Unnatural Relations (Lust and Lies Series, Book 1) (24 page)

"Is there anything else you'd like me to do for you?"

As he nibbled his way down her neck, the last of her inhibitions took flight. "I'm suddenly feeling a little tired. I think you should put me to bed."

Chapter 11

"That would also be my pleasure," Kyle said, sweeping Barbara off her feet. The next instant, his mouth recaptured hers, effectively cutting off any second thoughts she might have.

As he set her on the bed and lay down beside her, she was again aware that everything seemed to be going in slow motion. It was the exact opposite of having sex with Howard, which usually had been frenzied and quick, with almost no foreplay whatsoever. How could she have thought that was so wonderful?

Perhaps, it had only seemed wonderful because her two experiments before Howard had been so emotionless and unsatisfactory. The only other man who had ever touched her was Russ, and she had been repulsed and injured by him.

She didn't need any more experience, however, to know that Kyle was the ideal lover. Not only did he take his time with each step and kiss with the skill of the devil himself, he clearly understood a woman's needs and had intimate knowledge of the female body. He knew how to undress them both without halting the sensual seduction that kept her from thinking about what flaws he might find. He knew how to make love to every inch of her body and which areas to save for last.

Before either of them got too carried away, she wordlessly retrieved a box of condoms from the nightstand drawer. Having gone through an unplanned pregnancy once in her life had been enough to give her the nerve to buy the protection at the same time as she had bought the dress.

Several times while he was arousing different parts of her body, she stroked him, wanting to return the pleasure, but he would only allow her the briefest touch before moving her hand or shifting his position.

Thinking he might still be playing the game where she had to voice her request to get what she wanted, she gathered her wits enough to speak.
"Please."

He raised his head from her breast and smiled. "Please, what?"

Her body was screaming with such need she could barely think, let alone form an explicit command. "Make love to me."

"I thought that's what I was doing."

Frustration fueled her nerve. She grasped his shaft and held tight. "I want this." She touched her pubic hair. "Here.
Now."

He moved his body over hers so that the two parts met as she ordered, then rubbed himself up and down against her. "Like this?"

A spear of pleasure made her whimper. "Yes."

He did it again. "No. Kyle, please stop teasing me. I want you inside."

"No."

Her eyes flew open. His face hovered above hers for a moment, then he began inching his body down hers. In between burning her flesh with hot, wet kisses, he explained. "I have thought of little else but being inside you for a week. But then I heard your story and realized that what I wanted wasn't as important as what you needed. The last two men in your life only thought of what they wanted—one left you pregnant and alone, the other caused you horrible pain and years of suffering.

"I told you earlier, tonight is all for you. I want to prove to you that a man can think of your needs first."

"Kyle, you've already proven that. What I need—"

"Hush. I know what you need. Now pay attention. You'll be graded on your performance."

She would have laughed, but just then he moved the last inch downward and buried his face between her thighs. All at once his fingers were doing something incredibly exciting inside her and his tongue and teeth were doing other unfamiliar things on the outside. The phrase "zero to sixty in five seconds flat" came to mind as she grasped the sheets on both sides of her to keep from flying off the bed.

Her first climax was passed before she was prepared for it. The second, following so closely behind the first, was an even greater shock.
What in God's name was he doing to her?

He gentled his actions long enough for her to catch her breath, but her heart was still racing when he began arousing her again. Tangling her fingers in his hair, she moaned, "Kyle! You're killing me."

The expression on his face as he looked up at her was one of satisfaction. "Just once more, honey, and you'll have earned your A-plus."

By the time he was finished demonstrating just how well he knew what she needed, every bone in her body had turned to liquid. Fortunately, he came up beside her and drew her into his embrace, for she couldn't move a muscle on her own.

"You see?" he whispered. "That didn't kill you."

She might have debated that, if she had one ounce of energy to do so. Still intent on catering to her, he rearranged the bedcoverings over them and fit her spoon-fashion into the curve of his body. His erection pressed against her back and she made an effort to bring their bodies even closer, but he stopped her again.

"Sleep, love. We have the rest of our lives for you to satisfy me."

She wanted to protest, but his suggestion of sleep seemed to take control of her mind. The thoughts that normally kept her from getting a good night's sleep, her fears and nightmares, Simon Decker and Russ Latham, every big and little worry, were all banished because Kyle told her to sleep.

When she awoke sometime after dawn, she was still nestled in his arms, and he was still pretty much in the same condition he had been when she dozed off.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" she mumbled.

He gave her a soft kiss. "I was enjoying watching you dream." His hand skimmed over her hip and cupped her bottom. "You are the most beautiful woman in the world."

That made her chuckle. "I think that might be a slight exaggeration, but I won't argue with you." He went to kiss her again and she smelled toothpaste. "No fair. You've already brushed your teeth." She excused herself despite his assurance that she didn't have morning breath. When she returned to him, she felt much more comfortable and confident about what she planned to do.

"It's payback time," she said, crawling beneath the covers and back into his embrace. "What you did to me last night was... I don't even
know a
word to describe it. I've never had anything like that happen to me before."

