The Second Time Around (13 page)

He laughed. “I've definitely noticed.”

This was what had been lacking from his life. Teasing, fun and relaxation had been missing in all of his relationships, until now. He paddled over to her, capturing her around the waist again.

Brenna turned in his arms and pressed her lips to his, tasting and exploring with her tongue. Jabarie held on tight with one arm while he stayed afloat with the other. What he wanted to do was climb back on the yacht and bury himself inside her. He wanted to bind her to him, so that they'd never be separated again.

She lifted her head, light twinkling in the depth of her eyes. “Why are you staring at me?”

“Because you're beautiful when you're being silly.”

Her wet hair draped over her shoulders, tickling his. He liked that feeling, and pulled her closer. “Is that the only time you think I'm beautiful?”

“Hell, no,” he said then nibbled playfully at the side of her neck, while she giggled and reminded him how ticklish she was. With a smile, Jabarie closed his eyes, allowing the feel of her in his arms to consume him. He needed her in his life as badly as his next breath.

“All right. Time to swim.” She pushed away from him and dove under the water. With a groan, Jabarie followed. Swimming was the last thing he wanted. His body pulsed with something he hadn't felt in a long time—urgency. As soon as he could manage it, they were going back to bed. He wanted them so deeply intertwined she'd forget everything except being with him.

Brenna swam until she was too tired to take another stroke. Her ears were just below the water so the only thing she heard was the throbbing of her own heart. Closing her eyes, she floated limply on her back. It wasn't long before she felt the gentle swish of water as Jabarie swam around her. Finally, he came up beneath her, raising her out of the water before dropping her with a splash.

Brenna screamed as she hit the water then quickly came up for air. “I'm going to get you for that.” She wiped the water from her eyes just in time to see Jabarie move up beside her. He took her hand and gently pulled her to him, pressing his warm salty lips against hers. She couldn't get close enough as she pressed her body against his firmness then wrapped her legs around his waist and deepened the kiss. It was a priceless moment. She held on to the strong insistent presence of him, and it wasn't long before she felt her body respond. She was engulfed with a desire so thick she was having difficulty breathing. Warmth spread to every nerve in her body before settling between her legs.

Grasping her waist, Jabarie lifted her slightly and lowered his mouth to her bare breast. He needed more and he needed it now. He wanted to be so deeply embedded in her that one wouldn't know where one ended and the other began. And though he knew that was impossible, that there were too many issues that needed resolving first, his body refused to listen. He continued to suckle hungrily until her nails dug into his shoulders and she cried out his name. As they both sank beneath the water, he realized they needed to get out of the water right now.

Holding her carefully with one arm, he swam them both back to the yacht and lifted her up onto the ladder. Jabarie followed closely behind. The second he was on the deck, he scooped her up. The remains of their breakfast and clothing were as they'd left them.

Brenna was a little embarrassed, but there was a sense of rightness about being in his arms that made her understand this weekend was God's will. A kind of confirmation that she'd made the right decision to join him on the yacht to resolve the past and cement the future. She and Jabarie weren't finished.

She wrapped her arms around his neck as he took heavy strides across the deck of his yacht and down to the lower deck. With each step, she felt the power of his upper arms as he held her to his chest, and despite the damp skin, heat emanated from him. Holding tight, she took a deep breath, inhaling his clean masculine scent. His heart beat strongly against her cheek and she closed her eyes as anticipation flowed between them.

As soon as they were in the stateroom, Jabarie set Brenna on her feet next to the king-size bed. She was dripping on the carpet, but he didn't seem to notice. His eyes were still glued to hers. “Stay right there.”

You're not the boss of me
, she thought with a defiant tilt of her chin. She followed him into the adjoining bathroom and as he reached for two thick bath towels, she swatted him playfully on the butt.

Startled, Jabarie glanced over his shoulder then turned around. “I thought I told you to wait.”

“I wanted to see what you were doing,” she giggled as he playfully backed her into the room. Just before she fell onto the comforter, Brenna stepped aside and snatched one of the towels from his hands. “Let me dry you off.”

“I like the sound of that.” Jabarie moved and stood before her with a lustful look in his eyes.

Brenna gave him a long wicked look then dropped the towel onto the floor. “I think I'm going to use my tongue instead.”

