“What’s wrong?” he asked stiffly.
“I’m glad you’re alive.”
His eyes met hers, curious.
“I hope you get a new job in San Diego, as a police officer or whatever you want to be. And I hope you find a nice woman to marry.”
He gave her an incredulous look. “You hope I meet someone else?”
“Yes.”
“That would make you happy?”
“Yes,” she said, her face crumpling.
His lips twitched in amusement. “You don’t look happy.”
She gave up on pretending to be selfless and cursed him in Spanish. He was right. Her well wishes only extended so far.
He turned toward her and cupped her cheek in one hand while she cried. After she quieted, he wiped her tears away. Then he swept his thumb over her lips. “For the record, I don’t want you to meet anyone else. I don’t want any other man to touch you, ever again. You’re mine, Maria. And if I can’t have you, I want you to be unsatisfied forever.”
“How cruel,” she said softly. Then she parted her lips for his thumb. When his gaze darkened, she closed her mouth around him and sucked.
That was all it took to seduce him. He seemed shocked by the move, as if he thought her too innocent to know that men enjoyed the promise of oral sex. But she wasn’t an ignorant girl anymore, despite her lack of experience. She was a mature woman, full of desire, as eager to give pleasure as she was to receive it.
He removed his thumb from her mouth and replaced it with his tongue, kissing her hotly. She accepted his kiss with an eager moan. She wanted him to take more. She wanted him to take everything, to touch her everywhere.
His tongue plundered her, over and over again. She kissed him back, hungrily, reveling in sensation. She could feel his hard-muscled chest against her breasts, his warm skin and strong heartbeat. The barn smelled of hay and rain and wet earth. Her fingertips danced over his back, exploring the bunched muscles there. His flesh seemed to leap at her touch. He kissed harder, burying his hands in her damp hair. She dug her fingernails into his shoulders and heard him groan. His pants were wet and cool, but his erection was hot. His distended fly jutted against her stomach. She wrapped her bare legs around him and arched her back in invitation. She wanted him inside her.
He broke the kiss, panting. “We can’t do this.”
She was aware of the chilly air on her tight nipples, and the throbbing heat between her legs. “Why not?”
“I don’t have a condom.”
“I do. I got one at the health office.”
He stared down at her, seeming dumbfounded. She got the impression that he was trying to think of other reasons to stop. His confusion was cute, so she kissed him again and reached for his belt buckle. He gripped her wrist, denying her. “Not yet.”
She shivered in response. Not yet was so much better than we can’t.
“I have to get you ready.”
“I’m ready.”
He ignored this claim and moved her hand away from his body. With slow deliberation, he stretched it over her head and held it there. Testing her, perhaps. Although she had reservations about being restrained, she didn’t panic. If anything, she felt more excited.
“I want you more than ready,” he said, touching his lips to her throat. “I want you dripping wet.”
She sucked in a sharp breath as he kissed his way down her chest. He didn’t need to do any foreplay; his dirty talk in that rough-soft voice was enough. His mouth was magic, framed by stubble, tongue rasping over her stiff nipples. Her eyes drifted closed and she moaned, reveling in his touch. Then he released her wrist and moved lower.
Her eyes flew open again. ?Dios mío!
He braced his palms on her thighs, spreading them wide. Her belly quivered with tension. She wasn’t waxed smooth, like the girls in magazines, but he didn’t seem to care. He closed his mouth over her with a grunt of enjoyment, as if she tasted delicious. When his tongue met her heated flesh, she let out a startled cry of pleasure.
He sucked and licked her languidly, not rushing. He slid one finger inside her, then two, as he flicked his tongue over her. She was slippery-wet, lost in sensation. She knew what was coming, and it was coming fast.
“Wait,” she said, reluctant to leave him behind again.
“What’s wrong?”
“I want the pounding, like you said before.”
He wiped his mouth, contemplative. “It’s better if you come first.”
“Why?”
“I won’t last a minute inside you.”
She tugged him upright, kissing his lips. “I don’t care,” she said, impatient for the main event. She fumbled with his belt buckle and the buttons on his fly. Then he was in her hand, rock-hard and thick, pulsing with life.
Yes. This was what she wanted. This blunt instrument, not his gentle fingers or a soft tongue. She was aroused beyond belief just from stroking him.
“Where’s the condom?” he asked in a hoarse voice.
She released him and grabbed the health kit from her tote bag. It had a single condom inside. He ripped open the wrapper and rolled it down his length. She watched him eagerly, moistening her lips in anticipation.
“Like this, with me on top?”
She wasn’t sure which position she’d be most comfortable with, but she trusted him. Man on top seemed like a logical place to begin. She nodded her permission. He gripped his shaft and placed the tip against her. Then he pushed inside a few inches.
“Okay?”
She twined her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, urging him deeper. He jerked forward with a heavy thrust. She tensed at the intrusion, even though it didn’t really hurt. It was just too much all at once. She felt too full, too tight, too sensitive.
“Should I stop?”
“No,” she said, stoic. “Get it over with.”
He laughed at this answer, his arms shaking from the strain. Instead of hurrying up, he dipped his head to her breasts and swirled his tongue around her nipples. The warm tug of his mouth worked like magic, causing a rush of moisture between her legs. Her thigh muscles relaxed. He withdrew about halfway and slid inside again.