Seaside Hearts (Love in Bloom: Seaside Summers, Book 2) Contemporary Romance (13 page)

“Jenna,” he said roughly.

He was breathing as hard as she was, and when he filled his palms with her breasts and brushed his thumbs over her nipples, she thought she’d crawl out of her skin. When he brought his mouth to her nipple, she dug her fingers into his back to keep from collapsing with the intensity of his hot, wet tongue swirling circles, then sucking until she thought she might fall apart right there in his living room. Her other hand tugged at the buttons on his jeans. In the next breath, she was in his arms, being carried down the hall and into his bedroom. Her lips were so close to his neck, and his scent was so intoxicating, she settled her mouth over his neck in an openmouthed kiss, and it still wasn’t enough. She sucked, licked, then nipped and licked some more, until he tore his neck from her grasp with a loud exhalation.

“Jesus. You’re driving me insane.” Heat flared in his dark eyes.

He lowered her to the bed and came down on top of her, their mouths crashing together. His tongue probed hungrily, and his hips gyrated against hers, hard and eager. She pressed her hands to his lower back, wanting him, needing him.
All of him
. She didn’t care that this was their first real date. She’d waited a damn long time, and as she writhed beneath him and he moved his mouth down her body, she was completely, utterly,
his
.

He lowered his forehead between her breasts and just breathed her in. Jenna stilled.
Don’t stop. Please don’t stop
. When he lifted his head and their eyes met, his desire was layered with hesitation. He moved back up so they were eye to eye.

“I’m sorry, Jenna. I got carried away. You’re so beautiful, and when we kissed…” He shook his head. “Do you want this with me? We can stop.”

There was no question in her mind what she wanted. She ran her fingers through his hair. God, she loved his hair. “I’ve wanted this with you forever.”

His eyes darkened and narrowed with an animalistic, possessive look. She pressed his shoulders, urging him to continue the heavenly things he’d been doing before his beautiful conscience took over.  He hooked his fingers in the sides of her dress and tugged it off, leaving her naked, save for a white thong. His giant hands came down on her hips, and he lowered his mouth to the curve of her waist and kissed and licked his way south to her belly button.
Ohgodohgodohgod
. One hand slid beneath her ass and lifted her hips; the other grabbed her breast, and he squeezed her nipple between his finger and thumb—hard—sending her hips bucking upward. Jenna gasped another breath, unable to remain still as white-hot sensations raced through her.  He licked her through the damp material between her legs, teasing, tasting. The light brushing against her swollen sex filled her with anticipation.

“Mm.” He hooked a finger beneath the slim line of her thong and dragged it down one thigh. He slid that hand beneath her ass and held her hips up, freeing his other hand to drag the other side of her thong down her thigh.

She could barely breathe she wanted him to touch her so badly. She desperately wanted to open herself to him, but the tether of the thong bound her thighs inches apart. She fisted her hand in the sheets.

“Off. Take them off. Please.”
Oh God!
She couldn’t believe she was begging him to strip her bare.

Pete moved above the thong, leaving it in place. He slid his thumb from underneath where he’d held her ass and pressed it to the slick skin between her legs, stroking her into a frenzy. He lowered his mouth to her, licking circles on her sensitive bundle of nerves. She fought against the restraint of the thong, and it amped up her arousal as he took her up, up, up to the edge, then he pressed her hips until she connected with the mattress again, and slid his fingers deep inside. Adrenaline coursed through her as he probed her fast and deep, until her inner muscles clamped down around him and her hips shot off the bed. He sealed his mouth over her center as the orgasm tore through her.

“Peter—” Lights went off behind her closed lids. Pinpricks seared her skin. She didn’t think the orgasm would ever end—and, God, she hoped it wouldn’t—as her body pulsated around him. Just as it began to ease, he buried his tongue inside her, taking her over the edge again as she flailed her head from side to side, trying to maintain her grip on reality. Every muscle was on fire, until finally, her hips fell, spent, to the mattress and she let out a long, heated breath. She panted for air as Pete pressed feathery soft kisses to her inner thighs and around her swollen, pulsating sex.

“Good…Lord…” She reached for him, her eyes still closed, and she tangled her fingers in his hair, wanting to feel him, to be connected again. She tugged, urging him up to her. When she opened her eyes, Pete lowered his mouth to hers. Her juices were still on his mouth, and the sinful seduction of it all sent her hips rising against his again. She pushed at his shirt, wanting it off. Wanting him naked. Needing him inside her.

Pete’s lips never left hers as he shrugged out of his shirt. Then he moved down her body and took her thong off in one move. He slid off the bed long enough to strip out of his jeans. Jenna raked her eyes over his bulging muscular chest, down the fine pattern of his rippled abs, and finally—
holy shit
—to his formidable erection. She felt her eyes widen and bit her lower lip to keep from grinning like a fool. He. Was. Beautiful.