He noticeably swallowed and she chuckled inwardly. Their relationship had always been aggressive. Role reversal, one of them always played the dominant lover, sometimes her, and more times him. His dominant behavior was one of the things that had always appealed to her. But she learned a long time ago two can play that game and she gave as good as she got. Glancing over at his dampened body, her lips curled in a smile. Right now, she was running things.

“Close your eyes,” she said, and as soon as he complied, she pressed her lips against his chest. He flinched but that didn't stop her from licking the drops of water. His breath caught as she dipped her head to catch one pebble-hard nipple between her teeth. Her tongue caressed a moist path from one nipple to the other, stopping long enough to pay a little extra attention, and suckled each before traveling downward following the trail of hair. Lowering to her knees, she nibbled and licked and moved closer to his erection but barely brushed it. She heard his groan of frustration as she moved back to kiss the water from his powerful thighs instead.

Her body burned with arousal. Today she wanted to be more daring than ever before, and push their lovemaking to the limits. Jabarie was the only man who'd ever made her feel this way. She kept tasting him, mesmerized by every inch of his strong body. The upper body she loved and his legs were lean and hard. The hardest part was his erection that thrust toward her.

She lowered her head, letting her breath ruffle over his erection. He smelled wonderful and she took a deep breath while running her cheek along his thigh. She released a sigh and slipped out her tongue and licked up the underside then tilted her head back and gazed up at him. Not only was he hard as steel but his gaze was so hot that she heard the room crackle with anticipation. Slowly, she took him into her mouth. His hands came to her head, rubbing her hair but not holding her or pulling her closer.

“Yeah,” he hissed out loud.

“You like that?” she purred.

“You know I do.”

So do I
. Her hand closed around him and he felt like velvet under her fingers. She lowered her head and ran her tongue up and down his length. He groaned and she took her time, tasting and rediscovering, then retraced her path. She reveled in the taste of his body and the effect it had on her. Sparks shot through her entire body. She looked up at him and his eyes were glazed and his lips parted as he looked down at her. She sucked him deeper in her mouth, felt his body tighten as she worked up and down his length. Under her tongue and hands, she could feel his tension building. She began to work faster while his hands moved through her hair. He seemed to grow large, and groaned before he pulled her away and lifted her to her feet.

Jabarie carried her to the bed then lowered her to the sheets, pulling the comforter onto the floor. She loved the feel of his solid frame against her. He wrapped his arms around her, anchoring her to him with his hands on her back.

He lowered his mouth to hers and she was consumed by the fire that only he could ignite inside her. She loved the way he kissed her, savoring the moment with no intentions of stopping until he'd explored every corner of her mouth. Reaching up, she stroked his jaw and whispered affectionate words.

He groaned and his erection pulsed between them. She felt him growing even harder and reached between them to enfold him in her grasp. Jabarie shuddered.

Not about to be outdone, he placed her at the center of the bed. Leaning over, he squeezed and molded the flesh of her full breasts. Each touch caused her to moan aloud. He teased her nipples with the tips of his fingers. Her heart was thudding and her mind running feverishly. Arching her chest, she needed to feel his mouth against her skin.

“Jabarie, kiss me there,” she whimpered.

“Yes, baby.” He lowered his head and sucked. She arched off the bed with a little cry that was lost in the sounds of sexual frenzy going on in the room. Reaching up, she cupped the back of his neck and held him there.

Jabarie waited until her breathing slowed before he pushed himself up onto his elbows. Brenna smiled at him with swollen lips still wet from his kisses.

Watching her he knew that once would never be enough for him. She ran through his body and soul. This is where they were connected. Sex had never been a problem between them. When he was lying between her legs, buried deep inside her body, it was the one time when he'd always felt that he was truly seeing the real Brenna Gathers. Sexually aroused, there was no way she could put up barriers.

He brought his lips to her damp skin and kissed a path between her breasts then down across her abdomen. Gradually, he felt the heat building within as her breathing became labored. While he continued his exploratory journey, Brenna's fingertips caressed his back and buttocks, feeling the muscles and contours. He licked her belly, then slipped a finger between her folds. He knew he'd find her hot and slipper; thank goodness her arousal was something she couldn't hide. It made him tremble that she wanted him so much. With his thumb on her clit, and a finger inside her, teasing her, he stroked and aroused her further. “That's it, baby. Say it. Tell me you like it,” he said in a deep, husky voice.

