Best Kept Secrets(154)

She turned toward the sink and filled his toothbrush glass



with tap water. She shook a tablet from the plastic bottle,

tossed it back, and took a long drink. As she was bringing

her head forward, she caught his eyes in the mirror. She

replaced the snap-on lid of the pill bottle and turned, drying

her mouth on the back of her hand.

Inexplicably, and totally unexpectedly, tears formed in her

eyes. "I know you don't regard me too highly, Reede, but

you must know how terrible I feel about what Judge Wallace

did.'' Her lower lip began to tremble; her voice became husky

with emotion. "It was awful, horrible."

She stepped toward him, put her arms around his waist,

and laid her cheek against his chest. "Be kind for once and

just hold me. Please."

He groaned her name and curled his arm around her waist.

His other hand cradled the back of her head to hold her face

against his chest. He massaged her scalp soothingly and

pressed soft kisses on her brow. At the first touch of his lips,

she tilted her head up. She kept her eyes closed, but she could

feel the heat of his gaze on her face.

His lips brushed hers, and when hers separated, he murmured

another low groan and kissed her deeply. His hands

sifted through her wet hair, then caressed her neck.

"Touch me again, Reede," she pleaded.

He unbuttoned the pajama top, then slid his hands inside

it, encircling her body and drawing it up high against him.

His shirt lightly rubbed against her nipples. She felt the cold

bite of his belt buckle on her bare belly and the bulge of his

fly nudging her mound as it nestled in the soft hair between

her thighs.

Each sensation was more electrifying than the last. She

wanted to savor each one individually, but the combination

of them was too immense and overwhelming for her to concentrate.

Every blood vessel in her body expanded with passion.

She was inundated with him.

Suddenly, he moved away from her. She looked up at him,

bewildered, wide-eyed, and already feeling the loss.

"Reede?"



"I have to know."

"What?"

"Have you been to bed with Junior?"

"I don't have to answer that."

"Yes, you do," he said resolutely. "If you want this to

go one step further, you do. Have you been to bed with

Junior?"

Desire won out over pride. She shook her head and gave

him a soft, whispery answer. "No."

After several ponderous seconds, he said, "Okay, then,

this time we're going to do it right."

Taking her hand, he led her into the living room, which

surprised her because the bed had been turned down while

she was in the shower. In the living room, the only light was

from the fire burning in the fireplace. He had already made

up the couch for himself, but he whipped the bedding off

now and spread it out on the floor in front of the hearth. She

knelt on the pallet while he calmly began to undress.

His boots, socks, shirt, and belt were cast aside with dispatch.

Alex, acting on impulse, moved aside his hands when

they went to undo his fly. Slowly, her fingers pushed the

stubborn metal buttons through the holes. When all were

undone, she opened the wedge wider, leaned forward and

kissed him.

Groaning, Reede gently cupped her head between his

hands. Her mouth opened warmly and wetly over his belly,

just below his navel. "That's my favorite thing," he rasped.

Sliding her hands into the back of his jeans, she eased them

over his buttocks, while her lips continued to whisk airy,

breathy kisses over his lower body. Finally, her tongue

glanced the tip of his penis.

"Stop, Alex. Stop," he moaned. "That's killing me,

baby."

Quickly, he stepped out of the jeans and kicked them aside.

Naked, he was tall and rangy and rugged, the appendectomy

scar only one of many.

His body hair caught the glow of the fire. It showed up as



a golden fuzz over his tanned skin, except around his sex,

where it was dark and dense. Lean muscles rippled with each

movement.

' 'Get out of that goddamn pajama top before I tear it off.''

Sitting back on her heels, Alex eased the pajama jacket

off her shoulders and let it go. The sensuous fabric pooled

around her. Reede dropped to his knees in front of her. His

eyes drank in every inch of her.

Alex thought he seemed hesitant to touch her, but finally,

he lifted his hand to her hair and rubbed the damp auburn

strands between his fingertips. He watched his hand's slow

progress down her neck and chest to her breast. His thumb

made light, deft passes across the nipple until it hardened.

Catching her breath, she sighed, "I thought you weren't

trying to seduce me."

"I lied."