The Bronzed Hawk (6 page)

“I—I don’t know what you mean,” she faltered, instinctively bending her head to receive those deliciously gentle kisses.

He chuckled. “Yes, you do,” he said softly. “I can feel you tremble in my arms. You want it just as much as I do, sweetheart, and God knows I’ve been in a fever for you since you barged into my apartment yesterday afternoon.” His hands moved up the front of her jacket and found the zipper at the collar. With one swift stroke the jacket was open, and his hands closed on her high, firm breasts.

“No, you’re wrong!” she cried desperately. His hands were warm through the thin cotton of her shirt, and even as she spoke the words of rejection, she felt herself succumbing to the slow, gentle kneading motion. “I don’t want this,” she said weakly.

“I love these bouncy little curls of yours,” he whispered burying his lips in her hair. “Your
hair is like silky, golden fleece. I bet those curls would wind themselves around my finger and cling like a lover’s embrace if I buried my hands in them. Would they do that, Kelly?”

“Yes,” she gasped, feeling as if her bones were melting as his hands continued their sensual massage of her breasts. “No!” She shook her head. “I don’t know. I wish you’d stop that.” She wondered bewilderedly why she wasn’t struggling to be released.

“You don’t like it?” he asked. “I guess I’ll have to find something you do like, sweetheart.” Suddenly he stepped back and turned her into his embrace, his arms binding her soft curves to his lean, hard body. “I like this better, too,” he said hoarsely. “God, you’re so soft and sweet against me. See how beautifully you fit in my arms?”

She did see, she thought dreamily. It seemed so unbelievably right to be so close to him. He was right, their bodies did flow together. His head bent toward her lips with the infinite slowness one would use in tempting a frightened bird to one’s hand, and when they covered her own, she
found that the merging was as inevitably right as the fit of their bodies.

O’Brien took his time with the leisurely expertise he would have employed in the tasting of a fine wine. He brushed and nibbled at her lips before taking them in a long, lingering kiss of dizzying sweetness.

“God, wasn’t that terrific, love?” Nick murmured hoarsely. He was as breathless as she, the pulse beating rapidly in the hollow of his throat. “It’s going to be fantastic between us.” Without waiting for her reply, his lips compulsively moved back to hers. “Sweet, so sweet. Open your lips, I want to taste every bit of you, sweetheart.”

Oh, and she wanted to taste all of him, too, she found. Her mouth parted eagerly to invite his tongue to explore, and her own tentative probing proved almost more than she could stand. Everything about him was clean and hot and wonderfully, solidly male. She felt as if she were being absorbed in him. Her lips, tongue, and every nerve in her body responded to the molten challenge he was offering.

She didn’t know at what point they sank to their knees on the floor of the gondola or when he pulled her across his lap to cradle her in his arms. She was too absorbed in the silky feel of his dark hair between her fingers and the rapid throb of his heart against her breast. His breathing was shallow, and he was whispering erotic praise between their passionate kisses. She could feel the muscles of his thighs tense and harden beneath her, and she was vaguely conscious of his tremendous arousal. His blue eyes were blazing brilliantly in a face taut with desire. The mouth that was driving her weak with need was beautifully soft and sensual.

Then his hands were moving frantically at the buttons of her olive blouse and the front closure of her bra beneath it. He pushed the restricting material aside impatiently and looked down at her full, high breasts. “Damn, you’re lovely,” he said huskily, his chest moving almost painfully with the force of his breathing. His palms reached out to cup her breasts tenderly. “I was almost hoping you wouldn’t be this perfect. I didn’t want to know how delicious you would
feel in my hands.” He closed his eyes, his sensitive fingertips caressing and kneading her silky softness in erotic braille.

It was too much. Kelly felt as if each gentle stroking touch were leaving a trail of fire in its wake. Those strong, graceful hands were arousing her to a wild need that she had never known before. Her entire body was responding to that teasing manipulation as if she were a puppet and he were pulling the strings. His maddening fingers rubbed gently at a button-hard nipple, and a shudder of pure desire shook her.

He looked down at her in quick concern. His aquamarine eyes were almost glazed with need as they gazed down at the engorged result of his love play. “You’re cold. Let me warm you,” he said thickly. His hands left her for a moment to quickly unzip his jacket and unbutton his shirt. Then she was gathered securely against his hair-roughened chest.

