned over and whispered in her ear that he knew she was really awake, betrayed by subtle changes in her breathing and eye movements, but that she could join him in the shower if she wanted.

And the hard part was, that she wanted him again, and again, even though they’d nearly spent each other completely the night before. Her body was craving more Dan, but her mind was reeling.

What had she done? This was a mess.

She stood and started to pace, still naked, thinking back to the night before. It hadn’t just been the cookies, though her massive consumption of icing had probably helped things along. Dan had to have been wearing his cologne, even though she hadn’t detected the scent. But it was clear he had planned this, planned to get her into bed, planned to seduce her as part of his experiment.

She’d known that, and she thought she could resist. Maybe she could have, but whatever he put in the formula he was wearing was potent stuff. Like the man himself. She still couldn’t get over his stamina, and his creativity.

A little voice in the back of her head
tsk-tsked
—could she really blame all of this on him?

Yes. It was easier to be angry and unfair than to think about any one of the emotions rolling around inside of her at the moment. She loved Dan—as a friend.

She didn’t want love otherwise, which was why she kept her sex life active but separate from her emotional
ties. She and Dan had gone and messed that up now, and it would probably cost them their friendship, she accepted, her heart breaking.

Well, he’d gotten what he wanted—and plenty of it—so now they both had some hard choices to make. Grabbing her robe as the shower stopped, she tied it around her middle, holding on to her anger like a shield as he walked out with only a towel around his trim waist.

Oh hell,
she thought, her nipples hardening.

“Morning, hon,” he said, walking over to grab his briefs and pants, pulling them on and getting dressed as if their world wasn’t now ass over teakettle. “You want to go down to the Waffle House? I’m starved,” he said, sliding a sexy grin in her direction.

Hon? Waffles?
Jodie’s thoughts echoed. “You want waffles?” she asked, incredulous as he crossed over, planted a light kiss on her lips and ruffled her hair.

“Yeah, sounds good. You know, on average, people our size and weight will burn around one-hundred-fifty calories per hour during the typical sexual encounter. I figure after what we did last night, which was far from typical, and how many times we did it, we definitely can indulge in waffles. Maybe bacon,” he said with wicked enthusiasm.

Jodie didn’t move. How could he stand here and act as if everything was normal, as if they hadn’t just pulled the very foundations of over a decade of friendship from the roots?

It was hard to believe what she was hearing, and yet again, maybe not. This was Dan. He was able to
compartmentalize his life even more so than she could. For him, everything had a rational explanation.

She wasn’t sure what made her angrier—that he’d used chemically enhanced cologne to seduce her, or that he could be so casual about banging her brains out all night, or that she was so upset about it. She was supposed to be the one who walked away, who was casual in the morning.

“You can get whatever breakfast you want,” she said coolly. “Apparently you’re very good at getting what you want. By any means necessary,” she added, unable to keep the hurt from her voice.

“What do you mean, Jodie?” he asked, but he wasn’t sounding casual now, just a bit confused. “You know
exactly
what I am talking about!” Jodie said between her teeth, trying to force back tears and hating how her emotions were taking over. “You used that cologne, your new special formula, to seduce me! I was an
experiment,
” she said, her voice breaking as she turned her back on him, gulping down the sob that threatened to escape.

Jodie would not give any man the satisfaction of seeing her cry. Her father was the last man who’d done that—but that was when she was nine, and she’d never let it happen again. Dan touched her shoulder and she yanked away.

“Jodie, please,” he said, and she put up her hand, turning her head away from him.

“No. I don’t even want to hear it. I thought we were more to each other than that. I always thought you were…different,” she said, suddenly exhausted again.
“But you’re not. So I hope you enjoyed it, and you can just leave now, okay? Just go get your breakfast,” she said, walking to the bathroom and into the shower.

She didn’t want to see him go, she realized, and sank under the hot water, having a good cry, all by herself.

When she came back out, feeling like crap but intent on starting her day, she pulled on some clothes and thought about breakfast. She was so hungry she could smell food, no doubt from her neighbors. Apparently Dan was right about one thing—she probably had burned all of the calories from the cookies she’d consumed in their hours of crazy sex.

