Notorious. Vicki Lewis Thompson
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an hour ago they gave a guy two extra keys because he ran into his twin cousins. And remember that not a single person behind that desk is your neighbor. So you don’t have to give a care what they think.”
He gave her a wry grin. “Point made. Let’s go get the key.” But as he started toward the large entrance doors decorated in brass bamboo, he suddenly turned back and grabbed her arm. “Come this way,” he said.
“Why?”
“Just go with it. Head back the way we came.” He hustled her down the walk past the crowd of pedestrians.
“Noah, I don’t understand what we’re doing.”
“I’ll tell you in a minute. Come over here.” He stepped into the landscaping and pulled her in with him.
Instantly she was spritzed from head to toe. “I don’t think we’re supposed to be walking on the—”
“Down behind this rock.” He pulled her to a crouch behind a large lava rock.
“Noah, I’m getting soaked from all those misters spraying down. What on earth is the matter?”
“The groom.” He took off his Stetson and peered up over the rock. “Brandon.”
“Ah.” She gazed at Noah’s tense profile. Despite her complaining, the mist felt kind of good after the warmth of their walk. “So you’re planning on keeping me a secret from the bridal party?”
“I hadn’t thought about it until you started talking about the extra key, but then I began thinking that it could be kind of awkward, trying to explain everything.”
“Maybe you’re right.” Far from being insulted, she was delighted. One of her most popular magazine articles had dealt with secrecy in a relationship and how tantalizing the forbidden could become. She would love to be Noah’s forbidden secret for the weekend. It would make her that much harder to resist.
“Here comes Brandon. Can you get down lower?”
“Sure.” She got to her knees on the mossy ground and hunched down even more. The plants gave off a loamy, fertile scent that was quite exciting. And fortunately this wasn’t really the tropics, so she didn’t have to worry about putting her hand on an icky bug by accident.
Noah went down on his knees, too. Wrapping his arm around her, he pulled her in close.
Secrecy had all sorts of benefits, she decided as she snuggled against him. She’d only felt the hard press of his body once before and that had been wildly exciting. Yet he’d been a kid then, not much older than the drugstore clerk. She preferred this version. Maturity sat well on him—he had the solid strength and intriguing scent of a man in his prime. Their damp clothes seemed to melt against their bodies, giving the illusion of skin against skin. She could almost feel steam rising from where they were pressed together.
“I’m sorry you’re getting all wet,” he said softly.
“There are worse things.” Like wanting to be kissed so bad she could hardly stand it. She studied his lower lip and longed to run her tongue along its length. She wondered if he’d moan the way he had the first time she’d kissed him years ago. And she wondered if he tasted more like a man than a boy. In order to find out, she needed him to tilt his face down toward hers, so she spoke his name. “Noah?”
Sure enough, he looked down at her. His eyes grew darker. “What?” he murmured.
“Lean closer,” she whispered. “I need to tell you something.”
His eyes grew darker still, and his lips parted as he drew near. “What?”
She slipped her hand behind his neck. “Jungle drums get me hot.” Then she kissed him.
4
NOAH’S PROGRAM to reform Keely was seriously off track. Not an hour into it and he was making out with her in the bushes. For the second time in his life he’d succumbed to the temptation of her mouth, but he’d had some idea he could deal with it this time. For some unknown reason, he’d expected a repeat of the kiss she’d given him as a sixteen-year-old. He’d sadly miscalculated.
Oh, she’d had plenty of passion back then, too, but she hadn’t been quite sure what to do with it. Now, she’d learned. Good God, how she’d learned. The pressure of her mouth was light at first. Warm. Soft. Taunting him.
His first reaction was to move in and take control. He fought not to do that, because if he took control, he’d never know Keely’s plans for this kiss. He had a strong feeling she had plans…and he grew dizzy with anticipation.
Gradually she increased the pressure, coaxing his lips apart. The gentle flick of her tongue was slow and lazy, seducing him by degrees. His head spun as the kiss grew deeper…and deeper yet.
He cupped the curve of her hip and reaction surged through him. Her thin dress was so damp from the mist that she might as well not have been wearing it. He flexed his fingers, tightening his hold a fraction, and heard the change in her breathing.
They should stop this. They really should. But she smelled like raspberries and tasted wicked and delicious, like the candy he’d swiped from the corner store when he was six. He’d eventually had to pay for that candy. He had a hunch he’d have to pay for this moment, too. Something so good always came with a price tag.
Her mouth was moist and hot against his, and the spot where his hand rested began to grow warm. He stroked her in a gentle, circular motion and felt her tremble beneath his palm.
The steady drumbeats coming from the sound system vibrated the steamy air around them, and his blood seemed to pump in the same rhythm as it gathered in a very predictable area. But no matter how hard he became or how much he ached, he felt safe from temptation—safe to explore her hot mouth and dream of her hot body without worrying they’d get totally carried away.
After all, they were in a public place. They were hidden from view, but not even Keely would dare go further when they were a dozen feet from a sidewalk full of people. Not even Keely would make love in broad daylight in the middle of the hotel’s landscaping.
Then she guided his hand from her hip to her breast, and he wasn’t so sure.
Time out! his mind warned. Too late. Natural reflexes took over as he touched one of Keely’s perfect breasts for the first time. Although he’d tried to ignore her breasts ever since she’d turned twelve and they’d begun to show, he’d dreamed about them anyway, long before they’d been displayed in full color for the world to admire.
The magazine picture had only confirmed what he’d suspected—Keely’s breasts were a national treasure, a living work of art. Only a dead man wouldn’t squeeze that handful of heaven when it was offered. He groaned with the tactile pleasure of closing his hand around so much ripeness.
With a low, throaty chuckle she arched toward him. Maybe there was a note of victory in that chuckle, but he was too lost in the bliss of fondling her to care. Then the front of the dress loosened, and he vaguely realized she must have pulled at the laces, untying them. While his racing pulse was still reacting to that development, a soft pop filtered through his dazed state, and he felt the taut material of her bra go slack.
Framing his face in her smooth hands, she leaned away from his kiss. “Be my guest,” she murmured.
This was a mistake. A definite mistake. But he couldn’t not look. Slowly he let his gaze travel downward. Her breasts, kissed golden by the sun, lightly freckled as if dusted with nutmeg, spilled out of her dress. Of course this woman wouldn’t wear anything when she decided to sunbathe. He imagined her lying on her back, warm and relaxed by the heat, her body glistening with oil, the scent of raspberries heavy in the air.
Moisture gathered in his mouth. He was so hungry for her. As he continued to look, heart pounding, the mist gathered in tiny droplets on her skin and her nipples tightened and darkened to a deep rose. His breath caught. This was a mistake. And he was going to make