Cold? She’d never been less cold in her life, she thought feverishly. Her temperature continued to climb as he began to undulate her body lazily against his own, the dark hair of his chest
prickling and teasing her breasts until her breath was coming in little gasps and her hands were digging desperately into his shoulders as if to hold on before she was swept away in the wake of this hot whirlpool of sensation.

“Ah, you like that,” Nick murmured. “So do I, love. You’re like soft, warm velvet except for those lovely little nipples. They’re like crisp taffeta.” He drew a deep, shuddering breath. “They’re driving me absolutely insane.”

And what did he think he was doing to her? she thought wildly. She was experiencing a hot, throbbing ache in her loins, and she felt dizzy and weak. The touch of his warm hardness was almost as painful as the thought of doing without it.

“Nick,” she gasped, her lips burying themselves in the hollow between his shoulder and his throat. “Nick, I can’t stand this.”

“Neither can I.” He groaned. “I’ve got to have more of you, Kelly. I want to see all of you and touch every inch of you. I feel as if I could devour you and still never satisfy my hunger.”

With one swift movement, he shifted her off
his lap so that she was lying on the floor of the small gondola. He was beside her immediately, lying facing her, his arms wrapped loosely around her while he covered her face and throat with swift kisses.

“This is crazy.” Kelly moaned, even as her small hands ran lovingly up the powerfully sculptured muscles of his chest to slide around his shoulders and caress his neck. “It’s all happening too fast, Nick.”

His hands were busy unfastening her belt, and he looked up and grinned. “If I don’t get you out of these clothes, it may not be fast enough,” he said ruefully. “Lord, I’m wild for you, Kelly.” He had managed to unfasten the zipper on her jeans, and one warm hand slid beneath the material to caress the softness of her belly. “Velvet again,” he said thickly. Then as his hand wandered farther, “And my lovely golden fleece.”

Kelly inhaled sharply and opened her lips to utter a weak protest, but his lips were covering hers again, and she forgot what she was going to say. Then his skillful hands were on her breasts once more, and his lips moved down to caress
the sensitive nipples. He began teasing them with the tip of his tongue. Her body jerked and then arched as if she had been stroked with electricity.

Nick gave her flushed, dreamy face a keen, appraising glance. “Your breasts are so beautifully responsive,” he said hoarsely. “I’ll remember that, sweetheart. I want to make you just as wild as you’re driving me.” He lowered his head and pulled gently with his teeth at one engorged nipple.

What did he want to do to her? she thought desperately. She was already going out of her mind with the sensations that he was creating in every nerve of her body. She was shaking, and she felt so weak that she doubted if she could move a muscle except at his urging. He seemed to be controlling not only her physical responses but the surroundings around them. He had narrowed the world down until it contained only his intent, dark face and the flaming sky above them.

Flaming?

“Oh, my God!” Her voice was hoarse with terror. “We’re on fire!”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.” Nick said chuckling, his eyes on the taut pink bud he was caressing.

“No!” she cried frantically. “Nick, we’re really on fire. The balloon’s on fire!”

He lifted his head swiftly to the nylon mushroom above them and the flame that was licking at the base of the chute. He uttered a string of obscenities before sitting bolt upright and rapidly buttoning his shirt.

“What can we do?” Kelly asked frantically. “Can we put it out?”

“Not a chance,” he said tersely. He stood up and went quickly to the pile of supplies and blankets beside the burners. “In about two minutes that canopy is going to be completely engulfed in flames, and we’ll drop like a stone. We’ll have to jump.” He had retrieved a bright orange parachute pack and was strapping it on swiftly. “And it’s going to take me that long to get into this thing.”

“Jump?” Kelly repeated, sitting up dazedly. “I don’t even know how to use a parachute.”

His lips curved wryly. “I’m afraid any skills you might have would be useless, anyway. I wasn’t expecting a passenger, so there’s only one parachute.”

“Only one …” she said faintly, her eyes widening.

“Don’t worry,” he said, his expression terse. “I’ll take care of you.”

“Don’t worry!” she almost shouted, as she jumped to her feet. “I’m seventeen thousand feet above the ground in a balloon that’s about to go up in flames, and I don’t have a parachute! And you tell me not to worry?”