Insanely sexy.

And you’re finally mine
.

He moved like a panther, sleek and powerful, as he came down between her legs and ran his hands up her hips, along her waist, and under her arms, finally curling his strong hands around her shoulders. The tip of his arousal pressed against her wet center, like a python seeking heat.

“Condom.” Frustration flashed in his eyes, as he lifted off of her.

Jenna grabbed his arm and held him still. “I’m on the pill.”

His eyes narrowed, frustration replaced with something hot and libidinous. He lowered his mouth to hers again and kissed her sensually, running his tongue slowly along her teeth, exploring the roof of her mouth and meeting each stroke of her tongue with his own as he pushed inside her. Jenna sucked in a breath, his girth stretching her as he buried himself deep. Dear Lord, he felt good. His hands clutched her shoulders, holding her still as he thrust deeper, harder, his mouth still loving hers. She wrapped her legs around his hips, wanting to bring their bodies closer together. He must have read her mind, because he tightened his arms around her, their bodies pressed together, and he stilled.

He slid his lips to the edge of her mouth. “I can’t believe I was so blind to us for so long.”

“Me either.” She giggled at her candor. She couldn’t help it, and he looked down at her with a smile so genuine and full of emotion that it stole her breath.

“Pretty sure of yourself.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek.

“If I had known a little competition would get your attention, I’d have dated a construction worker years ago.”

He tightened his grip until she could barely breathe. “Let’s not talk about other guys in the bedroom.”

She laughed again, and he took her in a needful kiss as his hips began to undulate, hitting all the spots that turned her brain to mush and made her nerves roar to life. She felt another orgasm teasing her, just out of reach, as his hips pressed in deep and moved from side to side. He arched his back and angled his hips, thrusting in hard, buried so deep she held her breath. He breathed air into her lungs, then thrust faster, harder, until they parted with the need for air. With the next thrust, his teeth clenched and her nails dug into his back; they grabbed and groped for leverage. Their hips rocked, bodies slick with sweat, as release tore through them and their eyes caught and held, and they spiraled over the edge together.

PETE LOVED THE sound of Jenna’s hampered breathing as she tried to calm down from their lovemaking. He loved that he had that effect on her—they had that effect on each other. He came up on one elbow and she smiled up at him. He loved her mouth, her eyes, the softness of her skin. He loved that she was in his bed, finally, where he felt she belonged. Pete traced a line down the center of her body, took her hand in his and brought it to his lips.

“This doesn’t feel like a first date, Jenna. It feels like you’ve been with me all my life.”

“If I’d been with you all your life, your closet would be organized.”

He glanced into his closet, which was neat and orderly, but not color coordinated, and the thought that her mind had gone there so soon after making love made him laugh.

“You have a point.” He lowered his forehead to hers. “I’m serious, though. All these years we’ve known each other, and this. You being here with me. It feels so right.” He kissed her cheek and loved the way she closed her eyes the second his lips touched her skin, like she was savoring his touch.

“In my heart I
was
with you all these years; you just never noticed.”

“I noticed, but you confused the hell out of me.” He searched her eyes for a reaction, hoping he didn’t annoy her with his honesty, but it had been on his mind, and he wanted to get it out in the open, because so many other things needed to fill that space. Images of Jenna trying to catch his attention flashed into his mind, but he couldn’t hold on to them. They were overpowered by her other confusing reactions.

She laced their fingers together. “You made me nervous, but you don’t anymore.” She looked down at their naked bodies. “Obviously.” Her cheeks pinked up again.

“Why did I make you so nervous?”

“Because I was so damn attracted to you.” She shifted her eyes.

“Jenna, talk to me.”

She looked at him with a serious gaze. “You made me all flustered, and the harder I tried to get your attention, the less attention you paid to me, so I got nervous.”

“And then you gave up and went out with that guy.”

“Charlie.”

“
That guy
.”

The side of her lips cocked up. “You know, you come across as this quiet, well-mannered, slightly mysterious guy. But you’re much more aggressive and possessive.”

He pulled her closer, so her legs were pressed against his, her hip against his groin.

“That’s because I wasn’t dating you.”

“Which begs the question…Why weren’t you interested in me?” She blinked up at him expectantly.

“Because I was stupid.” He smiled and she rolled her eyes. Of course she wouldn’t buy his bullshit, and she deserved the truth. He lay back and arced an arm over his head, but he felt too far away from her, so he moved closer again.

“The truth is, when you’re with everyone else, you’re yourself, but with me, you were so nervous that I didn’t know what to make of it. I wasn’t sure we’d be compatible. You see how I am. The
real
me. I’m not someone who’s terribly gentle or coy. But when I saw you with that guy—” He shook his head. “I don’t know, Jenna. I saw you actually pick up a guy. In all these years, I’ve never seen you do that. And suddenly the threat of losing you was real. I realized how much I looked forward to seeing you every summer, and…” He flopped back on the bed again and threw his arm over his forehead and groaned.

