In Over His Head

Chapter 6

Josh drove his rental car slowly down the winding street, one hand on the wheel, the other hand resting on the leather seat, his fingers entwined with Lexie's. Conversation consisted of Lexie giving him directions to her house, and that was fine with him as he felt pretty much incapable of making chitchat. Her sexy game invitation swirled through his mind like a tornado, whipping up a maelstrom of lust. It was all he could do to concentrate on the road. If he allowed his fantasies free rein, they'd end up in Louisiana.

In an effort to get his mind off ice cream-at least until they arrived at her house-he forced his thoughts elsewhere. As flattering as tonight's fan attention was, he certainly hadn't planned on an impromptu autograph session. At first he'd worried that Lexie would mind, but she'd taken the interruption of their evening right in stride, a fact for which he was grateful. He'd been in similar situations before where his date had gotten all huffy and pouty and jealous, and he'd spent many evenings coaxing disgruntled dates back into good humor. It was refreshing that Lexie hadn't reacted that way, even though a few of the women had made some blatantly suggestive verbal overtures. Lexie had simply smiled at him, winked at him, and even favored him with looks that clearly indicated she was proud of him, and several that made it plain sex was in his immediate future.

He risked a quick glance at her from the corner of his eye and instantly regretted it as the glimpse he caught showed her pursing her full lips.

Damn, this was bad. This woman turned him on just sitting there. And she was hell on his ability to concentrate. But even worse were his powerful feelings for her-a woman who'd made it very plain tonight that this was a fling and nothing more. He feared his former occupation wasn't going to help his cause any. She clearly harbored an aversion, with good reason, to guys she designated as adrenaline junkies. And while her former alligator-wrestling fiancé sounded a bit over-the-top, Josh suspected that "rodeo cowboy" probably lumped him in the same category.

Before he could ponder further she said, "My house is the second one on the right, with the porch light on."

He pulled into the driveway, then cut the engine. The house was cream-colored stucco with a small, neat yard, nestled between two similarly styled houses. After opening her car door, an act that brought a smile to her lips, she led him up the cement walkway, then into a foyer tiled in pale green.

He followed her into a pristine kitchen done in cheerful shades of green and yellow. She opened the refrigerator, then bent over to slip in the foam to-go boxes containing their food.

The way she looked, bent over, with her dress riding up the backs of her thighs, forced him to take several long careful breaths. Then she straightened, closed the fridge, and leaned back against the white door.

"Would you like to see the rest of the place?"

"Darlin', I'm anxious to see anything you might like to show me."

She smiled, then waved her arm in an arc. "Kitchen and breakfast room." She led him through an archway, then said, "Family room." The cozy room was done in shades of blue and pale yellow, with a whitewashed wood entertainment center surrounded by an overstuffed sectional sofa. Several fitness magazines rested on a glass coffee table, alongside a large sand-filled bowl decorated with an assortment of colorful shells. Framed photos were scattered around the room, but before he could examine them, she crossed the hardwood floor and opened the vertical blinds along the back wall. Sliding open the patio doors, she said, "Deck."

He stepped outside and was immediately engulfed in steamy tropical air. A tall wooden fence enclosed the small backyard. In one corner of the deck stood a grill. In the other-

"Hot tub," she said, pointing toward the other corner.

An image of them, together in a pool of warm, bubbling water flashed in his mind, leaving a trail of heat in its wake.

"I love to indulge in a muscle-relaxing soak after an active day at work," she said. "The fence provides complete privacy from the neighboring houses."

Their eyes met, and Josh swore something passed between them. Something more than the arousing possibilities the hot tub offered. Something warm and intimate and knowing.

Reaching out, she clasped his hand then led him back into the house. She brought him through the tidy kitchen, then down a short corridor, murmuring, "Guest room, bathroom, laundry room," as they passed a trio of doors. At the end of the hallway she said, "My bedroom."

He followed her inside, then waited while she lit several candles. Like the rest of the house, her bedroom was cozy and attractive, and decorated with "beachy" touches, from the bedspread depicting various shells against a pale aqua background, to the starfish-shaped candleholders she now applied her attention to. Except for the headboard, which was brass, the furniture was pale wicker. Again he noted a number of photos resting on her dresser and night table. Wandering over to her dresser, he picked up a frame that contained a collage of four pictures.

