Secret Fantasy

He held out his hand but she stubbornly refused to grasp it. “Are you waiting until I drown?” he asked.

She set her jaw tight. “I don’t want you coming with me out of pity.”

He reached forward and grabbed her hand, hauling her out of the car and into his arms. Ignoring the driver and the rain, he pulled her flush against him. “Does this feel like I pity you?” He whispered the words, harsh and as desperate as he felt, in her ear.

Her eyes opened wide.

“I don’t know why you’re surprised. Thanks to that distraction you needed, you’ve spent the last half hour gearing me up.”

“You’re certainly feeling aroused.”

“By you.”

“You don’t say?” She grinned and he couldn’t help but kiss the smile on those damp lips.

She laughed and kissed him back, twining her arms around his neck and opening her mouth, letting him deep inside. Somewhere beside him he heard the gunning of the car motor and knew the driver had left them behind.

Grasping her hand, he pulled her beneath the portico of her cottage. The overhang was small and barely granted them coverage. “We should get inside.”

She licked at the water on her lips. “We should and we could—but then I’d never get over my fear of storms. But if we were to replace the bad memories with something wonderful…” Her voice trailed off. Deliberately provocative, husky and sure.

“Then we’d have a cure for phobias. We could market it and make millions.”

She laughed. “I’m game if you are.”

He groaned, conceding defeat. He was here and unless he wanted to walk back to the main resort and his room in the rain, he wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Nor could he back off without giving her the wrong impression and making her unsure and vulnerable, two things he never wanted her to be again. Especially not when she was with him.

“What the hell,” he muttered and sealed his lips tight against hers.

Though he knew he couldn’t justify this with the notion that he was fulfilling her fantasy, at the moment, he didn’t care—about anything except feeling and tasting the erotic mixture of rainwater and Juliette. He stroked her lips with his tongue and delved into the deep recesses of her mouth, learning and giving one minute, devouring then gentling the next.

The rumble of thunder, when it came, was softer than before but she still stiffened. “Easy.”

Her muscles slackened and he ran his hands up and down her arms, warming her through her damp shirt and attempting to heat her body with the same fire raging through him. But a chill shook her slender frame and Doug knew their time outdoors was coming to an end. Something he couldn’t allow until he’d done as she asked and replaced her old fear of storms with a new kind of awareness—a tempest of arousal and emotion that culminated in blinding ecstasy. One she wouldn’t forget or ever fear.

With that thought, he slipped his hand between them, cupping her intimately, waiting for a signal of rejection or acceptance, knowing he’d heed either. But when his hand found a warm, welcoming home in the juncture of her thighs, he hoped like hell she wouldn’t have second thoughts now.

She let out a whimper of assent, a soft mew of satisfaction, and just when he thought he’d been granted his deepest desire, she shifted her stance, parting her legs and affording him greater access. He’d wanted her permission. He’d received her submission instead. Her complete and utter trust, he thought, and an alien emotion rose in his chest—something tender and warm, pushing hard into his throat and nearly stopping his breath. The feelings she inspired should have sent him running, but he was beyond reason. Beyond anything except this woman and this moment.

Juliette sighed, tingling with anticipation. He flattened his palm against her there and despite the heavy barrier of denim, his fingers managed to dip inward, creating a rising tide of emotion she’d never experienced before. She shuddered and grabbed for his shoulders, certain she’d fall without support.

So this was what real desire felt like. Swirling sensations that kept her light-headed and dizzy. A relentless tugging that caused her heart to pound, her throat to close, and made that delicious pulling sensation he created between her thighs not close to being enough.

He brushed her damp hair off her face with one hand. “Where are you now?”

A warm smile lifted her lips. “I’m drowning in…desire.” She’d nearly said emotion before catching herself with a mental warning. Don’t rush things, she silently cautioned but feared she was falling hard anyway.

“Not fear?”

“Is there anything to be afraid of?” she asked immediately, catching her own dual meaning.

As if testing her, the elements chose that moment to make themselves known. Though the sky didn’t illuminate with light, thunder rumbled overhead. Her fingers curled into his shoulders but she knew she was safe.

He grasped her chin in his hand and turned her to him. “Not with me. You never have to fear me.”

And looking into those gorgeous blue eyes, she believed. Without warning, he shifted her attent

ion from his face to herself by rocking his other hand against her body, and the place he owned with his masterful touch. Warmth, heat and intense sensation collided, bringing her to the brink of release faster than she’d ever dreamed possible.