Mother, Please! - By Brenda Novak & Jill Shalvis & Alison Kent Page 0,17
more inhibited.”
“I can overcome my inhibitions.”
So he wasn’t the only one who liked a challenge. “I have to tell you I’m not very optimistic about that. You seem naturally uptight. But I’ll let you try that kiss again if you want,” he said, as though he was the most magnanimous soul who’d ever existed.
“Maybe you could help me,” she said. “I mean, you’re just standing there.”
He bit his cheek, trying not to smile. She was playing right into his hands. “What would you like me to do?”
“You could act as though you’re not made of wood. Maybe you should take some of your own advice and let yourself feel something.”
He was feeling something. Certainly more than he wanted to. Her kiss was about the most artless he’d ever received. Yet his body was ripcord tight, and his nerves thrummed with the hope that the soft mouth he’d almost had the chance to taste would soon come back, would linger a moment….
When was the last time such a simple thing had excited him so much? How long since he’d burned for a woman the way he was burning for this rather peculiar intellectual?
“Would it help if I put my hands here?” He slipped his arms around her slim waist.
“That’s better, I think.”
Gunner wanted to take the lead and guide her swiftly and surely through what was very familiar territory for him. But he knew that if he pushed April too fast, she’d bolt. So he kept every movement subtle and understated, waiting for her to lead the way. She’d eventually figure it out; she’d just drive him crazy first.
“On second thought, maybe you should move your hands a little higher,” she said, her forehead creased in concentration.
“April…”
“What?”
“There’s nothing analytical about this,” he said. Then he slowly and deliberately slid his hands up, massaging the muscles on each side of her spine as he pressed her fully against him.
Her eyes flew wide open as her breasts flattened against his chest. “There’s plenty to analyze here,” she argued. “I mean, look at us. We’re complete opposites—a bookworm and a jock. Yet we’ve been able to find some common ground and work together to—”
“Whatever you’re saying, forget it.”
“Hmm?”
“Now would be a good time to quit talking.”
“Oh, right. But I was about to tell you that you’re an exceptional actor. If I didn’t know better, I might even think—”
He bent his head and silenced her with his mouth. She stiffened in his arms, and her lips remained tightly closed, but only for a moment. When he curled one hand around her bottom and used his mouth to gently coax her to relax, she suddenly let go of all restraint and started responding to him instinctively. And he had to admit she had very good instincts.
“There you go,” he murmured against her mouth, kissing her again, this time softly, gently biting her lip and pulling it into his mouth before kissing her again. “See? It’s easy.”
Her hand clenched in his hair, guiding him back to her mouth, and his blood began to rush through his body at triple speed.
Gunner let his tongue slide over her straight teeth, surprised that she wasn’t nearly as tentative as he’d expected. Her hands moved over him, touching his face, his hair, his chest as if she wanted to absorb absolutely every detail.
He found her curiosity incredibly erotic. He started to slip his hand beneath her strappy T-shirt so he could start some exploring of his own, but she broke away.
“How was that?” she asked, sounding breathless. “Better?”
“You still need practice,” he lied. “Lots of practice.”
Skepticism darkened her expression. “I’m usually not a slow learner.”
“You’ll get it,” he promised. “The good news is I’m willing to work with you until you do.”
When her lips curved into a smile, he knew she was on to him.
She removed his coat and handed it back. “I appreciate your willingness to make the sacrifice, but you’ve given me enough to think about for one night. I’m tired. And I need to check on my mother. With my father and her in the same hotel, there could be bloodshed.”
He took his jacket, frustrated that she was finished when he felt they were just getting started. “I’m in room three forty-four if you change your mind.”
“I’ll remember that.” Laughing softly, she grabbed her sandals, which she’d dropped in the sand, and headed back to the hotel.
Gunner slung his coat over his shoulder, welcoming the cool breeze, hoping it would clear his head.