One showed Lexie flanked by a smiling, older couple. Clearly her parents, as he could easily see the resemblance to both of them. Her dad sported a military haircut but Lexie had his firm chin. And she'd inherited her mother's eyes and glowing smile. Two of the other photos also showed Lexie with her parents, one where they were all dressed formally, the other on a golf course. The last photo was of a grinning Lexie in the water with a dolphin.

Looking up, he watched Lexie blow out the match, her lips puckered in a way that made him ache. She walked slowly toward him, her hips gently swaying, her full skirt skimming her legs. Halting beside him, she tapped on the frame. "My parents."

"Looks like you enjoy each other's company."

"Oh, we do. My folks are great. And tireless." She chuckled. "Whenever we're together, I'm always the one suggesting we sit down and rest for a minute."

The sharp pang of loss hit Josh. "That's how my dad was. He wasn't happy unless he was doing something." Pushing aside his sadness, he pointed to the dolphin picture. "Another relative?"

She laughed. "Swimming with the dolphins. It's an amazing experience. You might want to try it while you're in Florida."

"Thanks, but I reckon I'll pass. If you recall, the last time I went into water that wasn't in a pool, I got bit on the ass."

"Dolphins don't bite. Besides, you can't fault that snake on its taste. You've got a great ass."

He set the frame back on her dresser. "Right back at you, Miss Lexie."

Smiling, she placed her palms on his belly, then walked her fingers up his shirt. He sucked in a breath, filling his head with a combination of her floral musk and the vanilla-scented candles, which bathed the room in a soft glow.

"How do you feel?" she asked in a smoky voice. "Are you relaxed?"

"Hell, no."

"Well, Mr. All-Around Cowboy, let's see what we can do about that."

He settled his hands on her waist and pulled her against him. "Generally speakin', fancy titles and wearin' clothes in the bedroom are a waste of time."

"What is that, wisdom from some sort of cowboy handbook?"

He lowered his head and nuzzled her fragrant neck. "As a matter of fact, it is. Cowboys are well-versed in sage knowledge that's been passed down through the generations. All time-proven to be correct." A low, pleasure-filled moan vibrated in her throat, and he touched his tongue to the spot

"In that case," she murmured, "I suggest we get you out of these clothes."

Lexie slipped her fingers into the V opening in his shirt and did what she'd been thinking about all evening. One by one, she pulled the snaps open, the gentle click the only sound besides their breathing. When she reached his belt, she pulled the shirt from his waistband, then eased the denim down his arms where it fell to the floor behind him.

Reaching out, she placed her hands on his chest, absorbing the slap of his heartbeat against her palms. She ran her hands slowly downward, enjoying the taut muscles jerking beneath her fingers and the heat simmering in his gaze as he watched her. Teasing her fingertips around the edge of his waistband, she ran her palms up his smooth back, over his shoulders and chest, then again tickled her fingers down his ridged abdomen.

He sucked in a hissing breath and the desire burning in his gaze nearly singed her. "Sweetheart, if you think that you're going to relax me doing that, you're sadly mistaken."

"Well, I suppose relaxed isn't really what I'm going for," she conceded. "Probably aroused is closer."

"Well, aroused is what you've got."

"How aroused?"

He captured her hand and pressed it to the front of his jeans. "Very aroused."

Oh, my. "How do you work this big belt buckle?"

He released her hand, then, with a flick of the wrist, removed the buckle and set it on the edge of her dresser. Her gaze wandered down to his feet. "Boots next." Moving to the edge of the bed, he sat and quickly pulled off his boots and socks.

After slipping off her sandals, Lexie walked to the bed. "Ready to play Ice Cream?"

"Like you wouldn't believe."

"Lie down."

Never taking his gaze from hers, he pushed himself back, until he was supine, his head resting on her pillow.

With her heart pounding, Lexie knelt on the mattress next to him. Reaching out, she undid the button on his jeans, then slowly lowered the zipper. He lifted his hips to assist her, and she slid the denim down and off his legs.

Clad only in his white boxer briefs, his erection straining against the soft cotton, he stole her breath. Heat sizzled through her, pooling in a hot puddle that dampened her panties. She cupped him through his underwear, running her fingers over the length of him, reveling in his long groan. He was ready, all right. But she wanted him really ready.

