Touch of Topaz

Chapter Four

John did his best to ignore the sound of water splashing just a few yards away. The only thing separating him from a naked Topaz was his own self-control and a rather flimsy door.

He’d taken the liberty of packing some supplies in anticipation of bringing Topaz to his cabin, so they had plenty of food for their stay. He thought about opening a can of soup and slapping together some sandwiches, but he really wanted to feed her well tonight. Not only because she hadn’t been eating much lately, but also because eating could be a very sensual experience if done correctly.

He enjoyed cooking and often whipped up interesting meals for himself and his twin. But he’d never cooked for a woman before. When he dated, he usually took them out to eat or ate at their place, as he didn’t like having someone he just met in his home. Call him paranoid, but he liked his privacy.

But Topaz was special. He wanted her in his home. Hell, he’d move into hers if it would make her feel more secure. He didn’t care as long as he was with her.

He’d already whipped the cream for the strawberries, which were washed, cored and waiting in a bowl in the refrigerator. The water for the pasta was boiling and the sauce was simmering away. Everything was under control.

He wiped his hands on a towel and grabbed one of the glasses of wine he’d poured. The red had a full flavor he knew Topaz would enjoy. He went down the hallway and knocked once on the door before letting himself in.

There was a cry and a splash as she sat up in the tub and pulled her legs to her chest. The steam had dampened her hair and the fine ends were stuck to her nape and forehead. “What are you doing? Get out.”

Her eyes flashed with heat, some of it anger and, he hoped, some of it arousal. John crouched by the side of the tub and held out the glass. “Thought you might like some wine.”

Her skin looked so soft and touchable. He reached out with his free hand and stroked his fingers down her arm. Several beads of water skimmed her flesh before dripping back into the tub. He wanted to lick them from her skin.

“It could have waited.” Her tone was terse, but not quite as angry. “I’m naked.”

She glared at him and his cock jerked. He almost laughed aloud at the way his body responded to her even when she was annoyed with him. Instead, he settled on being privately amused. No need to let her know just how much power she had over him. Hell, all she had to do was breathe and he wanted her.

“Believe me, I’m well aware of that fact.”

His wry tone had her studying him closer. Her gaze dropped and he was grateful that he was crouched down and the tub hid the bulk of his lower body from her view. She looked back at her face, her eyes questioning. He ignored her unspoken question and lifted the wineglass closer.

“Here, try it.” He held the glass to her lips and waited. She sighed and parted them, allowing him to tip the glass enough for her to have a taste. She swallowed and he watched the long column of her throat ripple.

“It’s good.” She shook her head and sighed. “But it could have waited. What am I going to do with you, John?” The last was said with exasperated affection.

“Anything you want.” His jeans were uncomfortably tight, but he didn’t care. For too many years he’d gone through the motions of living. He’d lost interest in sex. Until Topaz.

He hadn’t been to bed with another woman since he’d met her and didn’t want to. There was something about her that spoke to him on every level. The more primitive part of him wanted to throw her over his shoulder and drag her off to his cave and keep her.

A reluctant grin tugged at his lips. Come to think of it, that’s pretty much what he’d done by bringing her here.

“What are you grinning about?” She snagged the glass from his hand and took another sip of the wine. A ruby drop lingered on her lips and he watched, mesmerized, as she licked it off with her tongue. His cock twitched and his balls ached. He wished she’d uncoil her body so he could see more.

“I don’t think you’d appreciate it.” He stood, not bothering to hide his erection. He couldn’t if he wanted to. The damn thing had a mind of its own.

Her gaze went to the front placket of his jeans and then flew to his face.

“I want you.” His words were blunt, just like he was. “Never doubt that for a minute.” He stared at her for a few more moments, enjoying the view of her naked body.

Even free of makeup, her face was beautiful, maybe even more beautiful than when she wore the stuff. Her skin was smooth, her eyelashes long and dark, her eyes a golden brown that pierced his soul. And her lips, her lips were plump and full and so very kissable. It was easy for him to imagine her incredible mouth wrapped around his dick, sucking him off.

He shifted his weight to his left foot as his arousal grew even more uncomfortable. “Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. I left your suitcase on the bed. Wear something comfortable.”

She raised the wineglass in a smart salute. “Yes sir. Anything else, sir?”

Her sassy answer teased a reluctant smile from him. It also made him realize that he was issuing one order after another to her. He rubbed the back of his neck, wishing he had more finesse with women. “I’ll be in the kitchen.”

Better to get out before he said something to make her angry. Right now, she was going along with his plan, and he didn’t want to do anything that might cause her to want to leave.

“John.” He looked back at her and she waggled the wineglass at him. “Thanks for the wine.”

