Not the Marrying Kind (Destiny Bay Romances - Forever Yours) (24 page)

He turned and smiled at her.
 
“Don’t feel sorry for me, Shelley,” he said.
 
“I did alright.
 
And as I got older, opportunities presented themselves.
 
I managed to get through high school staying with an aunt in Texas.
 
I graduated with honors and got accepted at a state college.”

He dropped down to sit beside her.
 

“I got a degree in history and minored in drama.”

“Oh.”
 
She blinked.
 
“Drama?”

He nodded.
 
“I was pretty good at it and it was a lot of fun.
 
So I decided I wanted to be an actor.”

That surprised her even more. “An actor?”

He nodded again. “I went to New York. Spent some time in summer stock. Tried Hollywood. Even had a part in a television series that ran for two years. But something was missing. I hated standing around learning lines other people wrote.” His smile was self-deprecatory. “I was always sure I could have written a better script myself. But the whole thing was too boring.”
 

He was very close now, and suddenly his hand was stroking up along the inside of her leg. That startled her, but his touch seemed so benign. Anyway, she was too interested in what he had to say to want to stop him now.

“Then I gave it all up and went to law school.”

“That must have been boring too,” she commented.
 

He shook his head. “I was studying too hard to be bored. But later, when I joined a law firm, that was boring.”
 
He sighed.
 
“Still, I was learning about the justice system.”
 
He looked into her eyes and shook his head, frowning.
 
“And the funny thing was, I found out I really wanted to make up for what my parents did all those years.
 
In fact, it became a regular passion for me.”

His hand was on her thigh again, and little shivers of excitement were sparking from his touch.

“So when I got a chance to do undercover work, I jumped at it.”
 
He leaned close and nibbled on her neck.
 
“It’s perfect for me.
 
I get to act, but I make up my own lines.”

She sighed, half from contentment at his touch, half from concern at his life story.
 
There it was again. He went where the action was. The feeling of dread was there in the pit of her stomach again. How long would he be happy with a stay-at-home like her?

No, she wasn't going to think about that. She was here because she loved him. She wanted to be with him for as long as she could, whatever that took. She wanted to lie by his side, to feel his blood quicken as she touched him, to take him to her and carry him beyond thought, into that magic place where the air exploded and fire lit the night.

So she didn't protest as he drew even closer, kissing his way up from her shoulder, nuzzling into the curve of her neck. Instead, she reached out and ran her fingers through his thick hair, gripping gently and pulling him against her.

“You are so delicious,” he breathed against her skin, exploring the sensitive area behind her ear. “You're almost good enough to eat.”

“Restrain yourself,” she replied lightly, closing her eyes.

His arms tightened and he rubbed his face into her neck. “And you said we were incompatible,” he purred.

“We are,” she breathed, closing her eyes and moving aside her hair to give him more room for seductive designs on her neck.

“Like hell we are.” He raised his head and looked at her. “You know what? You're a good actor, too. You'd make a great agent.
 
Ever thought about that?

She laughed softly, stretching beside him. “I'm sure I would. Can't you just see me out there, catching bad guys?”

He laughed softly. “Why not? It involves very little physical danger, you know. Most of the time anyway. You enjoyed fooling the Weeks, didn't you? And good old Harry?”

She had to admit she had, but she'd been working under Michael's guidance. She couldn't imagine doing that sort of thing for real. The idea made her giggle.

“I did like it though,” she said musingly. “It was scary, but fun.”

“Sure it was. You could be good at it if I let you.”

“Let me?” She poked him in the ribs. “Who says you'll ever have that kind of say?”

“I do,” he replied with no hesitation. “Be still, woman, and let me ravish you.”
 

“I'm afraid I've never been much of an adventurer,” she said, reaching out to push his hair back off his forehead. How she loved his bright blue eyes—they seemed to see everything, know everything, and still be curious for more. “Do you really think I could learn?”

“All you need are sleuth lessons,” he said, eyes narrowing as he came close to nibble on her earlobe. “I'll teach you all the undercover operating techniques you'll ever need to know.”

“Hmm.” She sighed, running her hand across the rounded swell of his chest muscles.

“When I get through with you,” he murmured teasingly against her parted lips, “you'll live for danger, just like I do.”

She smiled and he kissed her, kissed her long and hard and gloriously, until she felt as though the walls were melting and the furniture were crumbling away to dust beneath them; as though a Wagnerian opera were taking place in her head and some fine Flamenco dancing were going on in her heart.

“Oh, Michael,” she gasped when he drew away, “I don't want to live for danger. I want to live for kisses like that.”

“That was just your first lesson, pilgrim. Undercover affairs are very complex, but you're a quick study, I can tell.”

His hands slid beneath the lapels of her suit jacket and then he was tugging it off. “The next lesson involves quick change,” he said. “A good agent knows how to move from one identity to another in the time it takes to switch hats.” He began to work on the buttons of her silk blouse with careful determination.

“Kind of like Clark Kent in the phone booth?” she asked.

“Exactly.” Her blouse came off even more easily than the jacket, and she reached to pull his shirt out of its tuck into his slacks. “You never know when you'll need to make a fast getaway as anonymously as possible.”

She nodded groggily, reaching beneath the cloth to capture his warmth in the palm of her hand. He smiled and shrugged off the shirt, giving her free rein to explore his chest.

“An agent should know how to be seductive,” he whispered, taking her face between his hands and gazing down at her. “How to entice the suspect just so far and no farther.”

“Show me,” she whispered back, and he guided her with his hands until she'd arched toward him just enough to let him unclasp her bra and slip it off. Her breasts seemed to swell against his warm chest, nipples tangling in the curling chest hair, and she moaned, feeling her hips began to move of their own volition.

