Damien rubbed his forehead and laughed, his shoulders shaking. "Oh, my God, you’re killing me. You know that? Here I’ve been trying my damnedest not to touch you all day and you’ve been trying to entice me? I’ve only got so much self-control, Mandy, and you’re coming close to using mine up."
Why was he laughing? Why was he resisting her? "I’ve missed something… Why can’t you touch me? I don’t want you to resist. I want you to get on this bed with me and shag."
He stopped laughing and gave a strangled groan.
"You don’t find me attractive anymore, do you?" She didn’t mean to say that, but it slipped out. She didn’t want to sound needy or emotional, but she was puzzled and hurt that he didn’t seem to want her anymore. When they got back to New York he was supposed to stop wanting her.
But here in Punta Cana he could want and he could have all he wanted.
Damien lifted the napkin off his lap and tossed it on the bed. He pointed to his pants. "Does it look like I find you unattractive? I almost bit my tongue off when that jelly slathered over your chest."
He had an erection, which the napkin had masked. It was a big one. Her breath came faster, her body tingling with awareness. "What am I missing here? Why can’t we have sex?"
"I want you so much, Mandy, that it shocks me. I mean, you’re pregnant, you’re going to be a mother – I should treat you with respect. But all I can think about is how luscious you are, how good you taste, and how much I want to be inside you. That makes me a pig. I’m racking up perversion points on the sexual scoreboard here."
Thank God, he wanted her. "That’s a lovely sentiment, and I’m glad you feel the need to respect me, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with being sexually attracted to a pregnant woman." At least she hoped there wasn’t, considering he hadn’t been the one to impregnate her.
"Oh, I know that. Trust me, if anything, it makes me more attracted to you. But the thing is, there is still a baby inside you, and that needs to be taken into consideration." Jaw clenched, eyes burning with desire, he balled his hands into fists. "I just don’t think I can trust myself if I get near you. I don’t think I can stop myself from doing things we shouldn’t." He looked at her, desperate.
"I want to deep penetrate, Mandy."
Have mercy and then some. Inner thighs burning, Mandy undid the ties to her bikini top and ripped it off.
Chapter 14
Why him? What had he done to deserve the hell that his life was? Damien groaned out loud in ecstasy and torment when Mandy tore off her black bikini top and let it fall in the open hamper at the foot of the bed.
This just wasn’t fair. Struck dumb, he could only stare as she trailed her fingers between her breasts, in the sticky jelly remnants. It would be sweet, he knew. It would be warm from her heated flesh. He would be able to smell her, the tangy saltiness of her skin intermingling with the fruity spread and the warm musk of her desire.
"Mandy." He pleaded for her to understand. He dug his nails into his legs through the fabric of his shorts, hoping pain would keep him from leaping on her.
Her thumb brushed over one nipple, and he became paralyzed. Incapable of movement of any kind. Frozen in panic and overwhelming lust.
"Damien, I read the book this morning." While she spoke, her fingers went up and down, up and down between her breasts, luring his gaze. "What it said was that at the end of your pregnancy, there may be slight bleeding after intercourse, and if that is the case you might want to avoid deep penetration. Otherwise, as long as it’s comfortable for the mother, it’s completely safe."
He could barely concentrate on her words when oh-so-slyly her touch shifted to the right and she was stroking the swell of her breast, the full curve underneath, her head turning to the side a little as she made contact with her nipple.
Even with his tongue too large for his mouth, he forced words out. "It seems like we should err on the side of caution." Though he was starting to think her arguments were pretty damn persuasive.
She was breathing now with that sound he loved – the little gasp of pleasure slipping out now and again, the deep jagged edge to each breath she pulled in, her mouth open in invitation.
"Absolutely, I agree. So if anything feels uncomfortable, I’ll just tell you to stop."
Well, that was good enough for him.
Damien grabbed the jar of jelly with a growl and leaned over the bed. Knee in a plate of crackers, he slapped a big heaping handful of the sticky orange goo over her right breast and bent down for a taste.
"Oh, Damien, yes!" she cried when his tongue touched the tip of her nipple.
The taste of the fruit spread mixed with the taste of her skin and crashed with the sound of her calling out his name and gave him a heady rush of pleasure. He sucked the bud into his mouth, hard.
Her cry dissolved into a low groan.
For a man who had thought himself pretty much devoid of all sexual feelings three months ago, he was pretty damned turned on. Swirling his tongue around her nipple to clean up clinging bits of jelly, he reached into the jar with an index finger and hauled out another scoop.
She pulled in her breath. "What are you going to do with that?"
Moving away from her breast, he teased his finger back and forth in front of her, jelly sliding down his knuckle, a dollop still resting on the tip. When he skirted past her nipple, Mandy let out a soft cry of disappointment. She had thrust her breasts out toward him in invitation, full and plump, her taut nipples a deep pink, the one still shiny and wet from his mouth.
Teasing himself as well as her, he asked, "Oh, did you want it here?" He hovered over one nipple.
"It doesn’t matter to me," she said, employing that clipped secretarial voice of hers. "Whatever works best for you."
"How generous of you." His body was tense, his skin hot and tight, blood rushing through his head with a sexual buzz. "Maybe I will put it here, then."
Coming a half inch from contact, he pulled his finger back. "Or maybe not."
She groaned, and he gave a low laugh. "Are you hungry, Mandy?" He stared into her rich brown eyes and wanted her to understand, wanted her to feel the same urgency and longing. "I am. I’m very, very hungry."
He smeared the jelly on her bottom lip from side to side. The tip of her tongue came out and flicked across his finger. The burn in his gut increased, and he snatched his finger back, out of her reach.