Janelle Denison - Pure Indulgence

He continued to stare at her, looking as though he wanted to argue those points, but refraining from commenting in order to hear her out.

Pacing to the other end of the sofa, she forced herself to relax, but it was a difficult feat when she had no idea how all this would end. "In the beginning I told myself your passion wasn't real, that it was all a product of a stimulant, and because of that I was able to convince myself that I'd avoid getting hurt when our affair ended because I wouldn't be emotionally involved with you.

"But every time we were together I wanted what we shared to be real. It felt real, and that scared me because I knew I was falling for you. Then I started to question whether your feelings for me were genuine, or a product of the aphrodisiac." She glanced at him and absently tugged on her lower lip with her teeth. "There was also a part of me that just couldn't believe that someone like you could want someone like me beyond a brief fling."

He moved off the couch and came toward her, his stride purposeful. When he reached her, he gently framed her face in his big hands, the intensity in his bright blue eyes holding her gaze hostage.

"Kayla, I wanted you from the first moment I met you at the Commerce dinner. Your smile, your eyes, your laughter, your curvy body… everything about you drew me in. And then I really got to know you, who you are inside, and that's when I fell in love with you."

She put her forehead to his, knowing she'd never get tired of him saying those words. Her chest expanded with so much emotion it felt as though it might burst.

It was time for her to bare what was in her heart, too.

A smile trembled on her lips. "I love you, too, Jack."

"Thank God!"

He wrapped his arms around her, pulled her close, and Kayla felt her aching heart mend itself and her insecurities fade into the past, where they belonged. This was her future, here with Jack. Secure in his embrace, there was no room for doubts or uncertainties. She felt adored. Cherished. Loved.

There was only one thing left for her to do.

She would bare her body to the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

"Take me to your bedroom, Jack," she whispered in his ear.

A teasing, tempting grin tipped the corner of his sexy mouth. "What, no feeding me candies this time?"

"Nope." She'd given her plan for those candies a lot of thought and came up with an alternate idea she was happy with. "I had to scrap my idea for aphrodisiac candies, but I decided I'm going to sell them at Pure Indulgence without the stimulant. I think they'll inspire lustful thoughts because of what the candies resemble, not necessarily because of what's inside of them."

"That's a great idea," he agreed.

She nipped playfully at his chin. "From now on, between you and me, it's nothing but the real thing. Real desire. Real passion."

A groan rumbled up from his chest. "I like the sound of that."

He led her up the darkened stairs into an equally shadowed master bedroom. He didn't attempt to turn on the light, so she did, illuminating the room so that there was nowhere to hide. Jack didn't say a word, but the initial surprise she saw etching his features spoke volumes-he hadn't expected her to be so bold, so brave.

But the anticipation glowing hot and bright in his eyes emboldened her, made her feel feminine and seductive. This man had helped her find the sensual woman lost inside the body her mother and Doug had criticized… and Kayla liked the wanton she was beginning to discover in herself with Jack.

"I want you to see the real me," she whispered, and pushed him back until he was sitting on the mattress, an avid audience of one for her strip show. "All of me."

Standing in front of him, less than a foot away so he could touch if he wanted to, she began unbuttoning the bodice of her dress, until the material parted and she was able to shrug it off her shoulders and down her arms. This unveiling was as much for her as it was for him. A final shedding of that last lingering bit of insecurity that had no place between her and Jack.

He watched as she shimmied the skirt of the dress over her hips, then let it drop to the floor at her feet, leaving her clad in her prettiest lingerie-a sheer lace bra and matching panties in a deep plum shade.

She let him look his fill, and he did so hungrily, and with so much heat in his eyes that she felt seared everywhere he gazed.

"Take off your bra, sweetheart," he urged huskily.

It was gone in less than thirty seconds, her full, lush breasts spilling free right at Jack's eye level. Her nipples puckered into tight, hard points that begged for the touch of his tongue, the wet suction of his mouth.

"You are so perfect," he murmured, and spread his thighs wider apart. "Come closer," he urged.

She stepped between his legs, until his knees bracketed her thighs and that wicked, wonderful mouth of his was an excruciating inch away from her breasts. She could feel his warm, damp breath blowing across her nipples, and she trembled with need.

Then his fingers trailed up the back of her thighs, and she began to quiver all over as he began a slow, thorough exploration of her body-skimming his palms along every curve, every dip and every soft, rounded swell that defined her voluptuous figure.

She would have been lying if she said she was completely at ease standing half-naked in front of him, all her physical flaws and imperfections on display. But when his tongue lapped at her breast, circled a nipple, and she arched her back and moaned shamelessly for more, the rest of her doubts evaporated. Everywhere he touched and caressed he gave her such immense pleasure she forgot why she'd ever been modest with him.

She twined her fingers through his soft, thick hair as he continued to suckle her breast. She felt him tug the waistband of her panties off her hips, then pushed them down her legs and off. Completely naked now, he nudged her legs apart with his foot, and she gasped as his long fingers slid between her thighs, unerringly finding the exact spot that could quickly send her soaring over the edge of a hot, clenching orgasm.

His mouth left her breasts and traversed lower, his lips skimming over her soft belly… her mons… and then his tongue joined the slow slide of his thumb against her cleft.

"Jack…" she rasped.

He tipped his head back, his jaw clenched tight and his eyes hot and demanding. "Let me watch you when you come."

She nodded knowing it was all part of everything that was real between them tonight. Three strokes later she gave him what he'd asked for… let him watch as her climax shuddered through her. It robbed her of breath and the ability to stand on her shaking legs when it was finally over.

Next thing she knew, she was lying on a soft bedspread and he was moving over her, between her thighs. He braced his forearms on either side of her head so she was able to look into his eyes. She lifted her knees so that their hips met and the heated length of his shaft brushed intimately against her.

A private smile curved her lips.

"What are you grinning about?" he asked.

She ran her hands down his muscled back, over his buttocks, and pulled him closer so that he was nearly penetrating her. "You're thrilled to see me." Finally, the reaction she'd hoped for since he'd greeted her at the door.

"Hell yeah, I am," he growled, and proved it by sliding deep inside her. Then he began to move at a slow, leisurely pace. "I'm even more thrilled to have you in my bed, right where you belong. I may never let you out of it."

"Sounds lovely," she said on a wistful sigh. "But we both have businesses to run."

"Then how about you marry me and then I know you'll be in my bed every night for the rest of my life?" he suggested.

She went still and looked up at Jack, not doubting for a second the sincerity of his proposal, or his love for her. "Yes," she whispered around the joy filling her heart. "Yes, I'll marry you."

He looked immensely pleased with himself. "And what about filling up this big house with kids?" he asked, rolling his hips lazily against hers. "You up for that task?"

"Oh, yeah," she purred, imagining a little boy or girl with their father's blue eyes and being spoiled rotten by their aunt Jillian. "Especially if it means lots and lots of practicing beforehand."

"You got it, but you have to promise me two things," he said, as his thrusts deepened.

That sweet tension began to build again, and Kayla struggled to keep her mind on their conversation. "Anything at all."

"Promise me I'll be your main indulgence other than chocolate." He winked. "And no more funny stuff with your desserts."

She laughed, then groaned as another flex of his hips brought her that much closer to another breath-stealing climax. "You've got yourself a deal."

"And you, Kayla Thomas, have yourself a husband."

Then all talking ceased as they both gave in to the desire and passion that was theirs, and theirs alone.