“Go on. I’m liking this whole alpha Pete gets embarrassed thing you’ve got going on.”

He rose over her again and kissed her nose. “Be careful or I’ll show you just how alpha I can be. We’re friends, Jen. Pretty damn good friends, and I didn’t want to jeopardize that. I didn’t want a fling with you, but seeing you with him at the bar and then again on the boat…I lost sight of right and wrong, and all those years crashed together.” He looked deeply into her eyes, needing her to understand what it had taken him forever to grasp. “I realized how much you meant to me and how stupid I’d been. Then we kissed, and holy hell, Jenna. There was no turning back. At least not for me.”

She narrowed her eyes. “So, this is a fling?”

His chest tightened. Is that what she wanted? “Hell no. Not for me it’s not. Is it for you?”

“I just thought when you said—”

He pulled her beneath him and pinned her to the bed with his weight. “Let me be very clear. I don’t want a goddamn fling, and I’m not into sharing.  So if you were looking for a fling, gather your slinky little dress and I’ll drive you home.”

Her eyes narrowed. “And if I’m not looking for a fling?”

“Then let’s get cleaned up and eat some dinner so I can enrapture you with my seductive ways and claim you again and again.”

Jenna pushed at his chest. “Would you mind getting off of me?”

Her words sent a sinking feeling to Pete’s gut as he moved off of her and watched her scoot to the edge of the bed.

“Did I really misread you?” He wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed the back of her neck—just in case it was the last taste of her he’d ever get.

Jenna hopped from the bed—literally—and turned to face him. Her eyes were wide, her smile mischievous, with every sweet curve on display, making him instantly hard again. “Who are you kidding?” She strutted buck naked to the bathroom. “Get your ass up. Let’s rinse off and get you fed. You’ve got a girlfriend to satisfy.”

He followed her into the bathroom, making her laugh as he swooped her into his arms and turned on the shower.

“Girlfriend? So you don’t mind that I’m a little possessive?” He kissed her neck as they stepped beneath the warm spray of the water.

“Little?” She arched a brow and dragged her eyes down his body. “There is nothing little about you, and I’ve been lusting after you for years.” She met his gaze again. “I’ve been
yours
for years. It’s about damn time you owned up to it.”

“Damn, I like you, Jenna.”

“Fair warning. I’ll drive you crazy.” She held on to his waist and stared at him with a serious look in her eyes. “I’ll organize everything in your life, and if you think golden-brown marshmallows are a pain, you should see—”

He kissed her again and brushed droplets of water from her cheek with the pad of his thumb.

“I’ll take my chances.”

An hour later they were dressed and sitting on his back deck, eating cheese and crackers and sharing a glass of wine, when Pete’s cell phone rang with his father’s ringtone.
Goddamn it.

“Excuse me.” He rose to his feet and grabbed his phone from the living room table. “Hey, Pop.” He eyed Jenna on the deck. She kicked her bare feet up on his chair and rested her head back.

“Where is she, Peter?” His father’s speech was slurred and slow. Pete’s heart ached. No one outside of his family knew about his father’s drinking, and just this one night he’d hoped to escape his father’s call. Sometimes he went days without calling. Of all the bad luck…

He turned his back to Jenna and rubbed his temples. “She’s gone, Pop. But you’re okay. Can you get into bed?” He knew his father wouldn’t be able to without stumbling, and the thought of him getting hurt worried Pete.

“Gone? What d’you mean gone?”

Pete turned back toward Jenna. “I’ll be there in a few minutes. Stay put.”

Jenna turned when he opened the screen door. Joey followed him out and rubbed against her leg.

“Everything okay?” she asked.

He ran his hand through his hair and glanced over the bay. “I’m really sorry, Jenna, but I’ve got to go take care of something.”
Fuck
. He did not want to end this night.

“Oh.” Her eyes filled with disappointment.

Goddamn it
. Jenna had woken up every part of his brain and body. He wanted to protect her, to love her, and damn it, the last thing he wanted to do was leave her. But she didn’t need to deal with his father’s shit.

He reached for her hand. His jaw clenched tight, and he knew he was being quiet and withdrawn. It was unfair to Jenna that he was acting this way, but he was pissed—at his father, for falling into the bottle night after night, and at himself, for not forcing him into rehab.

“I’m sorry, Jenna. The last thing I want is to end our date, much less end it like this.”

“It’s okay. Is there anything I can do to help?”

He shook his head. There was nothing anyone could do. Once again he wondered if Jenna would be better off without him—and his father’s illness—in her life.

And he knew there was no way in hell he’d ever let her go.