He kissed her bare shoulder. "Good." His hand trickled over her stomach, then headed for more intimate territory. "Maybe you'll think of a word for it this time."

She gasped aloud as his fingers found their goal. Last night's exercise had left her extremely sensitive. She reached down and held his hand away. "You were very gallant last night, but this is a new day and I'm only going to stay in this bed with you if you're willing to take as much as you gave."

He brought her hand to his sex. "I'm all yours, love. The only problem is, after holding back for so long, I'm not sure how much control I'll have."

She ran her hand over the length of him and smiled. "I wouldn't worry about how fast the first time goes. You'll still have two times after that to make it last."

Although Kyle attempted to explain the differences between a woman and a man's sexual capabilities, before the morning was over, he more than lived up to her prediction.

Barbara had promised to pick Matt up around noon and Kyle suggested they take him and Kenny out for the day. While Kyle was shaving, she called Laura and got her exuberant approval, which made Barbara wonder how badly the boys had behaved.

As she was hanging up, her gaze caught on the paper she had pinned next to Dani's card and called her home number.

"Yes?"

"Hi. This is Barbara Johnson."

"Hey, girl. What's going on?"

"Russ Latham showed up last night."

"Give me details."

"It was about seven-fifteen. I opened the door without looking—my mistake—but he didn't force his way in, just kept his foot in the door and insisted I listen to him." Barbara gave her a summary of the conversation. "He's staying at the Wayward Motel and driving a light-colored Volkswagen bug. I'm sorry, I couldn't get a tag number."

"I'll go by the motel and check it out, then I'll add a note to the watch order on your house. You are going to go for a restraining order, aren't you?"

"Not yet. If there's even the slightest chance that he's really come to make amends, my taking any sort of legal action could set him off all over again. I don't believe he's changed, but I want to give it a couple of days. I'll know soon enough. The old Russ wouldn't be able to wait that long for me to call him. If he contacts me even one more time, then I'll file."

Every minute of the next eight hours was filled with activities designed to entertain two rambunctious nine-year-old boys, but Barbara found herself having a terrific time as well. They had pizza for lunch in a noisy arcade and went through several rolls of quarters. An animated movie came next, and they ended the day with cheeseburgers and fries.

Since the boys were still going strong when they got to Kenny's house—and Laura being a romantic soul—she insisted on keeping the boys there for another night.

The instant Barbara and Kyle were back inside her little house, he kissed her with a hunger that left her breathless.

"Oh, my," she whispered, feeling his strong physical response to her. "One might think you haven't been with a woman for an awfully long time... if one didn't know better." She shifted her hips against his.

He chuckled and pulled her down onto the couch with him. "It
has
been an awfully long time. Do you have any idea how hard it was not to touch you all day? I had to constantly remind myself that I couldn't hold your hand or kiss you whenever I felt like it, which was all the time."

She snuggled against him. "I know. I felt the same way, and I appreciate your being considerate of Matt's feelings, at least until he gets used to the idea of Mom having a male in her life besides him. Of course, the way you're spoiling him, I doubt if he'd put up much of an objection to anything you do."

With a wink, he said, "That was the general plan."

Unlike the previous night they spent together, this one was devoted to mutual satisfaction. By Sunday morning, Barbara wondered how she had survived so many years without even a fraction of the pleasure Kyle was determined to give her.

That pleasure was diminished somewhat when Laura brought Matt home around noon and he was clearly unhappy about something.

"Didn't you have a good time last night?" she asked with concern.

He submitted to his mother's hug, gave Kyle the minimum greeting he could get away with and headed for his room.

Barbara excused herself from Kyle and followed her son. "What happened? Did you and Kenny have a fight?"

He made a face at her as he plopped down on his bed and picked up a comic book from his nightstand.

Barbara closed his door and sat down beside him. "Matt, you're harder to read than that story. Tell me what's wrong."

It took him a moment to decide whether he wanted to talk to her or not, and when he did, four words explained everything. "Why is
he
still here?"

Though it sounded like his jealousy of Kyle had now moved on to cover her as well as Tammy, she didn't want to jump to the wrong conclusion again. "If you mean Kyle, he thought you'd like to go to the zoo this afternoon."

He started to react positively then remembered that he was upset. "Did he sleep here last night?"

She nearly swallowed her tongue. "No. Of course not."

The lie was worth it since it seemed to lift part of the burden off his mind, but he wasn't satisfied. "Kenny said you two were probably..." He looked back down at his comic book. "You know."

Good grief.
What had she ever done to deserve Kenny French in their lives? Should she refuse to respond, tell a half-truth or be a hypocrite? She opted for a smokescreen. "There are different stages that men and women go through in a relationship. Right now, Kyle and I are in the dating and getting to know each other stage. How this one goes will determine whether we move on or not."

"You mean, like getting married?"

His body language warned her to be careful how she answered. "Sometimes people get married after dating, but not always. Is that what's bothering you? That I might get married?"