“Well, a little concern might not be out of place,” he admitted. “We’ll just use my parachute. Now, get dressed.”

In her shock she had totally forgotten that her blouse was completely opened. She turned away from him and hastily put her clothes in order.

“Make sure your belt is tightly fastened,” he said.

Was the man completely mad? she wondered. Nevertheless, she did what he told her.

He had the parachute on now, and he quickly rummaged through the supplies as she zipped up her jacket. “Good thing I had this with me,” he said, holding up a small device.

A mountaineering snap link, she thought dazedly. “Will it work?” she asked as he stooped slightly and attached the link to her belt, then to the harness of the parachute, binding them very close together.

“Sure, it will,” he said, straightening and simultaneously lifting her. “Now, wrap your legs around me and grab on to the front of the harness—tight. Much as I’d like to, I won’t be able to hold on to you. I’ll be too busy with the parachute.”

As she held tightly to the harness front, her legs wrapped around him, he hoisted them both up onto the rim of the basket, then swung his legs to the outside of the gondola.

Kelly shivered in fear. She was jumping out of a balloon with only a snap link and her own strong arms to rely on.

Nick looked down at her face, his expression suddenly serious. “You’re not really frightened, are you?” he asked quietly. “You know that I wouldn’t let anything hurt you.”

She raised her eyes to meet his grave, steady gaze, and suddenly her fear was gone. She knew that she’d never be safer than when she was with this eccentric, dynamic man. “No, I’m not afraid,” she said softly, her eyes alight with warm trust and a hint of wry humor. “I’m just ruing the day that I decided to blackmail Superman. I don’t think I’m cut out for flying without wings.”

“Don’t knock it until you try it, Lois,” he said. There was a reckless smile on his face. “This isn’t the way I wanted to send you soaring, love, but it will have to do.”

He gave her a quick kiss, then suddenly he lunged forward, sending them both into space.

T
HE JAR AS
they hit the earth was bone shaking even though O’Brien managed to land on his feet before rolling over. He attempted to absorb most of the impact with his own body. As quickly as he could, he released the snap link. The orange parachute enveloped them, and it was a moment before O’Brien could rid himself of the harness and thrust the layers of cloth impatiently away from them.

“Okay?” he asked quietly.

She nodded a trifle breathlessly and sat up. “I’ll have a few bruises tomorrow,” she said, as
she rubbed the small of her back gingerly. “But nothing that I can’t handle.”

“I’m beginning to believe that there’s very little you can’t handle, Kelly McKenna.” Nick stood up and helped her to her feet. “I just may decide to take you on all my skydiving jaunts.”

“Please don’t,” she said, running a hand through her tumbled golden curls. “Once was enough, thank you.” She peered around her anxiously. The terrain around them was rough and rocky, and they seemed to be on an incline. “You wouldn’t know where we are by any chance?”

He shrugged. “Not exactly. Somewhere in the hill country near the base of the Sierra Madre I would guess.” He bent down and began to gather up and fold the chute. “Far from any sign of civilization at any rate.”

Kelly automatically began to help him with the chute, her eyes fixed on his calm face. “Charming,” she said. “And how are we to make our way back to said civilization?”

“We’ll manage,” he said carelessly. “But after I get this chute repacked, I think we’d better
worry about finding some sort of shelter for the night. The temperature can drop pretty sharply in the hills at night.”

“Perhaps you can give me a crash course on body temperature control,” Kelly said flippantly, buttoning the tab collar at the throat of her jacket. It was already quite cool.

“Sorry, sweetheart, it doesn’t work that way.” He chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep you warm.”

She had no doubt that he could at that, she thought. She could not deny the strong sexual chemistry that existed between them, but it didn’t change her reasons for not wanting any kind of relationship with O’Brien. She’d be a fool to let herself become involved in an affair that would only mean pain. She would just have to guard carefully against any further sexual encounters with Nick O’Brien. Which might not be all that easy, she thought. Nick had been just as lost in that haze of wild passion as she, and he was obviously used to getting exactly what he wanted from women. It was extremely unlikely that he would give up any plans he might have for seducing her now that he’d had a taste of
how wildly they could please each other. She would just have to think of some way to discourage him and still hold on to her own control. It would be a task, she thought, that just might prove more dangerous than that jump out of the balloon.