Brenda Jackson Read online

  “You look nice in your tux, by the way.”

  He met her gaze and couldn’t help but smile. He thought she had a pair of gorgeous eyes. “And you look good in your dress. But can I be honest with you about something?”

  “Yes.”

  “I really wanted to see you naked.”

  He waited, fully expecting her to say something like this had been one of those done deals and there wouldn’t be a next time so he could chalk it up as a missed opportunity. Instead, she strolled over to him, reached up to straighten his tie, then stood on tiptoe and leaned closer to whisper, “That can be arranged. I’m in Room 822.”

  She then slipped out of his reach, and after tossing a saucy smile over her shoulder, she unlocked the door and walked out.

  KIM HEARD HER NAME being called the moment she reentered the ballroom. She glanced over and saw Sherri heading toward her. She was so excited for her best friend and truly believed she and Terrence would be happy together.

  “And just where did you slip off to?” Sherri was asking. “I’ve been looking for you.”

  Kim threw her head back and laughed. “You mean your husband finally let you out of his sight? Unbelievable.”

  She and Sherri shared a smile and then Sherri said, “Yes, but only for a minute.” Her expression turned serious. “Promise me that you’re going to celebrate your good news.”

  Kim thought about the official letter she had received a couple of days ago. The one informing her she’d been accepted into medical school. “I promise that I will celebrate.”

  She’d always wanted to become a doctor, but her parents had split in her senior year of high school, which made money tight. Out of spite, her poor excuse for a father had emptied the savings account her mom had set up to defray the cost of college. As a result Kim had to resort to student loans and eventually had to settle on a master’s degree in nursing.

  She found being a nurse rewarding and was dedicated to the profession, but now it was time to move on and pursue her dream to become a doctor.

  Her gaze shifted from Sherri as she caught sight of Duan across the room. Just like she’d told him earlier, he looked good in his tux. On some men a tuxedo looked only so-so, but on Duan it was spine-tingling sexy. Definitely eye candy of the sweetest kind. As if he felt her watching him, he glanced over at her and she tilted her head and smiled.

  Sherri noticed the exchange and lifted a brow. “Now, isn’t that strange?”

  Kim broke eye contact with Duan and turned back to Sherri. “What is?”

  “Terrence was searching for Duan at the same time I was looking for you. Imagine that.”

  Kim shrugged, trying to keep a straight face. “Yes, imagine that.”

  “You know what I think?” Sherri was grinning.

  “Haven’t a clue.”

  Her friend gave her an assessing glance. “I think you’ve started celebrating already.”

  DUAN STOOD OFF to the side and watched the newlyweds leave amidst a shower of rice and well-wishes. He took a long drink of his champagne and kept his gaze on Kim, while at the same time pretending interest in the conversations going on around him.

  He had already turned down an invitation from Lucas McCoy and Stephen Morales, Terrence’s close friends from his college days, to join them and their wives for a night out on the town. And as predicted, the Westmorelands were hosting a poker game in one of their suites.

  “You sure you don’t want to join us later, Duan?” Stone Westmoreland asked. Duan and Stone had been in the same softball league while growing up and had played football together in high school.

  “I’m positive,” he said, noting the exact moment Kim began walking toward an exit door. “I had a rough week and need to get to bed early.”

  Most of what he said was true. No one needed to know that the bed he would be getting into wasn’t his.

  He exchanged conversation with Stone and the other Westmorelands for a few minutes and then bid everyone a farewell and a safe return home. Like him, most of them would be checking out of the hotel sometime tomorrow. Placing his empty champagne glass on a table, he picked up his pace as he headed toward the elevators.

  KIM GLANCED AROUND her hotel room and saw the bottle of champagne Sherri had ordered earlier sitting in a bucket of ice. She hadn’t told anyone but Sherri about her acceptance into medical school at the University of California, San Francisco.

  She had a couple months to accept their offer. She had applied to three other universities and would wait to hear from them before making a decision.

  She smiled as she kicked off her shoes. She was very much aware that Duan had been watching her when she’d left the reception, which meant he was probably on his way up. The quickie earlier had relieved some of the sexual tension between them but not all of it. She had issued the invitation to complete what they’d started, so she had no problem with him taking her up on it.

  She liked him, and after what happened earlier, she liked him even more. Even with a limited amount of time he hadn’t been a selfish lover. She couldn’t say the same for the last guy she’d dated, a surgeon at the hospital. He’d left a lot to be desired.

  Kim walked over to the window to take in the view of Lake Michigan. Several small fishing vessels were out on the lake, as well as a number of other boats in various sizes. It was so beautiful she could just stand there a while and watch. Her mother had planned to come to the wedding with her, but had called two days ago and said something had come up and she wouldn’t be able to make it. She would have enjoyed being here.

  At the thought of her mother, Kim shook her head. She’d been forced to tell a lie to her mom and Aunt Gertrude. She loved the two women to death and they meant well, but recently Aunt Gert had submitted Kim’s name to the producers of the reality show How to Find a Good Man. That was a bit too much. And when Aunt Gert’s essay had won and Kim had been selected as a contestant, she’d come up with the only plausible reason to turn down what her mother and aunt thought was a golden opportunity. Kim had convinced them she’d found a good man on her own.