She walked into the kitchen, expecting to be alone, and found Dan there, sitting at the table with coffee he’d apparently made.

She didn’t know Dan could make coffee.

He was reading a paper, and looked up, meeting her gaze steadily. “I made some breakfast. Sit down, get some food, and let’s talk this out,” he said matter-of-factly.

She didn’t know he could cook, either. She’d always brought food to him, and assumed he ate out the rest of the time. She hadn’t known he’d be dynamite in bed—or how far he was willing to go to get her there.

“Well, aren’t you just full of surprises,” she said stiffly, moving over to the stove.

The eggs staying warm in the pan smelled spicy and made her mouth water, so though she wanted to tell him to stick his eggs where the sun didn’t shine, she crossed the room and filled her plate, grabbing some toast from a plate on the stove, as well. Coffee was already poured
for her by the time she sat, and she ate without saying one more word to him.

He didn’t seem to mind. He was reading something that appeared to have gained his full attention, and after she finished her breakfast, refilled her coffee and noisily put her dishes—and his—in the sink, she started to wonder if he knew she was there at all.

How was he able to set her off balance so easily?

“Dan? Are you going to sit in the middle of my home reading all day? I have things to do.”

“Like what? I thought today was your day off?”

“Like…like…I do things on my day off. Personal things.”

“Errands?”

She actually had no errands to run, but wasn’t going to admit that. “Yes.”

“I can go with you. We can talk.”

Jodie closed her eyes, defeated. “Why are you doing this?”

“Doing what? Making you breakfast? Wanting to talk?”

“No…yes. I mean, there’s nothing to talk about. What happened happened. And we both know why it happened.”

“It happened because we’ve been attracted to each other for some time, and it was bound to happen sooner or later.”

“I don’t think—”

“It’s true. I could prove it mathematically if you like, the odds of two people as close as we are, over a number of years—”

“Stop, please. No math,” she begged. “Don’t you think your little experiment with the cologne would throw off your results, anyway? This was attraction that you manufactured, and you know it.”

Dan was nonplussed. “I didn’t wear the cologne last night, Jodie. I admit I did wear it to the shop, yes, but I didn’t wear it last night, though there was some residual effect. I could see it with women’s responses to me all day.”

“Like what?”

He shrugged. “They wanted to stand closer, their pupils dilated, their bodies and postures showed clear evidence of attraction. So I knew the cologne was probably still active in some way, even though I had tried to shower it off. For that reason, I had promised not to let anything happen with us last night, but when I saw you…it was like…” He caught her gaze and held it, his own so intense it was like a touch. “It was like an explosion.”

He frowned then and kept talking. “But let’s back up here a minute. I admit, the cologne could have had some effect, but you were clearly intent on seduction last night. The clothes, the invitation…and you planned that before I showed up at the door. Long before the cologne would have been an issue.”

He stared at her, not saying another word, and she swallowed hard.

Nailed.
In more ways than one.

Throwing her hands up, she knew there was no point in denying it. “Okay, fine, that’s true. I had planned to get back at you for using me with that cologne, for that
kiss. I thought I’d give you a dose of your own medicine and lead you on a little, and then let you know I knew it was the cologne, and leave you…” She stopped, feeling her face heat as she realized what she was admitting.

Dan finished her thought for her. “You figured you’d get me all hot and bring me to the edge, and then leave me there? And let me know why?”

She let out the breath she was holding. “Yes.”

“I see. I guess there’s one other thing I’m still confused about.”

“What’s that?”

Dan stood and walked over, standing close to her, though he didn’t try to touch her. “I am attracted to you, Jodie. I’ve wanted you for years, and it’s been hell watching you with other men. I won’t deny I wanted you last night, but I didn’t intend to sleep with you—until I saw you. And I think my reaction felt…enhanced, as well. Like maybe you were helping things along as well? And I don’t just mean with that sexy nightie and the seductive talk.”

Jodie looked away. “I might have had a few cookies, just to teach you a lesson. To show you what it felt like.”

“I figured. So the effects of the cookies and the remnant of the cologne in my bloodstream…do you think that’s all we can attribute our behavior to?”

Why was her heart pounding so hard in her chest? She wanted to take a step back, but the wall was right behind her.