Bliss (5 page)

What could she say? His lovemaking far surpassed anything she’d ever experienced. It had been positively . . . mind-blowing.

“I . . . uh . . . That was—”

He captured her lips, cutting off her awkward attempts to commend him on what was undoubtedly the most incredible sex she’d ever had.

He placed his hand on the small of her back, then rolled her over. He pressed his cock deep into her one more time, then as he drew back, she released her ankles, allowing him to pull out. She missed his hot hard cock immediately, as if she’d lost something of herself.

He settled beside her and pulled her into his arms, then kissed her temple.

“Do you believe in love at first sight?” he murmured in her ear.

She stiffened. “Uh . . . no, not really.”

He drew her close against his hard broad chest. “Too bad.”

She lay quietly in his arms, ignoring the tension coiled in her stomach and allowing her breathing to return to normal.

Love? Was he insane? What kind of guy talked about love after only one . . . ? Well, it wasn’t even a date.

Tired from the long day and their intense lovemaking, she just wanted to go to sleep, but she couldn’t leave things the way they were. She had to say something.

Then she noticed his deep, even breathing. He was asleep already.

She snuggled into his embrace and sighed. Well, maybe she could.

Kara awoke in the darkness of a strange room, with two strong arms wrapped around her and a solid chest pressed against her back. One large hand cupped her breast. At the realization, her nipple puckered.

The handsome stranger from the plane. J.M.

Soft moonlight cascaded across the bed and she glanced over her shoulder at his sleeping form.

He was such a great guy . . . and they had incredible chemistry between the sheets. She’d gone into this—first the flirting, then spending the night together—assuming nothing would come of it, but now she wondered. It wasn’t every day a girl met a guy as perfect as J.M. Intelligent, sensitive, caring. And he sure knew how to love a woman.

At the thought, his softly uttered words scrambled through her brain.

Do you believe in love at first sight?

Oh, man, why in the world had he asked that? Did she want a guy who would believe he loved her after only a few brief hours together?

His hand tightened on her breast and she froze. Was that just a twitch or was he awake? His lips playing along the base of her neck, sending tingles down her spine, answered her question.

He lifted his head and nuzzled the side of her neck. She flicked her eyelids closed.

He chuckled. “I know you’re awake. What’s wrong, Kara? You feel tense.”

What did he think was wrong?

He stroked his finger along her shoulder, sending tremors through her.

“I hope you don’t regret spending the night.”

She rolled around to face him.

“Of course not.” She placed her hand on his cheek and gazed into his dark, moonlit eyes. “Tonight was amazing.”

He kissed her, his lips caressing hers with such passion she could feel powerful emotions welling up inside her.

His tongue delved into her mouth as his hand cupped her breast and stroked delicately. His finger teased the hardening nipple until she felt breathless. He released her mouth, then latched on to her nipple and cajoled. Then he sucked until she clung to his head, holding it tight to her chest. He switched to the other nipple as one hand slid down her stomach to her molten opening. He stroked between her legs, feeling the slickness. She opened for him, allowing him to slip his fingers inside her. He stroked her and she sucked in air, arching upward to meet his hand.

He released her tight nub and grinned at her, then shifted downward. Oh, yes, he was going to . . . He licked her slit, then stroked her clitoris with his finger. She sighed, then arched as he covered her sensitive nub with his mouth. His tongue swirled over her clit, round and round, then he sucked. She moaned, running her fingers through his hair.

His fingers swirled inside her as he licked and sucked her bud. Pleasure swept through her, rising faster and faster until she gasped, then wailed in orgasm.

He prowled upward and kissed her breast, then licked her nipple. She reached for his long, hard cock and stroked it.

“Come inside,” she urged, her voice husky.

He grinned and shifted into position, nudging her opening and then slipping inside. She sucked in air at the exquisite feel of his large cock filling her. She squeezed his marble-hard shaft. Just feeling him so deep sent her close to the brink.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him. He began to move, slowly impaling her, then drawing back, then impaling her again. He thrust deep, then held, allowing her to savor the feel of his big, hard cock inside her. He drew back and thrust again. Pleasure rippled through her as he picked up speed, driving into her again and again. She moaned at the delicious sensations sparking through her body.

“Oh, yes. I’m so close.”

His hand glided between them and he flicked her clit. Pleasure turned to pure joy and she wailed in yet another intense orgasm. He groaned and filled her with liquid heat.

She clung to him as he kissed her cheek, then under her jaw. He nibbled her earlobe and finally kissed her lips.

Tightening her arms around him, she kissed him back with exuberant passion. He stroked her hair from her face and held her close.

She felt cherished . . . and loved.

Oh, God, did the man really think he loved her?

And what about her? What was she feeling for him?

Of course, it wasn’t love. Love didn’t exist. A relationship lasted because the two people involved worked hard to make it last. It was as simple as that.

Undoubtedly, it must be infatuation. And lust, of course. The way this man made love, how could she help it? He was sensational!

Damn it, it would be hard saying good-bye tomorrow.