He grunted and left the bathroom. “I’m putting the pasta on now. You’ve got about fifteen minutes ‘til dinner is on the table.”

Topaz watched the bathroom door close and slowly uncoiled her body, letting her knees slip back into the water. She shivered and sank down until the water lapped at her neck. She was hot and cold at the same time.

She’d had sex with a variety of talented lovers over the years, but never had she met a man as elemental as John. He exuded raw magnetism and sexuality that drew her like a lodestone.

She took another sip of the wine, knowing she needed something to fortify her for the coming evening. At some point they would make love and, if it were anything like their last encounter, it would be explosive and intense.

“What am I doing?” she whispered.

The logical thing to do would be to get out of the tub, get dressed, eat and then sleep on the sofa for the night. The last thing she needed was a one- or two-night stand. John Knight was an exciting lover, but he was also a man who lived a life of secrets and adrenaline rushes. Why else would he start a security firm after a twenty-year career in the Army?

She wanted a man who would be satisfied with coming home to her every night, a man who didn’t have such a dangerous edge. In short, she wanted the kind of man like the ones she’d been dating for the past five years, the kind of men who’d bored her to death and left her cold.

“I don’t know what I want anymore.” She set down the wineglass on the chipped linoleum floor and climbed out of the tub. After pulling the plug, she grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her. The air was chilly after the warmth of the water and goose bumps raced down her arms.

She grabbed her wine and her clothes and hurried into the bedroom. It wasn’t hard to find as it was the only other room in the short hallway. She could hear John rummaging around the kitchen and she quickly shut the door. She set her glass on the ancient dresser and looked around the room.

Like the rest of the place, it was utilitarian. There was a dresser, a large bed with just two pillows, a single nightstand and a chair in the corner. John’s suitcase sat beside the dresser.

A small lamp on the nightstand was the only illumination in the room and it sent a dull glow over everything. A pair of depressing beige curtains covered the window on the far wall. They were closed, shutting out the night and the outside world. As promised, her bag was on the bed. She unzipped it and pulled out a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt.

She paused and wished she were home where she’d have more of a selection to choose from. Chewing on her bottom lip with indecision, she withdrew her nightgown and robe. The matching set was a silky dull bronze that brought out the color in her eyes and made her pale skin gleam. She loved beautiful lingerie and indulged herself frequently.

It was silly to wear it to the dinner table. But she was realistic enough to know that she was going to end up naked at some point tonight. What did it matter if she wore her nightgown to eat in? It was the sexiest thing in her suitcase. John had her at a disadvantage because he’d planned this. She’d packed mostly work clothes that would suit a courtroom. She wanted to feel self-assured, wanted to knock him back a step or two.

“Five minutes,” he called from the kitchen.

Topaz dropped the towel and grabbed her nightgown. It only took a moment to yank it over her head. It settled over her skin like a caress and she shivered, but not because of the cool air. Anticipation filled her as her nipples puckered against the soft material, while the silky folds caressed her waist and hips. She grabbed the matching robe and slipped it on, belting it tightly.

Her slippers matched the robe, of course, and she shoved her feet into them. Too bad they were flats instead of heels. That put her at a slight height disadvantage. At five-ten, she was used to being as tall as most of the men she dated, taller when she was wearing heels. But John was about six-three, so that gave him almost half a foot on her.

There was a small mirror hung over the dresser and she checked out her appearance as best she could. She turned one way and then another but couldn’t see much. There was no full-length mirror in the room, so she made do.

She dug out her brush and dragged it through her hair. It was short and well cut so it didn’t require much more than that to make it look good. She thought about makeup but decided against it. Instead, she simply slicked a pale lip gloss on. She dumped everything back into her suitcase and moved it to the chair in the corner, leaving the bed free and clear.

“Topaz. Dinner’s ready.”

“You can do this. You’re a mature woman,” she reminded herself. “And he’s a man you want.” She grabbed the damp towel off the floor and hung it over a hook behind the door, squared her shoulders, picked up her wineglass and left the bedroom.

John added the pasta to the sauce and then ladled it on the plates. The table was set with mismatched plates and glasses, but it didn’t look too bad. He’d remembered to buy some placemats and cloth napkins and had brought them with him. Too bad he hadn’t thought about flowers. That would have been a nice touch.

The pots were soaking in the sink and dinner was on the table. All he needed now was Topaz.

The soft sound of footsteps had him turning away from the table. He caught his first sight of her and lost the ability to breathe. She flowed down the hallway. There was no other way to put it. She was wearing a robe that fell to her ankles and the silky material clung to her curves, giving him a glimpse of her ankles and calves as she moved.

