She rocked her pelvis forward trying to take him deeper but he was already as deep as he could go. His hands found her bare buttocks and he rocked her forward. God, she loved the feel of those big hands against her ass. He parted her cheeks and she felt one finger sliding along her furrow and she squirmed closer to him.
Every ounce of her being craved more of his touch. His mouth slid from hers, nibbling down her neck and tempting her without restraint. She shivered as she’d done before and felt everything in her reaching once again toward a climax. But she didn’t want it to happen too soon. She wanted this to last as long as it could.
The roughness his stubbled jaw against her cheek tipped her closer to the edge. She dug her fingernails into his shoulders as she rocked her hips harder against his and when he called out her name, she melted. Her orgasm rushed over her as she continued thrusting forward.
His hips moved in sync with her, thenshe felt him stiffen and eventually relax. Over and over he whispered her name. She, in turn, couldn’t stop pressing against him, as she nursed her second orgasm.
Softly panting, his breathing tingled over her sensitized nerves as she fell forward. He wrapped one arm around her shoulder and the other around her waist. She shivered now from the cold and he reached down to grab his shirt, which he draped over her.
She didn’t want to move or to face him at this moment. She wanted to pretend that nothing had changed and she’d still be able to view him as just another competitor. And she almost had herself convinced about doing just that until he kissed her gently on the forehead.
That sweet gesture should have meant nothing, instead it made her heart beat faster and there was a hope that maybe this was more than mere lust. She didn’t want it to be. Embracing her passion was one thing but falling in love with a competitor would be a disaster and a mistake.
One she wasn’t willing to make. She shifted out of his arms and off his lap. She pulled her pajama pants on and tossed his shirt at him while she put hers back on.
“Um...I’m on the pill, not that you asked, but we should be covered.”
He nodded as he fastened his jeans and stood up next to her. “I wasn’t thinking about anything but you.”
His words brought out goosebumps on her arms, but she steeled her heart against them. It was almost as if he knew the exact right words. To make her forget. To distract her. He was playing her.
And she’d have no one but herself to blame if she didn’t heed this warning and walk away.
REMY WATCHEDHERWALK away knowing that Staci thought this had been a mistake. He rubbed his hand over his face and didn’t follow her into the house.
“Am I supposed to say I’m sorry?”
“No,” she said, glancing over her shoulder at him. “I should know better.”
“Better than what?” he asked. Regret came hard to him and he didn’t want to apologize even though he knew he should. He’d taken her because he wanted to, and she wanted him to. And yes, he’d tasted something new and inspiring in her passion, but he’d also hurt her. Something he’d never wanted to happen.
“Youkissedme,” he pointed out softly.
“I know,” she said. “I don’t regret it. I’m mad at myself. I keep making the same mistakes.”
“Like what?”
She shook her head. “I think you’ve seen me naked enough tonight.”
She headed into the house and this time he could only watch her go. What had she meant by that? He would figure it out another time. Tonight he had his hands full figuring himself out. At the balcony railing, he pulled his shirt on. He’d always had a clear-cut path in front of him until last year when he’d overheard a restaurant critic saying that this latest generation of Cruzels were slackers.
That one comment had shaken his confidence and made it seem as if he’d taken everything for granted. Now he was here and tonight he’d felt a little like his old self again but at what cost, he thought. His new confidence had been earned at the expense of Staci. She was battling her own demons, he knew that, but he still didn’t like the way that feeling sat on his shoulders. He was in part to blame for what was going on with her.
And he truly didn’t want that. More than anything heneeded some advice. Despite the late hour, he went inside and came across Dan in the main living room.
“I thought I was the only one up at this time of night,” Dan said.
Remy felt lucky that Dan hadn’t come up earlier when he’d had Staci in his arms. He shouldn’t have been surprised that he hadn’t thought of getting caught when he’d had her. All he’d been able to think about was Staci.
“Seems a lot of us are having trouble sleeping tonight,” Remy said.
“Yeah.” Dan rubbed the back of his neck. “I was the last one to make it in today...I’m excited and nervous about tomorrow.”
Remy nodded. That was exactly the way he felt. Each new phase was going to challenge a preconceived notion he had of himself in the kitchen. While he looked forward to finding out what he was made of another part of him worried that he’d made another mistake.
Sleeping with Staci had been a colossal one. He didn’t want her to have the impression that he was the type of man who’d use someone to get what he wanted.
“You? The judges practically wept when they tasted your dish,” Dan remarked.