Brenna moaned, and wiggled and spread her legs wider as she lifted her hips off the bed to meet his hand. “Please, now. No more foreplay. Just make love to me,” she managed to get out between moans.

Jabarie kissed his way back up her body, lingering at her breasts. He sucked against the hardened flesh and nibbled softly until she was calling out his name.

Unable to wait a moment longer, he climbed out of the bed long enough to retrieve a condom where he had left them the night before, then slid one on before returning to his place on top of her.

He positioned himself between her legs, wrapped them around his waist and drove into her. He set the rhythm, thrusting and withdrawing as her legs locked around him. Her hips rose, sucking him deeper, deeper still, until he felt he'd explode. He lowered his head and kissed her lips, cheek and neck. Sweat popped out on his brow, dripped down his chest and made their bodies slick. His breathing became labored as he tried to hold on until she found her pleasure. Finally, she cried out and he groaned. Her inner muscles clamped down, refusing to let him go as an orgasm ripped through her body. He came an instant later; his entire body spasmed. A few moments later, he pulled out and rolled onto his side. With his eyes closed, he fought for breath. “Damn, Brenna. That was even better than the last time.”

“I have to agree.” Chest heaving, she rested her face close to his chest and drifted off to sleep.

Much later, Jabarie sat on the side of the bed beside Brenna and watched her sleep.

He had been determined to sleep with Brenna and get her out of his system once and for all so that he could get on with his life. Only it didn't happen that way. Once again he couldn't get enough of her taste, her smell, being buried inside her body. Was it love? He tried to tell himself no and ignore the emotions stirring inside. There was no way he could possibly be fooled twice by the same woman. No way. No how. He wouldn't do that to himself again. However, there was a knot in his chest that he couldn't ignore. A knot of hard, raw emotion that just wasn't going away. Something had to give. Something had to change.

Jabarie pulled her closer to him and lowered his lids as a sharpness tore at his heart. He didn't know what it was about Brenna that still made him want to hold her in his arms and never let her go. But he couldn't go on like this. Either she wanted to be a part of his life, or not. And he planned to find out. Tomorrow, before he returned Brenna to her aunt's house, the two of them were going to have a long talk.

A
s soon as Jabarie pulled off the highway toward Sheraton Beach, Brenna released a heavy sigh of despair and said, “Time to get back to reality.”

Jabarie took his eyes away from the road long enough to give her a look that made her instantly regret her words. The sparkle in his eyes was gone and his mouth set in a firm line.

“Back to reality?” he repeated as he pulled onto the shoulder of the road. “What was this, some kind of fantasy vacation?”

Puzzled by his abrupt change of mood, she didn't answer.

Jabarie put the car in park then turned on the seat so that he was facing her. “Is that all I am to you, a big joke?”

Brenna shook her head. The last two days had been so perfect. Yesterday after making love they spent the afternoon on the yacht teasing, playing and simply just spending time together. The captain even let her take a turn piloting the yacht. Dinner had been more scrumptious than the first and that evening was spent dancing on the deck before Jabarie had carried her to bed where they stayed until it was time to leave this morning. On the way back from Ocean City, they had held hands and talked about nothing in particular, she enjoying the sound of his voice. Why did he want to ruin that? She met his direct stare. “This isn't the time.”

“You're wrong. This is the perfect time.”

“I rather not,” she said, although one thing she knew about Jabarie was that you couldn't persuade him to do anything he didn't want to do.

“Too bad. I've waited five years for this discussion. I've tried to get you to talk all morning and each time I tried to bring it up you quickly changed the subject. Well, enough is enough. We are going to talk about us
now.
”

Brenna briefly lowered her eyelids. The weekend had been so magical. The last thing she wanted to do was ruin it by talking about what could have been. “I think we should just leave the past in the past.”

Jabarie shook his head in silent amazement. “I can't believe you.”

She shifted an eyebrow. “What are you talking about?”

Reaching over, he grabbed her hand. “Brenna. We made love. It wasn't just sex. What we have is an emotional bond that no matter how much you try to deny it, it's not going away.”

“I…disagree.”