Kara shifted in her seat as the engines roared and the plane accelerated along the runway. J.M. placed his hand on her back and her anxiety immediately settled to minor listlessness. She automatically drew in deep breaths, just as he’d coached her to do yesterday during takeoff. It helped that the sky was blue and clear, with the sun shining brightly on the dazzling white snow, rather than the blustery blizzard of yesterday. But not as much as the heat radiating from his hand, which calmed her to an almost peaceful state.

Once they were in the air, the flight attendant passed by with a cart and served them coffee. Kara sipped her hot drink, knowing she had only an hour left with J.M., and then they’d go their separate ways.

Was it at all feasible that they could make a go of a relationship? Last night had been absolutely sensational. She could certainly learn a lot from him and that would be good for her column, but would he like being in a relationship where everything they did in the bedroom wound up in a major magazine? On the other hand, it wasn’t so much what he did, but
how
he did it. How could she convey that to her readers? Could she even figure it out?

Damn, the man made her feel way out of her depth.
She
was supposed to be the expert on sex.

“You seem deep in thought.”

She glanced at J.M. and shrugged. “Just thinking about all the work I have ahead of me when we arrive.” In fact, she hadn’t thought about the conference once since she’d met J.M. What was stressing her right now was trying to decide whether she really wanted to say good-bye to him forever.

“Didn’t you say you were traveling for pleasure?”

Damn. She’d forgotten that.

“True, but I have some work I have to finish while I’m away. I need to figure out when I’ll do that. There’s also the whole rush at the end of the trip, like getting my luggage and arranging transportation, checking into the hotel, et cetera.”

He smiled. “Ah, the fun of modern-day travel.”

He rested his hand on her arm, an affectionate rather than sexual contact, but still his touch sent heat thrumming through her. She wanted to fling herself into his arms and be swept away by his potent animal magnetism. Actually, that wasn’t quite right. His powerful attraction involved something more than basic physical appeal. Something less tangible . . . and far more dangerous . . . was at work.

Dangerous because she didn’t understand it. His mere touch could send her up in flames. How could she deal with that?

The flight attendant came by to gather their cups.

“At least we can collect our luggage together, then . . . maybe we can share a cab?”

“No,” she said a little too sharply. She shifted in her seat and stared at the seat in front of her. “I mean, I’ll be renting a car.”

J.M. watched Kara, wondering why she was so tense. Although their time together last night had been spectacular, he’d sensed her withdrawal from him as the flight wore on. He wanted to ask her where she lived, to suggest they could see each other again once they both returned home, but he sensed she would not be amenable.

Damn, he didn’t even know her last name.

The pilot announced that they would be landing in ten minutes. That meant J.M. had precious little time to see Kara before she would disappear from his life. Unless he did something about it. Unless he could convince her to see him again.

The plane was landing, but he’d wait until they got inside the airport to discuss this with her. They’d both have to pick up their luggage, so he still had a little time. They disembarked and followed the crowd to the luggage carousels. They moved to a position where they could see the ramp feeding the conveyor, a little away from the crowd.

“I guess this will be good-bye soon,” he said to her.

She sent him a quick glance, then nodded.

“Kara, it doesn’t have to be.”

She glanced at him again, her lips drawn tight.

“We had a great time last night,” he continued. “We seem to be pretty compatible.”

She frowned and his heart sank. She drew in a deep breath, then gazed at him.

“Look, J.M. I assumed you knew this was just a one-night thing—”

He took her hand. “Kara, didn’t you think last night was special?”

Her forehead furrowed. “Of course I did. I just . . . don’t want to get involved right now. I’m very interested in my career at this point, and the last thing I need is to get sucked into something that makes me feel . . . completely out of control.”

“So what if you do?” he asked with a smile. “What if you just let yourself lose control?”

It took Kara a moment to realize he was repeating what she’d said to him at the hotel. She smiled back but averted her gaze.

The hum of machinery signaled the imminent arrival of their baggage. A big brown suitcase appeared on the moving ramp, making its way down to the conveyor belt. A few seconds later, a navy duffel bag appeared, followed by a red suitcase.

Kara stepped toward him. “I’m sorry.”

She tipped her head up and cupped his cheeks, then pressed her lips to his in a kiss. He wrapped his arms around her, savoring the feel of her body pressed the length of his. Their lips moved together in a passionate acknowledgment of their intense attraction.

How could she ignore what they had together?

She drew away, her sapphire eyes filled with sadness and, possibly, regret. She glanced at the luggage moving along the carousel behind her.

“There’s my suitcase.” She turned toward the thick crowd.

“Why don’t you wait here and I’ll grab it for you. Which one is it?”

“Thanks. It’s the black one. Right beside those two burgundy ones.”

He eased through the crowd toward the carousel, keeping ahead of the moving bag.

What was he going to do? How could he let her just walk out of his life?

He drew in a deep, calming breath.
If it is meant to be, it will be. Spirit will find a way to make it work.

He stepped to the side of the carousel and reached for the bag, then dragged it to the floor. He checked that her name was on the tag, then moved back through the crowd until he’d returned to her.

“Thank you.” She pulled up the handle on the suitcase and set her carry-on on top. “I better get going.”