What She Craves

from the anthology
For Her Pleasure

Available September 2007
from Berkley HEAT

 

 

Excerpt

No guts, no glory, no orgasm. She wanted the latter but was short on the former.

Mia Nichols wiped her hands nervously down her bare legs and contemplated running as far and as fast as she could from Jack Kincaid’s bedroom. But no, she’d come this far.

She’d snuck in, using the key Jack had given her for emergencies. She spared only a moment’s guilt over the fact this wasn’t really an emergency. Not unless you considered desperation a crisis.

The fact that she stood there, naked, couldn’t really be construed so much as a crisis as it was a bold plan to take the initiative. Yes, that made her feel much better. She wasn’t throwing herself at Jack, exactly. She was merely going after what she wanted. What she’d wanted for years. What she thought he wanted too when he wasn’t so wrapped up in his goddamn sense of responsibility.

She knew he was just on the other side of the wall sleeping. The soft sounds of his deep breathing filtered through the crack in his bedroom door.

You want this, Mia. You’ve wanted it forever. Go get it for God’s sake. You won’t get a better opportunity.

Summoning her flagging courage, she quietly eased into the bedroom. His body was bathed in the soft light that filtered through half-closed blinds. The sheets tangled at his hips, barely covering the bottom portion of his torso, leaving his upper half bare.

She licked her lips and moved closer. God, he was gorgeous. Hard, lean, the lines and angles of his body were just made for a woman’s touch. She could spend hours exploring the muscled dips and bulges.

He faced away from her, his jaw, rough from the overnight beard, prominent against his pillow. One arm rested down his side, his hand gripping the sheets that had long since been discarded. His other arm was flung out beside him, his fingers splayed out like he was reaching for something.

She edged closer to the bed. There wasn’t a time when she could remember not loving him. The years before his entry into her life faded, not worth remembering. They were a muddled mass of pain and anguish, of things she’d rather not remember.

He’d saved her. Taken care of her. Made sure she had what she needed. Except she needed him. Not in just the role of a guardian, someone who looked out for her and checked in on her from time to time. She wanted more than the casual conversations they had, and the occasional shared pizza on the weekend.

She was no longer the girl he’d rescued. She had long since grown into a woman. With a woman’s needs. And tonight Jack Kincaid was going to see that firsthand. If he didn’t toss her out of his bed as soon as she got there.

Nervously she leaned down, unsure of what to do first. Kiss him? Touch him?

The decision was made for her. She didn’t get to do either.

As soon as she bent to brush her mouth across his jaw, a hard arm closed around her. His other hand slid under the pillow in one quick motion, and she found herself staring down the barrel of a nasty-looking gun.

She let out an eep of fright and tried to back away. The arm around her waist tightened.

“What the hell are you doing” —he looked up and down her body— “naked in my bedroom?” he demanded.

Her cheeks burned, and she cringed from the glitter of surprise and anger in his eyes. This wasn’t going the way she’d planned.

His arms loosened, allowing her to back away a bit. Jack laid the gun on the night stand and sat up, dragging the sheets with him.

But she’d gotten enough of a peek to know he obviously slept in the nude, and that he wasn’t unaffected by the site of her naked body.

“Mia, what are you doing here?” he asked again, his tone not as strident at it had been earlier.

“What does it look like I’m doing,” she asked in exasperation.

She crossed her arms over her breasts, her humiliation growing by the second.

He cocked one eyebrow. “It looks like you were trying to climb naked into my bed.”

“Observant of you,” she said snidely.

His gaze raked up and down her body. “What the hell kind of game is this, Mia? Because I have to tell you, I don’t have time for this.”

She let her arms fall until she stood proudly before him. “I want you, Jack.”

He rubbed a hand through his short hair. “Ah hell, Mia, get your ass dressed and get the hell out of here. I don’t have the stomach for little girls playing at being an adult.”

Her cheeks burned furiously. “I’m not a child!”

“You’re too young for me,” he said bluntly.

She moved closer to him, allowing her breasts to bob in front of his face. She saw how his eyes tracked downward, saw his body tighten in response.

“I’m not a child,” she repeated. “I’m a woman with a woman’s needs. I’ve wanted you so long, Jack. Don’t turn me away. I can see you want me.”

Jack smiled mockingly. “You’ve come to the wrong place, sugar. I haven’t got a gentle bone in my body. Take your virginity and your dreams of flowers and sweet talk somewhere else. If we fucked, I’d ride you long and hard, and I wouldn’t give a damn that it was your first time.”

A shudder rolled through her body. Her nipples hardened to points, and she heard Jack swear.

She moved forward, closer still to him. She wanted to touch him so badly she ached.

“I don’t want you to be gentle,” she whispered. “I want you to be you. I want you.”

“Christ, Mia. I’m too old for you. You’re just a kid. Get some damn clothes on.”

She ignored him, pressing her body to his as she moved onto the bed. She stared up at him, her eyes seeking his. When their gazes met, she saw hunger reflected in his dark eyes. He wanted her. He could fight it, but she could see the truth.

Hesitantly, she twined her arms around his neck. He stiffened at her touch but didn’t yank away from her. Her lips hovered a heartbeat from his, and she heard him suck in his breath.

“Kiss me,” she said.

She touched her lips to his and found him unyielding, resistant. Not giving up, she deepened her kiss, running her tongue across his lips.

“Goddamn it, Mia,” he swore.

He hauled her up against him and returned her kiss with forceful intensity. His hands ran up and down her back as he devoured her mouth.

She moaned against his lips as his hands tangled in her hair. He pulled her back by her hair and stared hard into her face.

“Be sure about this, Mia. If you don’t turn tail and get your ass out of here right now there’s no turning back.

“Kiss me,” she said again.

He hesitated for a long moment, staring at her with hard eyes. Eyes that gleamed with want. She arched into him, tempting him with her body. His arms tightened around her. She could feel the flex of his strong muscles, and she knew in that moment she’d won.