  She turned at the sound of the knock on the door. In a way she had found one, at least for this weekend. A sense of heated anticipation gripped her and she inhaled deeply, more than ready to enjoy another round of hot, heavy and mind-blowing sex.

  And this time there wouldn’t be any time restraints.

  KIM OPENED THE DOOR and immediately heat began stirring through every part of her body. She took a step back when he entered the room.

  “Would you like a drink, Duan?”

  The smooth smile that formed on his lips made Kim’s nipples harden.

  “No, thank you,” he said, stepping closer.

  “In that case…”

  She reached up and placed her arms around his neck, going straight for his mouth. In response, turbulent emotions consumed her and made her deepen the kiss the same time he did.

  She felt him moving, walking her backward, and when the bed hit her legs she pulled away to break from the kiss. Kim glanced up at him and saw the taut lines of his jaw and the moist sheen of his lips. And then she felt his hand working its way to her back to ease down her zipper. He tugged her dress down her body, right along with her bra. The man knew what he was after. He’d said he wanted to see her naked and wasn’t wasting any time getting her that way.

  He then proceeded to use both hands to cop a feel of her bare breasts. The moment the pad of his thumbs came in contact with the budded nipples, she felt the crotch of her panties get wet.

  His gaze caught hers just moments before he leaned forward and captured a nipple between his lips, savoring it as if it were the best thing he’d ever tasted. He sucked aggressively. Licked profusely. Hard. Hungrily. Moments later he switched to the other breast.

  When Kim thought she couldn’t handle any more, she felt herself being lowered to the bed, felt the mattress and thick bedcovers beneath her back. He threw his leg over her middle and she moaned at the feel of the material of his p
ants rubbing against her inner thigh. When she was totally convinced his mouth was about to push her over the edge he released her nipple, lifted his head and met her gaze.

  “You have nice breasts,” he said in a deep, husky voice.

  “Glad to know you like them,” she responded, reaching up and brushing her fingers against the length of his jaw.

  Someone once said you could tell the strength of a man by his jawbone. If that was the case then Duan Jeffries was the equivalent of Samson. He certainly had a lot of sex appeal.

  “We need to get you out of the rest of your clothes,” he said, slowly sliding his hands down her body and then back up again, letting his fingertips gently caress her skin, sending heated bliss wherever he stroked.

  Kim’s pulse rate increased and she dragged air into her lungs as the feel of his touch tormented her flesh. She eased herself up in the bed and he moved to give her room while she removed her stockings, tossing the items aside. She was completely naked except for her panties. And when she leaned back on her elbows and lifted her hips off the bed with a bold unmistaken invitation in her eyes, he reached out and slid her panties down her thighs and legs.

  Duan pulled in a deep heated breath as he let his gaze roam over Kim’s naked form. Something within him had driven his desire to see her this way and he was not disappointed.

  Before he realized what she was doing, she had eased off the bed to kneel in front of him and was sliding down his zipper. She then tugged down his pants and briefs and he stepped out of them. Tossing the pieces of clothing out of the way, she leaned back on her haunches and tilted her head to look up him and smile. “I wanted to do this earlier but time wouldn’t allow it.”

  He pulled in a deep breath when her tongue began licking him from top to bottom and front to back. She then opened her mouth and greedily slid him inside, letting her tongue wrap around his head and then the length of his entire manhood.

  His breath caught and he wondered if he would ever be able to breathe again. The sensations were so powerful he could have died right then and there. He’d been given head before, but never with such bold deliberation. And there was a sweetness to her lips that even extended to this.

  He threw his head back and growled as she worked her mouth and tongue over his rod. The sight of her on her knees with him fully planted inside her mouth, bobbing her head up and down while her hands played gently with his balls, had his erection throbbing to an almost explosive state. He reached down and grabbed hold of a fistful of her hair to hold her mouth still when the unbearable pleasure intensified. Every cell in his body seemed electrified.

  His nerve endings were stretched to the limit and the sensations firing through him shuddered deep in his gut.

  When he felt himself almost pushed over the edge, he grabbed her chin and pulled his rod out of her mouth. Ignoring her whimper of disappointment, he lifted her into his arms and quickly crossed back to the bed and placed her on it. He came down with her, and before she could straighten her body, he was there pushing her backward. His hands grabbed hold of her hips and his head went between her legs. Now it was time for his tongue to pleasure her.

  His fingers parted her folds, and the moment his tongue slid inside her and he was introduced to her taste, a rush of new sensations surged through him, made him clasp her hips tighter to bring her closer to his mouth. His tongue moved frantically inside her and he knew the exact moment he found what he was seeking. “Duan!”

  He withdrew his tongue and let the tip play with her clit. His lips then came together and greedily devoured it. He had to hold her down with his hands when she began moving frantically beneath his mouth as he savored her unique taste of honey.

  She shuddered just seconds before she screamed. It was only after the last spasm passed through her body that he loosened his hold on her and pulled back to retrieve a condom from his wallet.