“Uh-uh,” he warned teasingly, stopping her with his hand. “You've got to learn to hide your reactions, to keep your emotions under wraps. Invincible bravery under fire. A stony exterior in the face of the enemy.” He grinned. “Never let on how good this feels.”

“I'll try not to,” she whispered against incredible odds. “I'll be brave. I promise.”

He pressed her back against the couch and began to explore her neck, her collar bone, the soft, smooth slope of her breast, with lips and tongue, licking, nipping, kissing, until she thought she would go mad with longing for him.

“Don't move,” he reminded her as his teeth closed on one nipple, tugging gently while his tongue caressed the very tip. His hand slipped beneath the band of her skirt, reaching under the silky nylon.

“Michael,” she gasped, no longer able to hold back. “Oh Michael, I need you so!”

His answer was more a low, animal growl than a word, and suddenly she found herself swept up in his arms once again. She closed her eyes, opening them when he put her on his bed. All she could see was the blue of his eyes, all she could feel was an overwhelming hunger that only he could fulfill.

She reached for his belt buckle while he unbuttoned her skirt, and in another moment they were both naked and clinging together as though nothing would ever be able to part them. The ache, the need to be closer, closer, was so real, she cried out with it, digging her fingers into his back and he responded, his hard, smooth body made only for her. Together they climbed as high as they dared, together they gloried in the incredible joy they found there, and together they slid back down again, landing in a thump among the rumpled covers.

For a long moment they lay there, so tightly wound together, they might have been one. Shelley listened to his heartbeat slow, just as her own was. She loved him so dearly. How could she ever let him go?

Michael was the one who spoke first. “So it was true,” he said huskily.

“Hmm?” she asked, letting her head fall back on the pillow.

He kissed her-neck. “That first time we made love. I thought maybe I'd imagined how good it was. I was worried about that.”

She chuckled, reaching to smooth back his hair. “You could have asked me,” she told him softly. “I would've told you.”
     

“Tell me now,” he murmured. “Whisper sweet nothings in my ear.”
 
He dropped a kiss on her chin.
 

Things like “
I love you
?” she wondered.
 
What would he say if she told him?
 
Just a moment ago, she would have said he would answer her the same way.
 
But even though their closeness was lingering, she suddenly wasn’t as sure.
 

“Michael,” she whispered, clinging to him.
 
“I’ve never, never felt like this before.
 
Kiss me again.”

He kissed her, running his hands down her body and groaning with the sense of renewed urgency building.
 
“Oh baby,” he murmured.
 
“We could go on this way all night.”

“Okay,” she said brightly.
 
“I’m game.”

He growled and came for her and somehow this time, it was wild and quick and as strong as thunder, leaving her gasping with wonder.
 
How could it feel so good—again?
 

“Give me a minute,” he murmured near her ear.
 
“I’m feeling invincible tonight.”

She laughed.
 

He rose above her and touched her cheek with his palm.
 
“Shelley, my darling.
 
I can’t believe how lucky I was to find you.”

“Me too.”
 
She smiled up at him, luxuriating in the sense of fulfillment he’d given her.
 
“Michael, I don’t want to lose you.”

The minute she’d said the words, she wished she could call them back.
 
His face changed and he looked down at her intently.
 
“Do you really mean that?” he said, his voice husky.

She nodded, looking into his eyes.
 
Was this it?
 
Was this the moment when he said he loved her?
 
When he realized they should commit to a lifetime together?
 
She knew she was ready.
 
She held her breath, waiting to see what he would say.
 

He was smiling, touching her cheek again and looking happy.
 
Her heart was swelling in her chest.
 

“If you really mean it, Shelley,” he said, his voice rough with emotions.
 
“Then tell me you’ll go to Florida with me next week.”

She blinked, then frowned.
 
This wasn’t exactly what she’d been hoping for. “Florida?
 
What’s in Florida?”

“My next assignment.”
 
His eyes were shining.
 
She could tell he was getting excited about this.
 
“We could stay in a luxury hotel right on the beach and…”

“Wait a minute.”
 
She pulled herself up on her elbow and stared at him.
 
“You want me to come along on your next assignment so we can do this sort of thing every time you have a free moment?”

“No.”
 
He frowned and looked almost annoyed.
 
“Shelley, why do you want to put it in those terms?
 
We are having a great time, aren’t we?
 
Wouldn’t you like to spend more time together?
 
Wouldn’t you like to extend the relationship?
 
If you can take enough time off, maybe we can even go down to the islands and… .”

“And find great places to have sex?”
 
Her eyes blazed at him.
 

He frowned.
 
“Come on, Shelley…”

“No, you come on.
 
Be real, Michael.
 
Stop pretending.”

“I’m not pretending anything.
 
We’re great together.
 
I want you with me.”

“For as long as it lasts?”

He hesitated, then tried to reach for her.
 
“Shelley…”

“Damn you Michael Hudson.”
 
Her voice was choked and she had tears flooding into her eyes as she pushed him away.
 
She began to slide off the bed, searching for her clothes.
 
“I knew I was just being a fool.
 
Why don’t I listen to my own best advice?
 
Why do I let you do this to me all the time!”

“Shelley, don’t be ridiculous.
 
I want you, I need you, I…”

He choked on the word.
 

“’Love you’?” she shot back mockingly as she slipped her bra on.
 
“That’ll be the day, won’t it?
 
You can’t even say it.”

“Shelley, I never tried to pretend I was marriage material.”

Pulling on her blouse, she swung around and faced him.
 
“No.
 
But you did try to pretend you had a heart.
 
Now I know that was bogus, too.”