The Seduction Vow (13 page)

Chapter Twelve

“
Tara’s acting weird
lately. She’s hardly talked to me over this past week. I think
maybe I’ve done something to piss her off, but I don’t know what it
is.”

Neal swung Graci’s hand lightly as they
walked along between the stalls and carts of the Farmers’ Market.
He clutched a bag of produce in the other. “Did you ask her about
it?”

“
Yeah. She says nothing’s
wrong.”

“
Then maybe nothing is.
Maybe she’s working through some issues of her own, or maybe she’s
just in a bad mood.”

“
Tara’s never in a bad
mood.”

Neal pulled her over to a booth where a woman
was selling knitted caps and scarves, picked out a rainbow-striped
scarf, and held it up for Graci to inspect. He raised an
eyebrow.

She shook her head and reached for a blue
one, which she wrapped around his neck. It made his eyes pop. She
nodded in satisfaction, but Neal took it off and put it back.

“
Not really my style.” He
took Graci’s hand and walked on. “I wouldn’t worry too much. Give
her some time.”

“
You’re right. She’ll talk
to me when she’s ready. Tara doesn’t keep secrets.”

Graci reached into one of the bags she
carried, and broke off a piece of homemade fudge.

When the chocolate melted on her tongue, she
groaned in delight. “You have to taste this.” She offered Neal a
bite.

Graci watched the movement of his lips, his
teeth biting, his throat undulating slightly, and sudden heat
bolted through her and settled between her legs. Neal’s slightest
movement, expressions that crossed his face, the rasp of his voice,
or, oh God, when he sang around her apartment—any of those things
caused a fierce onslaught of lust. She was gaga over him.
Completely infatuated. Almost two weeks into their second chance at
dating, she couldn’t be happier.

“
Too sweet, but good.” Neal
leaned and kissed her mouth, his tongue lingering on hers before he
pulled away. “I like the way it tastes on you better.”

She smiled. Everything about him made her
smile. It wasn’t just the blush of new love when everything is
still rosy and perfect. There was a sense of “rightness” with him
that she’d never experienced before. This was what finding a true
partner felt like.

They held hands again as they walked among
the stalls of the busy marketplace, the aromas of food and flowers
filling the crisp fall air. Her hand was a bit sticky from the
fudge. His was large and strong and wrapped snugly around hers.

“
Want to go back to my
place?” she asked.

“
Yeah, I suppose we’d
better get some of this stuff into the fridge.”

“
I wasn’t thinking about
that. I was thinking I need to get you alone. I was thinking I
can’t wait one more minute to be with you in private.” She gave his
hand a squeeze.

Neal smiled and walked faster, pulling her
along with him to the parking lot.

****

Once the produce was put
away, Graci stood in her kitchen with her hands on Neal’s waist and
rose up on her toes to kiss him. Sweet chocolate still lingered on
his tongue as it stroked over hers. Her fingers curled into the
low-slung waistband of his jeans, her knuckles brushing his
hipbones. Hot flesh seared her fingers, sent bolts of lightning
flashing through her. And those kisses set off a chain reaction
through her body.
Want
turned to
need
turned to
must
have
.

His arms held her quivering body upright to
keep it from melting into a puddle on the kitchen floor. He kissed
her lightly at first, teasing her lips apart, and then delved
deeper. Graci wrapped herself around him and glided on a wave of
pure sensation.

When Neal broke off those slow, lingering
kisses, she whimpered.

He looked into her face, traced his
fingertips from her temple down to her chin. “You’re so beautiful.
I’m so glad you gave us another chance.”

“
No, I’m glad
you
did.” She licked her
lips and took his hand. “Would you like to, uh, see my quilt
again?”

“
I would
love
to see your quilt.”
He followed her into the bedroom.

Graci drew back the covers and plumped the
pillows, heart tripping along like a tap dancer. Not fear but
anticipation drove its beat as she looked at Neal over her
shoulder.

He stood, watching, waiting for her
direction, uncertainty furrowing his brow. “Are you sure about
this?”