  He sheathed himself and moved back toward the bed to find her still stretched out in that same position, as inviting as any woman could be.

  That pose made him ease onto the mattress on all fours, like a lion capturing his prey, and when he had straddled her, effectively pinning her beneath him, he met her gaze. He leaned in and captured her mouth at the same moment that he slid inside her, not stopping until he was buried deep.

  And then he began making love to her, deciding there would be nothing quick in their mating this time around.

  2

  DUAN OPENED HIS EYES and squinted against the bright sunlight flowing in through the hotel-room window. It was at that moment he felt the soft feminine naked body resting against him, his front spooning her backside.

  A shiver of pleasure flowed through him when he remembered everything that had happened—all he’d done over the past fourteen-plus hours. And he wasn’t feeling one moment of regret. In fact, he felt electrified in a way he’d never felt before. Kim had satisfied a fierce need inside him. Making love to her had been everything he’d wanted, and more.

  She had met him on every level and together they had shared climax after magnificent climax. But for some reason what they’d shared was a lot more than sex. She had managed to tap into a Duan Jeffries few people saw. The one who longed not to be so disciplined. The one who didn’t necessarily want to be a good guy all the time.

  Growing up he’d had no choice. He was the oldest and was expected to set a good example for Terrence and Olivia. His mother had caused his father enough scandal, and Orin Jeffries hadn’t needed his oldest son to follow in his wife’s footsteps. So he had done everything right. He had gotten the best grades in school and had gone into law enforcement after college to keep the bad guys off the street. In a way his occupation as a private investigator was still doing that. He enjoyed his work. He loved preserving the peace and making sure those who broke the law were put behind bars. But still…

  It had been fun slipping off in the middle of his brother’s wedding reception for a quickie. And if that hadn’t been shameful enough, before Terrence and Sherri could make it to the airport for their honeymoon, he had come up to Kim’s room, driven with a desire to see her naked and to engage in more sex. Shameful to some but total pleasure for him.

  He was simply enthralled and could only wonder what there was about Kim that made him respond to her with a spontaneity that he found disconcerting as well as fascinating. What was there about her that dared him to become a risk taker?

  His thoughts were interrupted when she shifted in sleep, snuggling her luscious backside even closer to him. Already his rod was awake, and the damn greedy bastard was stretching. It obviously liked the feel of Kim’s bare bottom pressed against it.

  He suppressed the urge. For some reason he didn’t want to do anything more than just lie there and hold her, share the essence of her heat.

  When he draped his arms across her middle she snuggled closer into him. He liked the feel of having her there, and with that thought firmly planted in his mind, he closed his eyes and joined her in sleep.

  “WHAT TIME DO YOU plan to check out today, Kim?”

  Kim looked up from her breakfast plate. They had awakened a short while ago, and after taking a shower they’d ordered room service for breakfast. Now, wearing the complimentary bath robes provided by the hotel, they were eating in bed.

  “I asked for a late checkout,” she replied. “That means I won’t be leaving before two. What about you?”

  “I asked for a late checkout, as well. My plane doesn’t fly out until five and that will give me plenty of time to get to O’Hare.”

  “I don’t fly out until six. Want to share a taxi to the airport?” she asked, taking a sip of coffee.

  His smile sent a warm feeling all through her in a way even the coffee hadn’t done. “Yes, that will work.”

  She resumed eating. She would be returning to the Keys and he to his home in Atlanta. Although they both lived in the southeastern part of the country, a long-distance affair was out of the question. She’d tried it once, only to discover the ma
n had been living a double life with girlfriends on both the east and the west coast.

  “I appreciated yesterday and last night, Kim.”

  She glanced over at him and the corners of her lips eased up. Duan could definitely make her smile, among other things. She considered what he’d just said and wondered how many men actually thanked a woman for sex.

  She chuckled. “You’re a man who probably appreciates a willing woman. And I was definitely willing.” She pushed her plate aside and propped herself against a pillow. “You didn’t even have to hit me with any good lines. I saved you the trouble, but it was well worth it.”

  Over the rim of her coffee cup, she studied him lounging in bed with his robe on. Like her he was naked underneath. He had to be the most sexually compelling man she’d ever met. During their shower they had done a number of scandalous things and she could feel her pulse speed up just thinking about it.

  “So tell me something about Duan Jeffries that I may not know,” she prompted.

  A grin touched his lips. “Is that a prerequisite to sharing a cab ride with you?”

  “I could make it one.” She smiled. “You never know who you can trust these days.”

  He laughed. “And you can say that after the past fourteen-plus hours we’ve shared together?”

  “Sure, why not? So tell me.”

  He took another sip of his coffee. “You tell me what you think you already know.”

  She scrunched up her face as if she were thinking real hard and Duan couldn’t help but chuckle. “Hey, I’m not that complicated.”

  “Didn’t say you were, so let’s not get testy,” she replied.

  She tapped her chin a couple of times. “I know you’re thirty-six—used to be a cop and then got promoted to detective. Now you own a P.I. firm with four other guys. You’ve never been married and as far as anyone knows, you don’t have any children. And you date on those rare occasions you’re not swarming the country doing investigative work.”