“You're lying,” he said then pulled her across the seat so fast that she startled before taking a deep breath. Jabarie would never lay a finger on her. However, his jaw tightened as he clenched his teeth. “It was more and you know it.” His mouth was so close, she felt his warm breath across her nose and cheeks.

She freed her hand of his grasp and slid back over to her side, putting a little distance between them. He was right. There was more going on between them. A lot more, but there was no way she was going to put her feelings out there just to be crushed again, no matter how wonderful the last two days had been. “What difference does it make? What happened between us ended a long time ago.”

“You don't mean that.” Rage burned from his eyes and she could tell he was hurting because the muscle at his jaw twitched.

Well, too bad
. What about all the pain and heartache she'd had to endure?

Yes, the past two days had been magical and meant everything to her. Making love again was everything she remembered and thought of constantly of the last five years. Her body had never forgotten and neither had her mind. Her body was still experiencing aftershocks and was still damp with yearning. If he asked her to get in the backseat she wouldn't think of saying no, or refusing him. But as she stared up at his face of stone, she pushed the thought away. He wanted to talk about it. Fine. He asked for it.

“What were you expecting me to say?” she asked, then brought a hand to his chest and pushed him away. “That you were the bomb? That it doesn't get any better than you and I. Okay, I'll admit it. Having you make love to me is something I can't even begin to explain.” She paused with a sigh. “The past two days mean more to me than anything has in years, but it doesn't change anything.”

His nearly black eyes narrowed dangerously. “You know, I can see you haven't changed one bit in five years.”

Her gaze widened. “What's that supposed to mean?”

“It means you are the same scared, little girl who is afraid of taking a chance.”

The long deep look they exchanged infuriated her. “I'm not scared.”

“Prove it, and stay in Sheraton Beach.”

She stared at him for a long painful moment before dropping her eyes to her lap. “There is nothing here for me to stay.”

“What about me? Stay because I want you to.” Reaching out, he cupped her chin and tilted her head so that she was forced to look at him.

He was asking things she was unable to give. “Why Jabarie?” she asked and held her breath as she waited to hear, what, she wasn't sure.

“I'm surprised you have to even ask that question.”

“Obviously, if I knew the answer I wouldn't be asking. I need to know why?” she asked softly.

She watched him watching her and suddenly she wanted to be anywhere but in his car with him. There was something in his eyes that made her think he could see exactly what she was feeling.

He lowered his head until their mouths were only inches away. “Because I love you. I've always loved you.”

Brenna reared back as if she'd been struck. “Well then that settles it,” she said sarcastically. “Because you love me, I guess I better sell my half of the bookstore and move back to Sheraton Beach.”

“Where is all this anger coming from? I always loved you. Never stopped loving you. Five years ago I wanted to marry you before you decided to walk out of my life.”

She sobered quickly, staring at him as her heart pounded erratically, stunned by his response and expression. Moments later, rage distorted her face. “How dare you!”

“What?”

“I'm not in the mood for playing games. Been there. Done that. You already made me the laughing stock of this town once, and I refuse to go there with you again.”

He stiffened as though she had struck him. “What are you talking about? You're the one who ran out on our wedding day, not me.”

She glared at him. “Of course I did. After your lawyer arrived I was so hurt I fled.”

“Yeah, with a check. I'm sure that made leaving quite easy. Why did you take the money?”

She blinked; there was no way she heard him correctly. Did he just ask her why she took money from his mother? She took a deep breath and reminded herself that she had already spent the last five years waiting for him to come for her, to say he loved her, yet, he never came and now he wanted to blame her.

“I hope you don't expect an answer,” she retorted.

His temper flared. “That's why I brought it up. It's time for us to talk about the past so we can have a future…together.”

She stared at him, stunned by his statement. “If you were so concerned about the past you should have tried to talk to me then.”

“Well, I'm asking you now. Why did you leave with the money?”

She couldn't believe this line of questioning. “If you had asked me that five years ago I would have given you an answer.”

Jabarie shifted on the seat and she noticed his knuckles whiten as he tightly gripped the steering wheel. Without saying another word he started the car and she sat there with her arms crossed and pouting. She'd always thought the behavior childish, but believed at this moment it was indeed warranted. She didn't look at him again until he pulled up in front of her aunt's house and killed the motor.

“Why can't you just answer the question?”

Brenna raked a frustrated hand through her hair. “Look,” she began. “Too much time has passed.”

