Shadows of Yesterday
Page 28

But his voice eliminated any hesitancy. “Leigh.” He spoke only her name, but that simple word and the manner in which he said it told her so much more. He kissed her, parting her lips with his tongue and spearing her with pleasure that shot like an arrow from the back of her throat to deep inside her.
His hand found her breast. Kneading it lovingly, he lifted it and lightly brushed the nipple with his thumb. When it stood proud and firm under his encouragement, his mouth fastened around the taut bud. Her fingers threading through his hair, she grasped his head. “Chad, Chad,” she cried, writhing against him as his mouth filled her with exquisite sensations.
“I’ll never get enough of you,” he whispered as he turned his head to give the same attention to her other breast. His hand, palm flat and fingers splayed, smoothed down her stomach. For the second time that day, he grappled with snap and zipper until they were undone. He sat up and reached down to pull off her shoes.
His permission-seeking eyes conferred with hers before he hooked his thumbs under the wool of her slacks and slid them down her legs. Now she wore only her panty hose and her lacy, yellow panties.
“Ohhhh.” She covered her face with her hands. “The women in the movies always have on satin garter belts and black stockings.”
“Do you hear me complaining?” he asked on a soft chuckle as he peeled the panty hose off her legs. His eyes made a leisurely tour of her near-nakedness before he lay down again close beside her and drew her to him with a proprietary arm around her waist. “I never saw anyone—in the movies or not—who could hold a candle to you. You have a beautiful body, Leigh. I thought new mothers were supposed to have saggy breasts and flabby stomachs with unsightly stretch marks.”
He kissed her long and thoroughly, then continued as though he hadn’t been deterred. “Your breasts are wonderfully firm.” To prove his point, his finger tantalizingly circled one nipple until it puckered in response. “And you don’t have any stretch marks,” he murmured against the aroused nipple and flicked it with his tongue. “You’re gorgeous all over.”
His hand slid beneath the lacy panties to cup her tenderly. A small groan purred from her throat. He settled against her with his arousal juxtaposed against her thigh. Restlessly she moved closer.
“I’ll do the honors,” he whispered as he eased the panties down her legs. He lifted himself over her and cradled one of her thighs between the two of his. The hair-roughened skin teased and tickled her silkiness.
“Kiss me, Leigh.”
She required no second invitation. Her lips were eager for his. Seeking the taste of him, her tongue darted unself-consciously past his lips. Her hands gloried in the hard, broad expanse of his back. She wrapped her arms around his waist and moved against him.
He tore his mouth away from her lips, only to scorch her stomach and abdomen with ravenous, primitive kisses. One bold hand stroked up her thigh. She held her legs protectively together for only a heartbeat before she relaxed against his coaxing fingers.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he moaned in anguish. He needn’t have worried. His stroking fingers found her ready for his loving, prepared for it by the power of his kisses, the magic of his touch.
“Honey, sweet, sweet honey.” His breath was a moist vapor on her fevered skin. He kissed her navel, the concave hollow at the top of her thighs, the tight nest of curls.
“Oh, Chad, please,” she sobbed. Her hands slipped beneath his underwear to mold the taut muscles of his hips to her palms. She couldn’t believe her own boldness, but it was rewarded when he raised up to pull off the briefs with quick jerking motions of his hands and legs.
Stretching her arms around his well-muscled torso, she pulled him down to her. His chest settled against her breasts, their stomachs cushioned together. Then his hardness nestled against her complementing softness.
She smoothed the lines of concern from his forehead as she lifted her mouth to his. As the kiss deepened, she could feel his restraint melting, but his probing was tentative, timid. Aching for him, she ran her hands down his back encouragingly. His breathing grew irregular and labored in her ear.
“God, Leigh, I can’t help it. I can’t hold back any longer,” he ground out just before he penetrated the threshold.
She knew a moment of pinching tightness. It was like losing her virginity all over again. The thought thrilled her. It was a beginning for her and Chad. She was new for him. A soft, ecstatic cry explored against the lips resting on hers.
His own sigh echoed her exultation. “You’re so sweet… so sweet…” he groaned. Convinced now that she wasn’t going to shatter, he pressed deeper and rocked her with him in an ageless rhythm. Together they hurtled off the edge of the earth. When she coasted down, he caught her to him, whispering urgently, “I love you, Leigh. I love you.”
* * *
“Did I hurt you, Leigh? After the baby”
“No, no,” she whispered, snuggling closer against him.
“Good,” he said, relieved. He caught a strand of her hair and rubbed it between his fingers. “Sharon was as afraid of sex as she was of everything else, especially when I took off my clothes on our wedding night. I was made to feel like a sadist that night, and it never got any better. She loved me, but she was terrified of loving.”
He rolled her over onto her back and let his fingers glide along the top curve of her breasts. “You, on the other hand, are warm and receptive. I could barely keep up with you.” She slapped playfully at his hand, but knew at once that, underlying his teasing, something was troubling him. “It makes me wonder if…” He cleared his throat and tried to smile before flopping onto his back. “Never mind.”
She knew what he wanted to know and his male vanity amused her, but she hid her smile. Knowing better than to patronize him, she approached the question bluntly. “Chad, are you thinking about me with Greg?”
“It’s none of my business.”
“It is now,” she said simply.
“I’m not asking for comparisons.”
“I wouldn’t make them.” She leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips. “You please me well. From the first time you kissed me in the hospital, I’ve known that my response was as important to you as your own gratification. That means so much to me, to any woman. Greg never made me feel cherished. You do.”