Chapter 9
Suzanna was caught in a dizzying haze of intense desire. She felt as if she’d been in that state for a very long time. The kiss they’d shared last Sunday night had made her realize just how hot her hunger was for the handsome farmer who was keeping her safe.
She had wanted him since that first night when he’d walked into her classroom. She had imagined and fantasized about this moment for a very long time, and her heart danced with the knowledge that tonight those imaginings were finally going to come true.
As they walked into his bedroom, she had a brief vision of a king-size bed covered in an attractive black-and-red spread and matching curtains at the window. He turned on a lamp on the nightstand, creating a small glow of illumination.
That was all she saw before he took her back into his arms for another deep, long kiss. She loved feeling his big, strong arms embracing her as well as the hungry taste of his mouth against hers.
As the kiss continued, his hands moved slowly up and down her back, igniting fire wherever they touched. His scent wrapped around her, so familiar and yet so intoxicating.
His mouth left hers and moved down her jawline.
She gasped with pleasure as his lips slid first behind her ear and then on down to the hollow of her throat.
A couple of days ago, she’d removed the small bandage on her collarbone as the superficial wound had healed quickly.
So there was nothing in his way as he explored her neck and throat with his nipping kisses.
His hands slid up and under the back of her T-shirt, caressing her bare skin. She was on fire, and what she wanted in the moment was to feel his bare skin against hers.
She stepped back from him and unfastened the buttons on his shirt. He stood perfectly still beneath her ministrations, his brilliant blue eyes burning with a ravenous hunger that threatened to consume her.
When the shirt was completely unbuttoned, he shrugged it off his shoulders, exposing the white T-shirt beneath it. He pulled the T-shirt up and over his head and tossed it to the floor next to the bed.
His naked chest was magnificent, firmly muscled and leading up to his broad shoulders.
She splayed her hands on his chest, the warm skin tantalizing her.
She leaned forward and rained little teasing kisses from his throat to his navel.
She laughed with the utter joy of it as he growled deep in his throat.
“Woman, you are driving me crazy,” he said in a gravelly voice that caused a shiver of exquisite pleasure to sweep through her. He took her lips in a fiery kiss once again.
When the kiss ended, his hands moved to the bottom of her T-shirt, and in one smooth action he pulled it up and off her, leaving her in her white, lacy bra.
“Suzanna, you are so beautiful,” he said, his eyes glowing with a wildness and his obvious deep desire for her.
“So are you,” she whispered breathlessly.
A small gasp escaped her as his fingers went to the fly of her jeans. He unfastened the button and then unzipped them and then motioned for her to sit on the edge of the bed. When she did, he pulled her jeans off her and then took off his own, leaving him in a pair of black boxers.
He pulled down the black-and-red blanket, and together they got into the bed. They kissed once again, their naked legs tangling together as desire grew even bigger…hotter inside her.
She couldn’t remember wanting a man as badly as she wanted Seth. As they continued to kiss, he reached behind her and unfastened her bra. He plucked it from her, and then his hands were on her naked breasts.
His fingers raked across her hardened nipples, and when his mouth captured one of them, she moaned with pleasure.
He continued to caress and kiss her breasts, and at the same time one of his hands moved down her stomach and to the top of her panties.
His fingers moved back and forth across the waistband, and she was dizzied with her anticipation of what would come next.
“Take them off, Seth. I want to be naked with you,” she whispered breathlessly.
Not only did he take her panties off, but he also removed the black boxers he’d had on. His hand once again moved down and found the very center of her. Once again, she gasped with intense want as his fingers moved against her.
She raised her hips up to meet his soft touch as tension began to build inside her.
His fingers moved faster and faster and the tension inside her twisted tighter and tighter until it exploded.
She cried out his name as her orgasm crashed down.
She shuddered and clung to him with the intensity of the release.
Immediately after, she reached down and took his hard length in her hand. She stroked her hand up and down the velvety, pulsating skin, and he groaned deep in his throat.
She had only stroked him a couple of times when he rolled her over on her back and moved between her thighs. In the soft illumination from the nightstand lamp, she could see the burn in his eyes as they held her gaze for a long moment.
