Riding the Storm - Brenda Jackson [23]
She lifted a brow. “Never?”
His smile widened. “No. never. You’re my first, just like I was your first.”
Jayla watched as his features shifted into a serious expression as if he had to really think about what he’d just said for a moment. “Do you need my help?” he asked her.
She shook her head. “No, I can manage. Thanks.”
He nodded. “Call me when you’re ready to get out.”
She smiled. “Storm, really, I can manage things.”
“Yeah, I know you can but I want you to call me anyway.” Then he left, closing the door behind him.
Storm poured himself a glass of ice water and tipped it to his mouth, wishing it was something stronger but appreciating the cool liquid as it soothed his dry throat.
He had sworn off having anything to do with Jayla years ago; yet now, after finally making love to her, he was aching so badly for her again that it actually hurt. To make matters worse, the taste of her was still strong on his tongue and, before he could contain himself, he groaned, which was followed by a growl that erupted from deep within his throat. Jayla Cole had no idea just what a desirable and sexy woman she was. Even being a novice at making love, she was every man’s fantasy. He could see her attracting the wrong kind of men and felt a heartfelt sense of pride, as well as relief, that she had kept her head on straight and had not been taken in by any of them.
But was he any better? His no-commitment, hands-on-but-hearts-off, no-strings-attached policy left a lot to be desired, but he and Jayla had been struck by that unique kind of passion that had sent her straight into his arms and had propelled him unerringly into her bed.
And he had no regrets.
Frowning, Storm took another huge swallow of water. No woman had ever gotten to him like this. It was time for him to start building a defense to the passion she aroused in him. He pulled on his pants and did his best to reorder his chaotic thoughts and unruly emotions.
He heard a sound and turned around. Jayla was standing in the doorway wearing one of the hotel’s complimentary bathrobes. His heart fluttered as he assessed her from head to toe. She looked refreshed. She looked incredible, blatantly sexy. With a steadying breath, he asked, “Why didn’t you call me when you were ready to get out of the tub?”
She smiled and his pulse kicked up a notch. “Because although I was tempted, it wouldn’t be a good idea to start becoming dependent on you.”
For him, it wasn’t an issue of dependency. He’d known she could manage on her own but he had wanted to be there to help her anyway. There was something about her that pulled at his protective instincts…among other things. “Do you feel better?”
“Yes,” Jayla said, blowing out a ragged breath as her gaze roamed over him, noticing that he had put his pants back on. What a shame. She was beginning to get used to seeing him naked.
She met his gaze again and couldn’t help but notice that his eyes were dark, very dark, and her body’s reaction to it was spontaneous. “I, ah, need to get a nightgown out the drawer,” she said in a voice that sounded soft and husky even to her ears. She swallowed deeply when he slowly crossed the room to her.
“Have you ever slept in the nude?” he said, reaching out, opening her robe and sliding his hands over her bare skin, beginning with her waist, moving to her hips and then reaching around to cup her bottom.
“Ah, no,” she said, barely getting the words out.
He gave her that killer smile. “Would you like to try it? I can’t think of anything I’d like better than to have your naked body next to mine all night.”
A small purring sound left Jayla’s throat when he leaned forward and his tongue licked the area underneath her right ear, then the left. A sensuous shudder ran all through her, and she thought that a woman could definitely become dependent on his kind of treatment. And then she ceased to think at all when he stopped messing around with her ears and shifted his focus, opening his mouth hotly over hers.
Images of how intimate they