Hiking up her dress, she straddled him, settling herself against his erection. She squirmed once and spears of pleasure arrowed through her.

He reached for her, but she captured his hands, then leaned forward to gently lower them to the mattress, above his head. "Oh, no," she whispered. "Now you just relax-"

"Yeah, right."

She flicked the tip of her tongue over his earlobe. "All you have to do is melt."

He shifted, pressing his erection harder against her. "Not a problem. You haven't even started and I'm already close to a total meltdown."

"Then let me bring you the rest of the way there."

Josh closed his eyes and damped his fingers tightly together to keep from touching her. Then he clenched his jaw and prayed for strength.

She ran her tongue down the side of his neck, nibbling with her lips, nipping him lightly with her teeth. Everywhere she touched him, it felt as if she'd lit bonfires on his skin. She licked her way down his body with maddening leisure, her tongue circling his nipples before taking them into the moist heat of her mouth. Pleasure and need, hot and sharp, shot through him, and his fingers turned numb from clasping them so tightly.

She shifted lower, her tongue dampening a path down to his abdomen. She blew lightly on the trail and his muscles contracted. After circling his navel she shifted lower still, licking across the skin just above his waistband.

Opening his eyes, Josh watched her slip her fingers beneath his waistband, then gently ease the cotton over him and down his legs to join the pile of discarded clothing on the floor.

Reaching out, she ran one gentle fingertip down the length of his penis. His erection jerked, and a moan rushed past his lips. Before he could regroup, she leaned forward and licked him.

And he sure as hell melted.

Gritting his teeth against the intense pleasure, he watched her run her tongue over him, licking, tasting, kissing the full length of him, while her hands caressed and cupped him. Just when he didn't think he could take anymore, she took him into her wet mouth.

A groan ripped from his chest. Her tongue slowly circled him and his entire body tightened. Sweat dampened his skin, and the need to come pounded through him with increasing desperation. He wasn't going to be able to hold off his orgasm much longer. And the hell with not touching her.

Tunneling shaking fingers through her hair, he withstood the sweet torture of her mouth for another half a minute. "Lexie." Her name was a long, hunger-filled growl. She slowly released him from her mouth, but gave him no time to catch his breath. Still straddling his legs, she leaned forward and pulled a condom from beneath the pillow. Within seconds the condom was on, her panties were off, and his erection was buried deep in her tight wet, heat.

He tried to slow down, to retain some modicum of control, but his control was long gone. Reaching under her dress, he grasped her hips and thrust upward hard and fast.

"Josh…" Hearing her moan his name in that harsh, needful voice, pushed him over the edge. His release pounded through him with an intensity that bordered on pain. He throbbed inside her, shudders racking him, absorbing the feel of her orgasm as she pulsed around him. When his spasms subsided, he lay beneath her, ragged breaths pumping from his lungs, a film of sweat covering his skin, his heart beating so hard and fast he could hear its echo in his head.

He wasn't sure how long it took him to recover enough to force his eyes open. When he did, he discovered her looking down at him with the same stunned expression he knew had to be on his face.

Still intimately joined, they shared a long, silent look. Love, sure and strong, rushed through him, filling him with the certainty that it was only a matter of time before she realized that this was not a fling. Reaching up, he grasped her arms and pulled her down to him for an intimate, openmouthed kiss. Then she propped her weight on her hands and pulled back, looking at him with hazel eyes that glowed with a wicked gleam.

"So… did you melt?"

"Honey, you absolutely liquefied me. There's nothin' solid left."

"Oh. That's too bad. I wasn't nearly done with you."

"Yeah, well, I haven't even gotten started with you." His gaze shifted over her dress and he shook his head. "Didn't even get all your clothes off."

"No, but I kinda liked that you were naked and I wasn't. Of course, that does go against your cowboy rule about clothes in the bedroom being a waste of time. Did you mind?"

"Not a bit. But just remember, turnaround is fair play."

"Hmm. Is that a threat?"

"It's a promise."

"You know where else clothes are a waste of time?" she asked, lightly kissing him between each word. "The hot tub."

"Anything in that water that might bite me on the ass?"

A devilish grin eased over her face. "Only me."

"Good thing I'm now fearless in the water."

"How fearless?"

"I'd be happy to show you."