The neck came down in a low V and tantalized him. He narrowed his gaze and watched her breasts move easily beneath the thin fabric. She wasn’t wearing a bra. He wondered if she was wearing anything at all under the robe.

She cleared her throat and he raised his eyes to her face. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips were slick with pink gloss. He wanted to kiss them, to taste them.

“Supper smells good.”

Right, food first. Get your head into the game, Knight, he sternly ordered himself. He held out a chair for her. “I know you like pasta.” It was one of the reasons he’d chosen the dish.

“I do. Thank you for cooking for me.” She slid into the chair and he caught a whiff of the soap she’d used in the tub. It was his and the woodsy smell affected him much differently than when he used it. He leaned down and breathed against her neck, letting his lips nuzzle just below her ear.

“You look good enough to eat.” John was suddenly very hungry for her and not for the food he’d cooked.

She shivered and he forced himself to move away. One step at a time. He didn’t want to simply seduce her body. He wanted her mind and her emotions as well. He’d been on enough military ops to know that the way to winning was to have a good solid strategy and to be fluid as situations presented themselves. Now was the time to feed her, to show her he could look after her.

A modern, independent woman might scoff at such a thing if he said it out loud, but underneath all the glossy layers, people were still basic at heart. He’d seen enough during his deployments in war-torn countries to know this for a fact. A woman might be able to take care of herself, but that didn’t mean she didn’t want a strong man, one she would be able to depend on when the shit hit the fan. He wanted to show Topaz that he was the man for her, the one she could depend on to protect her and put her needs above his own.

He took the seat across from her and reached down to adjust his erection to a more comfortable position. Wasn’t much he could do at the moment except grin and bear it. “Go ahead, try some.” He wanted her to like the meal he’d prepared for her. There was something very elementally appealing about cooking for her, having her eat what he’d provided.

She twined the pasta onto her fork and lifted it to her lips. He almost came when her mouth parted and she slid the fork into her mouth. She closed her eyes and made a soft humming sound as she chewed. “This is delicious,” she murmured after she swallowed. She opened her eyes and smiled at him. “Thank you.”

John felt as if he was ten feet tall. It was stupid for the approval of one woman to mean so much to him, but there was no changing the facts. He grunted and dug into his own food. He was hungry and his mind was busy mulling over the coming evening, and he didn’t look up again until his plate was almost empty.

Shit, he was supposed to be talking to her, putting her at ease. She’d finished about half of what he’d put on her plate, but was pushing it away. “Did you have enough?” Could he ask a more stupid question?

“Oh yes. It was exactly what I needed. The spices in the red sauce were perfect.” She lifted her wineglass and sipped. He noted that she’d only drunk about half of what he’d poured. Good, he wanted her relaxed, not tipsy.

“There are strawberries for dessert.” He stood and removed both plates, dumping them on the kitchen counter.

She gave a small moan of pleasure. “I love strawberries.”

He knew that from his time with her last summer. It was why he’d hunted around several grocery stores and paid a fortune to get the ripe berries out of season. He had to remember to thank his brother for keeping an eye on both sisters at the hotel while he’d run his errands. He owed Jake, big-time. “I have whipped cream too.”

“Now you’re just spoiling me.” Topaz got up from the table and walked to the large picture window, staring out into the darkness.

He wanted to spoil her, but she probably made as much money as he did, if not more. He wasn’t the type of man to be bothered by that, but he still wanted to provide for her and give her what she needed.

He pulled the bowl of strawberries out of the refrigerator and spooned several dollops of cream onto them before taking the bowl into the sitting area and placing it on the scarred coffee table. He wondered what she was thinking about, but decided it was probably better not to ask. An intimate atmosphere surrounded them and he didn’t want to do anything to jar it.

John turned off the overhead light, leaving a single lamp in the corner lit. The room was wreathed in shadows but Topaz didn’t turn around. He went to her and put his hands on her shoulders. “Come have some strawberries.”

She looked up at him with questions in her eyes. He shook his head, took her hand and led her to the sofa, relaxing slightly when she followed him without comment. He sat and pulled her down onto his lap. She squirmed around for a few seconds, settling herself into a comfortable position.

He deserved a medal for not tossing her on the overstuffed cushions, shoving up her robe and mounting her right then and there. His control was near the breaking point and having her sweet ass rub against him was pushing it.

John leaned over and pulled the bowl close so he could easily reach it. For a brief moment, his mouth was only a hairsbreadth from her breasts. It took a Herculean effort not to latch on to one of her hard nubs pressing against the front of her robe.

Instead, he leaned back and carefully selected one ripe, red berry. Cream swirled on the tip that he brought to her lips. “Taste.”