She nodded. “I know we were going to take our
time, but I’m ready. Really ready this time. I want you, Neal. I
don’t want to wait anymore. Will you have sex with me? If you don’t
mind,” she added.

Neal smiled. “I don’t mind.”

He lifted the hem of her top to pull it over
her head. His palms cupped her bare shoulders, heating her and
making her shiver. Graci held still as a statue while he continued
to explore her body with featherlight touches, stroking her arms
then her throat, the hollow of her neck and her chest. His
sensitive musician’s fingers traced the curve of each breast as if
he played her body, and then plucked at her nipples visible through
the fabric of her bra.

Graci unclasped her bra and tossed it. The
garment clung to the edge of her dresser before sliding to the
floor. She straightened her back, her chest thrusting before her.
Naked, her flesh burned more than ever and her nipples ached as
they tightened even more. Her chest rose and fell rapidly. She
glanced down at her breasts, one attribute she was quite proud of
with their full curve and erect brown nipples. The admiration in
Neal’s eyes as he stared at them made her like her boobs even
more.

He weighed one in his hand
and lowered his head to the other. At the first touch of his mouth,
the sucking that sent electricity straight down to her sex, Graci
inhaled sharply through her teeth. The tender ache in her breasts
made her pussy throb. Her thighs tensed at the sharp clutching
sensation.
More, more, more,
every pulse begged.

She dragged Neal’s T-shirt off him to stroke
her hands over the wonderfully smooth muscles in his shoulders and
upper back. Every ripple of movement beneath her hands sent a new
wave of desire through her. His body was perfect, solid and strong,
but lean as an alley cat. She smoothed her hand over the blue
scrolls on one bicep and the Chinese script on the other. Neal had
yet to tell her what the symbols meant to him. So much history for
both of them to share as the days in front of them unfolded.

Neal moved lower now, abandoning her breasts,
leaving her nipples glistening wet. Graci caught another sharp
breath as his mouth skated over her abdomen and his tongue circled
her navel while his hands busily unfastened her jeans.

With a quick pull, he stripped her bare,
pulling both jeans and panties down to her knees. A little shock
speared through her. Modesty made her reach to cover her exposed
pussy. But she stopped her hands and held them by her sides. Every
part of her quivered now as Neal took her clothes the rest of the
way off and she stood completely nude.

He knelt before her and leaned in, gently
nudging her legs farther apart. His thumbs parted the lips of her
pussy, and he gave a long, slooow lick.

Every part of her contracted at the
electrifying touch. She moaned and swayed toward him. He held her
steady, gripping her ass, as his tongue delved inside, lapping her
juices, then returned to flick her clit again.

Her legs were trembling so she could hardly
stand upright. Neal abruptly rose, scooped her off her feet, and
carried her to the bed. He stripped off the rest of his clothes and
moved to crouch between her legs.

She feasted on the sight of him, the taut
muscles and thick cock thrusting aggressively toward her. God, she
wanted to feel it now. Inside her. What would that be like? Her
pussy ached with emptiness, so eager to be filled.

Graci’s body hummed in anticipation as he
braced himself over her. His erection bumped her stomach, and she
reached between them to grasp it, stroke it, and enjoy his
desperate gasp of pleasure. He pushed into her hand, and feeling
his need made her wetter than ever. She was more ready than she’d
ever been.

She reached for the condom on her night table
and carefully rolled it down his length. A shame to cover that
amazing appendage in latex. She wished she could have him without
any barrier between them.

Then Graci lay back and pulled him over her
once more. For this first time, it occurred to her she’d never
mentioned she was a virgin. But she wasn’t going to interrupt
things now as she guided him to her entrance.

She was so wet that the penetration was easy.
If there was any vestige of hymen left, she didn’t feel it tearing.
Only pleasure filled her as her body stretched—and then stretched
some more. His cock slipped in as if it were made for her. Filled
at last, her muscles clamped around him and only released him
reluctantly.