“No,” he disagreed. “Too much time has been lost.”

“Lost?” She was so furious she could hardly speak. “How dare you!” Her right fist pounded his hard chest. When that lawyer appeared at her door she had called him every name in the book. Now she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of making her go there. “It was you that sent the lawyer to my house telling me to either sign the prenuptial agreement, or walk away with the check.”

He wore a puzzled look on his face. “Lawyer? Prenup? What are you talking about?”

She rolled her eyes. She wasn't the least bit interested in playing this game. “The night before our wedding your father's lawyer came to my house on your behalf.”

When Jabarie spoke again his voice was quiet, yet held an undertone of cold contempt. “I never sent Victor to have you sign anything.”

Why was he lying? Her bitterness resurfaced. “Then why else would he have showed up at my door?”

“I have no idea, but I didn't send him. Now let me get this straight…because my lawyer paid you a visit and stuck a piece of paper in your face, you just walked out of my life without even speaking to me first?”

She seethed with anger and humiliation. “I did come looking for you! I came to the condo and found you with Anika.”

He stilled as he remembered the evening Anika popped up at his apartment, wearing nothing beneath a trench coat but a thong. “That was a big misunderstanding.”

Brenna held up an open palm. “Save it. It really doesn't matter anymore. It's too late to go back.”

Jabarie dragged a frustrated hand across his face. “It does matter. Believe me when I tell you this. I didn't ask you to sign a prenuptial.”

“Then who did?” she asked, eyes darting around the car in frustration.

The expression on his face hardened. “Probably my parents.”

A sudden, thin chill hung on the edge of his words. She couldn't believe her ears. Were his parents actually responsible for ruining her life?

“So now what?” he finally said following a long uncomfortable silence.

“It doesn't change anything.”

“It changes everything. My mother told me that you came to her for money. Obviously that was a lie.”

“Me?” Her own anger and hurt could no longer be controlled. But there was no way she was going to break down in front of him.

Reaching down she grabbed her purse and swung it over her shoulder. This discussion was getting them nowhere. “The only reason why I took the money was because you offered it to me. I needed to get away because there was no way I could stay in Sheraton Beach and have everyone talking about me again. I just couldn't bear it.”

He remembered first hand what she had gone through with her mother. “I would never have offered you money to leave town when all I've ever wanted was to marry you. I loved you too much.”

The dam broke and tears flooded her eyes. She had lost the man she loved. “It's too late. We can never go back to that time.”

“The hell it is. I love you and refuse to lose you a second time around.” She opened the door and Jabarie reached for her, but Brenna wrestled her hand away.

“Goodbye.” She climbed out the car and moved into her aunt's house. Distraught and with tears blinding her eyes, it took her several seconds to realize her aunt was bouncing around the living room, doing jazzercise. Brenna gasped, then stood there for several seconds hoping her eyes were playing tricks on her before Aunt Nellie swung around and noticed her standing there and released a quick intake of breath.

“Oh! Brenna. I didn't know you were here.”

“Obviously.” She dropped a hand to her waist and gave her a look of disbelief. “How long have you been faking?”

Aunt Nellie hesitated for a moment before offering her a sheepish grin. “For almost a week now.”

“Why?”

Aunt Nellie reached for a towel and mopped her forehead while she tried to catch her breath. “Because I wanted you to come home and give Jabarie a second chance. The two of you are meant to be together.”

“And that makes it right?” Brenna tossed her hands into the air and stormed to her room where she started laughing and crying at the same time. It was just too much for her to have to deal with at one time.

Jabarie found his father in his study. As usual, Roger Beaumont was deep in thought. Standing in the doorway he took a moment to observe the man who had ruined his life. He was a tall man who over the last several years had gained a great deal around the middle. He had just celebrated his sixty-third birthday. As soon as Jabarie cleared his throat, Roger opened his eyes and stared over at him.

“Oh, good. You're back.”

Acknowledging him with a quick nod of the head, Jabarie strolled straight for the bar in the corner and poured himself a glass of cognac. Taking a sip, he allowed a second for the liquor to warm his stomach before moving over to the chair across from his father, who sat with a puzzled face, and lowered onto the seat.

“Tell me…” he began “…what the hell happened five years ago that caused Brenna to walk out of my life?”