Then he slowly moved into her. He buried himself inside her and then stopped as his mouth took hers in another scorching hot kiss. When the kiss ended, he began to stroke in and out of her.
Intense sensations rushed through her. She was mindless with pleasure, and once again a sweet pressure began to coil inside her. He increased his pace, moving faster and faster in and out of her. She met him thrust for thrust as her heart beat frantically in her chest.
Then she was there once again, tumbling into an abyss of such intense pleasure it stole her breath away. He found his own relief at the same time, stiffening against her as he groaned out her name.
After several moments, he rolled over on his back and collapsed, and they remained quiet as they each waited for their breathing to return to normal.
He finally rolled to his side and held himself up on an elbow, his warm gaze on her. “That was beyond wonderful,” he said, a smile curving his lips.
“I definitely agree,” she replied tremulously. He had not only lived up to, but far surpassed her fantasies of him. The lovemaking had been everything she’d wanted.
“I must say, Mrs. Michaels, you are great between the sheets.”
She laughed. “You aren’t so bad yourself, Mr. Daniels.”
He pushed a strand of her hair away from the side of her face and then leaned down and kissed her softly. “I haven’t had a snuggle buddy for a very long time. Maybe tonight you could sleep in here with me and fill that role?”
“I think that could be arranged.” It had been years since she’d slept in a man’s arms, and the idea of sleeping in Seth’s arms tonight was exceedingly appealing. With Sammy gone for the night, it was an opportunity that might not happen again for a very long time.
Seth rolled out of the bed and grabbed his boxers from the floor. Once he was up, she also got out of the bed and grabbed her clothing. “I’ll see you back in here?” he asked.
She smiled at him. “Give me fifteen minutes or so.”
As she padded down the hallway, she realized night had completely fallen outside. When she reached the bathroom, she turned on the light and stared at her reflection in the mirror.
Who was the woman who stared back at her? Her cheeks were flushed, and her hair was mussed from the lovemaking. It had been years since she’d seen this woman, and she realized now it had been unrealistic for her to vow to stay true to her dead husband.
She’d loved Davy with all her heart and soul, but memories of hugs and kisses weren’t enough to sustain her now. She was a relatively young, healthy woman, and ultimately, she knew Davy would want her to move on and be happy.
She turned away from the mirror, cleaned up and then left the bathroom and ran across the hallway to her bedroom, where she pulled on a clean pair of panties and her pink nightshirt. She heard Seth walking down the hallway toward the kitchen. She assumed he was probably taking Lady out.
She sat on her bed and brushed out her hair and then returned to the bathroom to brush her teeth before going to bed. By that time, she met Seth coming back down the hallway with Lady in his arms. He had on a pair of jeans, and she spied his gun tucked into his waistband.
He grinned at her. “All business taken care of, lights all turned out, doors locked and bodyguard on duty.”
“Sounds like you’ve taken care of everything,” she replied.
She followed him down the hall to Sammy’s room, where he placed the puppy in the dog bed on the floor. He moved several dog toys near the bed as Lady whined with displeasure and tried to jump up on Sammy’s bed.
“Sorry, Lady, you’re on your own for the night,” Seth said. Then he gestured for Suzanna to leave the room, and he exited and closed the door behind him. With a grin, he then pulled her into his arms and kissed her once again. They were light, teasing kisses, and when he was done, he released her.
“Ready to get some sleep?” he asked.
“Ready,” she replied.
Together they went back to his room, where she slid beneath the sheets while he placed his gun on the nightstand and took off his jeans, leaving him clad in a pair of boxers.
He then turned off the bedside lamp and got into bed with her. A shaft of moonlight danced into his windows as he immediately pulled her into his arms and spooned around the back of her body.
The feel of his arm around her waist and his strong body against hers was beyond wonderful. She hadn’t realized she’d been so hungry for this kind of human touch. She hadn’t realized how much she had missed a man’s touch…a man’s embrace… Seth’s embrace.
“Good night, Suzanna.” He kissed her gently on the cheek.
“Good night, Seth,” she replied. She closed her eyes and breathed in the familiar scent of him. He smelled like safety and laughter. More than anything he smelled like home.