Neal withdrew and thrust again. Okay, a tiny
bit of pain after all. She wasn’t used to the friction as he rubbed
against her inside. Graci held her breath and tensed.

Neal stopped moving and looked down at her,
those bright eyes like lights searching her face. “You all
right?”

“
Yeah.”

“
I can feel you tensing. We
can still stop if you want.”

“
I don’t want to stop. It
just hurts a little, because”—she hesitated, then blurted— “because
I haven’t done it before.”

His eyes opened wide, and he pulled back.
“What?”

“
I haven’t.”

“
But you were together for
three years.”

“
We were waiting until
after we were married. Or at least I was. I guess he
wasn’t.”

“
Why didn’t you mention
this before? Jesus!” Neal withdrew, leaving her pussy empty and
seeking. “Is this a religious thing? What made you change your
mind?”

“
I’m sorry. I didn’t mean
to get into this right now.” She clutched his rear, and reached for
him with her body. She needed him back inside her.

He resisted her pulling. “I think it’s kind
of worth talking about.” His voice rose slightly.

“
We did other things, but I
wanted to save sex for our wedding night. Maybe on some level I was
still Catholic enough to care. But one year passed, then another,
and the wedding never happened.” She rubbed against him enticingly,
making him groan. “Now I’ve changed my mind. I want sex. I want
it
now
. Please
don’t make me wait anymore.”

Neal gave a little sigh. “As long as you’re
sure you won’t regret it later.”

“
I’m sure,” she swore and
moved her hips so his cock rested at her entrance again.

His eyes half closed. “Oh, fuck it.” He
thrust into her once more.

Graci allowed her body to relax and accept
each push. Not so painful after all, the mild discomfort eclipsed
by pleasure as he angled his body low so his groin slid over her
clit. With every brush across the sensitive bud, bright sparkles
danced at the edge of her consciousness.

This. This was what she needed, what she’d
been lacking for too long. The sensation of fullness and rising
ecstasy were only the start. The man in her arms made it right,
made her complete. In that instant, she understood that any
fuck-buddy she may have hooked up with wouldn’t have given her
this. The sense of connection was what she’d craved, and with Neal
she’d found it.

Her body rose and fell with his in slow, easy
motion. She dug her fingers into his back and lifted her legs to
hook her heels around his thighs. She groaned as the angle changed
and his cock hit someplace really special inside her.

“
Okay?” he
gasped.

“
Mm,” she growled. “Don’t
hold back.”

He moved faster then, pumping harder,
slamming into her. She loved him for being careful with her, but
loved this loss of control even more. She responded to his
desperate need and to that magical spot he kept hitting. The fizzy
sparkles inside her began to coalesce, and suddenly, exploded.

Arching up, she clasped Neal’s body so tight
he grunted. With eyes closed, she tossed on waves of blissful
sensation. So amazing. Better than the hype. No wonder the world
seemed to revolve around wanting and getting sex. But not any
partner would do.

She opened her eyes to see Neal’s face close
above hers, a face that had become beloved in a very short time.
His brows knitted and his eyes closed as he pushed into her, then
froze. His head tilted back, neck tendons stretched tight. Such
pleasure, and she had given it to him. She loved that.

Sex was like an exchange of gifts, done right
if both givers ended up satisfied, but if the matchup was wrong,
you could end with a white elephant. This match was exactly
right.

Neal’s eyes opened, and he looked at her. Oh,
those crazy blue eyes. She’d never get tired of looking into them
or having them gaze at her with that loving expression.

“
All good?” he
asked.

Languid as a cat, she
stretched beneath him, curling and uncurling her toes. She smiled.
“
Very
good. And
very glad I waited for this. For you.”

Neal smiled back at her. “Me too.” He rocked
against her, his cock slowly softening. “I hope it was everything
you’d hoped for.”

“
It was.” Graci cupped the
side of his face, the soft scratch of his beard tickling her palm.
She traced a thumb over his lower lip, then guided his face down to
hers for a kiss. “Thank you. I couldn’t have hoped for a better
first time.”