“You really can see in the dark, can’t you?”
“I’m a hunter. Goes with the territory. Don’t worry, you looked beautiful getting into the water. Think Botticelli’s Birth of Venus.”
She smiled wryly. “Except I’m not a redhead.”
“I noticed. Fine by me.” He swam closer. “I like the dark, sultry, mysterious, exotic type better anyway.”
Was that really how he saw her? she wondered. She had never considered herself any of those things. Okay, dark-haired, yes. But sultry, mysterious and exotic?
“You were right,” she said, sweeping her hands lazily back and forth beneath the surface. “This does feel good.”
“Especially after dark.” He stopped a short distance away and stood chest deep in the water.
“Do you always swim at night?” she asked.
“My favorite time.”
“I can’t remember ever swimming in the moonlight,” she said. She was unable to take her eyes off his looming silhouette. “It’s a very unusual experience.”
“So is this,” he said.
His hands closed around her bare shoulders. He drew her up out of the water and against his chest. When his mouth came down on hers there was an inevitability about the kiss that thrilled her senses.
She had known this was going to happen when she got into the pool, she thought. And she was pretty sure he had known it, too.
Nevertheless, the fierce urgency that slammed through her took her breath. She wanted Jake. She needed him tonight. She yearned to abandon herself to the sheer physical sensation of being held close and tight and hard by this man.
The vibrant force of her own desire caught her off guard. She could feel Jake’s hunger, as well. The combination was electrifying.
No one had ever affected her senses like this. Or maybe she had never allowed anyone to have this effect on her. Blame the trust issues, she thought. But her natural defenses had come down with a vengeance tonight. She was not afraid to make a leap in the dark.
She heard herself give a soft, hoarse cry. The small sound was muffled by Jake’s mouth. He groaned, flattened one hand on the base of her spine and forced her hips against his own.
She wasn’t the only one who was not wearing a swimsuit, she discovered.
He was heavily aroused. It gave her a glorious satisfaction to know that she was the cause. His erection pressed against her, rigid, demanding. She reached below the surface of the water and circled him with her fingers.
“Talk about larger than life,” she whispered. She squeezed gently.
He inhaled sharply and raised his mouth an inch from hers. “It’s been a while,” he warned. “Don’t think I can take much foreplay tonight.”
“Tell me when to stop.” She stroked him more firmly.
He gave a low, sexy growl of a laugh. “Don’t hold your breath.”
He bent his head and kissed the hollow of her shoulder. His fingertips slid between the cleft of her bu**ocks and then moved around the curve of her hips. He found the tight, urgent place between her legs and probed slowly. A delicious ache flowered inside her. She leaned into him.
“Jake.”
“Are you going to have second thoughts in the morning?” he asked softly. “Because if so, I’d really appreciate it if you’d tell me now.”
“No second thoughts,” she said. She kissed his chest. “Not about tonight.”
He scooped her up in his arms and carried her through the water to the steps. The night air felt cool after the warmth of the pool. She shivered a little.
He stood her on her feet and bundled her into her robe. When he left her to cross through the moonlight to pick up a towel she saw him briefly silhouetted in full profile. There was something profoundly compelling about the sight of his aroused body.
He wrapped the towel around his waist and came back for her. When he lifted her up into his arms again she thought about telling him that she was quite capable of walking to the bedroom. She kept her mouth shut. It was a lot more fun to be carried off into the night. For once it didn’t matter that a man was making all the decisions. For the first time in her life she wanted to surrender to the experience.
He carried her through the open slider of his own bedroom. In the moonlight she could see that the bed was badly rumpled. The light blanket had been kicked partway off onto the carpet. The sheet was twisted and the pillow was dented in several places. Jake’s sleep had been restless, she realized. That was probably what had driven him outdoors to swim.
She wondered what kind of thoughts kept a man like Jake Salter awake at night.
He opened a drawer in the nightstand and took out a small packet. He had the condom on with a couple of quick, efficient moves. Then he was on the bed, gathering her in his arms.
The robe fell away. Jake loomed over her, caging her between his arms. He kissed her again, on her mouth, her throat, her br**sts. He moved down the length of her body, raised her knees and found the tight, hard button between her legs with his tongue.
Alarm shot through her.
“Wait.” She levered herself up on both elbows. “That’s not my thing. I’ve never let anyone—” She broke off, floundering, feeling suddenly frantic.
He raised his head briefly. “Why not?”
She could not believe he was asking questions. “This is hardly the time for an extended discussion of the subject.”
“Can’t think of a better time, can you?”
“All right,” she snapped, exasperated. “It’s too personal. Too intimate. There. Satisfied?”
“No. Ever tried it?”
“No.”
“Then you’re not speaking from experience. You don’t know what you’re missing.”
He lowered his mouth to her again.
She clawed at the bedding with both hands, instinctively trying to retreat from the sheer intensity of the sensation. She found herself trapped when she came up hard against the head of the bed. Jake gripped her bu**ocks, sinking his fingers into her in order to hold her still.
“You taste so good I could eat you alive.” He kissed the inside of her thigh. “Trust me, here.”
And suddenly there was nothing she wanted to do more in the entire world.
“Jake.”
She heard a low, sexy laugh.
“There’s an old saying that suits this situation,” Jake said, tightening his grip on her. “Something along the lines of ‘Lie back and enjoy it.’”
“Why, you macho, arrogant son of a—”