describe this as a one-way street, either. If I expect to count on others to help me, then when they need backup, I have to make myself available.”
“Aha.” He knew there had to be a catch. “So you could end up being tied down by them.”
“For a little while. It’s supposed to even out. If I ask my parents to babysit, then I have to be willing to watch their house and feed their dog if they go on vacation. It’s a trade-off.”
Luke shuddered. “I couldn’t deal with that.”
“Then it’s a good thing you’ve created the life that you have, isn’t it?”
He met her gaze across the tablecloth, littered with the remains of their lunch. “Yes. I like it.” He allowed himself a slow perusal of Naomi Perkins, from her bare toes to her golden ponytail. He and Naomi might be headed down different paths, but right now, they occupied the same place and time. “I’ll tell you what else I like.”
Her skin had turned a sweet shade of pink as he’d studied her. “What’s that?”
“The idea of you naked on this tablecloth.”
Her breath hitched. “That’s quite a change of subject.”
“We needed one.” He started moving the food off the red checkered cloth. “All this talk about family ties and obligations was playing hell with my sex drive.”
“Is that why you’re such a sexy guy? You don’t get involved in all that cozy family stuff?”
“You tell me.” He pulled off his boots.
“Could be. You’re a wild guy, Luke.” Rising to her knees, she stripped off her T-shirt for the second time today.
And for the second time today, he drank in the sight of her undressing for him. “That must be why you like me.” He unsnapped his shirt and took it off. “You’re attracted to wild things.”
“That’s part of it.” She gave him the same sort of once-over he’d given her and smiled. “Mostly I just want your body.”
Lust shot straight to his groin. “Likewise.” He lost track of his own undressing when she arched her back and reached for the clasp of her bra.
Snap, it came undone, and she pulled it off by the straps before tossing it aside. The motion made her breasts quiver. He became completely absorbed in watching them as she moved. When she unfastened her shorts and slid them, along with her panties, down to her knees, he had a visual feast.
He couldn’t imagine ever growing tired of this view—her pale, full breasts tipped with wine-dark nipples, her slender waist and the gentle curve of her hips. She would put an hourglass to shame. His glance traveled lower, to those blond curls covering what was currently his favorite place in the world.
“Now who’s falling behind?” She rid herself of her shorts and panties, and her breasts jiggled again, capturing both his attention and his fevered imagination.
“I can’t concentrate when you’re doing that.”
She gave him a saucy look. “I’m only following instructions.”
“Then here’s another one.” He stood and unfastened his jeans. “Take your hair down.”
“Okay.” She lifted her hands to her ponytail.
“Stop.”
“But you said—”
“I know, but I just want to look at you for a minute like that, kneeling on the tablecloth, your hands in your hair. You look like a wood nymph.”
“Don’t they usually wear clothes?” She pulled the elastic out of her hair and laid it on her pile of clothes.
“Not in my fantasy.” He shucked his jeans and briefs while she combed out her shining hair with her fingers. He’d never thought he had a preference for a woman’s coloring. But surely nothing was more beautiful than blond hair filled with sunlight.
“And there’s my fantasy.” She focused on his jutting cock. “Come closer.” She ran her tongue over her lips. “I have a taste for something wild.”
The blood roared in his ears as he walked toward her. Oh, yes, this was going to be good. Very good.
DRIVEN BY URGES she’d never had before, Naomi boldly wrapped both hands around his rigid penis. Until today, she’d never been naked with a man outdoors in broad daylight, and she’d certainly never done this out in the open, under a clear blue sky and a warm sun.
Holding him felt like clutching a lightning rod. Energy coursed between them, and her pulse rate skyrocketed. Glancing up, she looked into eyes filled with primitive fire. For this moment, he was truly a wild creature, and so was she.
Slowly she leaned forward. She began with her tongue, and he gasped. She wanted to make him gasp and groan and abandon himself to her questing mouth. Glorying in his salty taste, silky texture and blood-warmed strength, she accepted all he had to offer. The blunt tip brushed the back of her throat, and he trembled.
Then she began to move, applying suction here, a swirl of her tongue there, until his breathing grew labored. He slid his fingers through her hair and pressed them against her head. Another strangled moan was followed by his rapid breathing.
Her heart beat frantically as his excitement fueled hers. She sucked harder, and he cried out. His fingers pressed into her scalp and his body shook. When she was certain he was going to come, he tightened his hold and pulled back, out of reach. “No.” He struggled to breathe. “No. I want—”
Quivering, he dropped to his knees. Still holding her head, he gave her an openmouthed kiss. His tongue dived into the warm recesses where his cock had been. But he didn’t have the breath to kiss her for long.
He raised his head and looked into her eyes. “Let’s do that…again…sometime.”
“Anytime.”
He smiled and massaged her scalp as his breathing grew steadier. “You may regret that.”
“Never.” Loving him that way, here on this open platform, had been wonderfully freeing. She vibrated with the power of it. She felt as if she could fly.
“Don’t go away.”
“Not a chance.” She waited while he retrieved a condom from his jeans pocket. “Let me put it on.”
He laughed. “Not yet.” He tossed the packet next to the tablecloth and met her gaze. “First, I intend to taste the wildness in you, Naomi Perkins.”
Ah. The air whooshed right out of her and liquid heat surged right in.
“Lie down,” he murmured, his voice as soft and sexy as black velvet. “It’s my turn to play.”
She
