Mother, Please! - By Brenda Novak & Jill Shalvis & Alison Kent Page 0,21
up her neck and used his tongue to outline the firm ridge of her ear. “What about now?” he murmured.
She shivered. “I…like that.”
He lowered himself between her legs, so she could feel his arousal. “And now?”
Placing her hands on his cheeks, she held his face as she looked into his eyes. He wasn’t sure what she was thinking, but he knew it couldn’t be anything bad when she gave him the softest, sweetest kiss he’d ever had.
“You taste like heaven,” he told her, and meant every word. He wasn’t prepared for her response.
“I think Crimson Tide is on pay-per-view.”
GUNNER WOKE to the sound of running water. Pulling the pillow off his head, he blinked, looked around the room and remembered that he’d had a sleepover. With a woman. And she hadn’t spent the night in his bed.
He supposed there was a first time for everything.
“April?” he said, throwing off the covers.
She opened the shutter-style doors that separated the in-room Jacuzzi and the rest of the bath area from the beds, and smiled brightly at him, wearing the boxer briefs and T-shirt he’d lent her to sleep in. “I was hoping you’d wake up soon.”
He glanced at the clock. Six forty-seven. “Last I heard we were on vacation.”
“I had trouble sleeping after all that chocolate. Must’ve been the caffeine.”
The empty Godiva box sat on the nightstand, along with the pile of other wrappers from the candy bars she’d polished off while they were watching Crimson Tide. “Do you always eat so much junk?” he asked.
“Not always. Just on an occasional weekend.”
“How do you stay so thin?”
“I go to work and forget to eat.” She shrugged. “Sometimes I even forget to go home at night.”
“Oh, yeah. That happens to me all the time.” He rolled his eyes and dropped back on the bed, then realized that the water he’d heard running wasn’t in the sink.
“What are you doing?” He leaned up on one elbow to see her adjust the knobs on the tub.
“Put on your suit. I thought we could use the Jacuzzi.”
“What are you going to wear?”
“Nothing.” She smiled slyly.
His heart skipped a beat, or maybe two or three. He stretched to see how she was doing with the water. The bath was nearly full.
“Why the sudden change of heart?”
“Last night I was only willing to play strip poker when I knew there was no real risk that I’d have to disrobe. Which got me thinking.”
“About…”
“Those inhibitions you mentioned.”
“Right, the inhibitions,” he said, playing along.
“My mother actually agrees with you. She says I’m not taking advantage of everything life has to offer.”
“And?”
“And I’m going to start opening myself up to new experiences. I figure if I can take off my clothes in front of you, I can take them off in front of just about anyone.”
Oh, boy. Somehow he wasn’t bothered about her waking him up so early anymore…
“I mean, what could a little skinny-dipping hurt? Most people do it long before they reach my age.”
He felt a moment’s guilt because he didn’t seem to be a very good influence on her. “Are you sure you’ve thought this through?”
She wasn’t listening. “I’m slowly realizing that there’s more to life than work, and if I’m not careful, it’s all going to pass me by.”
His conscience was bothering him a little, but not enough to stop her. “I’ll put on my suit,” he said, hoping to hurry things along before she lost her nerve.
The telephone rang.
He planned to ignore it, but he didn’t communicate his wishes to April quickly enough. She answered the extension in the bathroom. “I’m fine, Mom,” he heard her say. “Nothing to worry about… No, I’m just about to go skinny-dipping with Gunner… Of course I’m serious… So? Maybe I’m ready to take a few risks… I’ve got to go…Okay, see you this afternoon.”
“What did she say?” he asked.
“‘It’s about time.”’
“Really?”
“I don’t think mothers are supposed to agree with something like this. Sort of takes the fun out of it.”
“Not for me,” he said.
CHAPTER EIGHT
APRIL PRESSED her bare backside to the bedroom wall and tried to peek around the corner into the bathroom. Gunner was waiting for her in the tub, just like she’d asked. His hair was wet and curling around his ears, and the steam rising from the water made his chest gleam. He looked gorgeous, of course, but he was getting a little impatient. Probably because he’d been sitting in that hot water long enough to start sweating.