Hope Smolders Read online

  His hands were everywhere. One on her thigh, inching toward her hip, the other lifting her blouse and palming her breast. It was all happening so fast, she couldn't keep up with the sensations blasting her from all directions. And when he lifted her top over her head, all she could do was lie back and let him have his way, because she'd fantasized about this, wanted this--and oh, God, she needed this.

  Right up to the point when he reached over and switched on her bedside lamp.

  She lifted up on her elbows. "What are you doing?"

  "I want to see you."

  "Oh. Uh." Desire tamped down. "Could we maybe do this in the dark?"

  Will cocked a brow, then grinned at her and pushed her shoulders down. "Not a chance in hell, Jane. You're gorgeous and I want to see all of you."

  She lifted back up on her elbows. "Will. You do realize I've given birth to two children, right?"

  He loomed over her, his hands planted on either side of her. "I think you're beautiful, Jane. And yes, I realize you're not twenty anymore. Neither am I."

  "Yeah, but you don't have stretch marks from childbirth."

  He laughed, then pushed her back down on the bed. "No, I don't. Now relax and let me make love to you."

  She looked up at the ceiling, her earlier excitement replaced with trepidation. His face appeared over hers, and suddenly he was kissing her again. Deep, soulful kisses that made her forget to be conscious of her body and its imperfections. She reached for him, slid her fingers into the soft silkiness of his hair. He laid a hand on her stomach, then over her hip, gradually pulling down her skirt. She helped him, lifting her hips until the skirt slid down her legs, leaving her in only her bra and panties.

  He kissed her neck again, evoking chills, then moved his lips over her collarbone and the swell of her breasts. Jane kept her eyes tightly shut, not wanting Will to be disappointed in her. But when he removed her bra and put his mouth over her nipples, she forgot all about everything except the way he pleasured her, teasing her nipple by sucking it. Her eyes flew open and she had to watch his cheeks hollow as he took her nipple into his mouth, then flicked his tongue over the sensitive bud until she thought she might die from the pleasure. And while he plumped and pleasured her breast, he moved his hand over her rib cage and down her belly, making her breath catch as he cupped her sex, drawing out her low moan as he slipped his hand into her panties to tease and torment her.

  Her back bowed as she met his questing fingers. He expertly knew right where to touch her, using his fingers to dip inside her, moistening them, and then circling her center of pleasure until she thought she might just die right there.

  Taut with tension, she rocked against his hand until he brought her right to the edge.

  "Come on, baby," he whispered. "Let go for me."

  His words, so evocative, so dark and rich with promise, were her undoing. She burst with an orgasm she felt she'd been holding in for years, crying out against him as she thrashed in his arms. He held her as she moaned through it, using his fingers to expertly coax her right to the very edge again. And then he pulled her to the edge of the bed, removed her panties, and put his mouth on her, teasing her with his lips and tongue.

  She'd been in a drought for so very long, the heat and wetness was her undoing. She came again, so quickly this time it was almost embarrassing. But Will didn't seem to think so. As she floated back down he smiled up at her, then stood, and she realized he still had all his clothes on.

  She sat up. "That doesn't seem fair."

  "What's that?" he asked.

  "I'm naked. You're not."

  "I'm about to fix that."

  He pulled off his shirt, then undid the button on his jeans. She couldn't help but be fixated on that very prominent bulge that pressed against his zipper. And when he dropped his jeans and shucked his boxer briefs, she could only say, "Oh, my."

  Will grinned, and she took a moment to appreciate the fine specimen of man he was. Here was someone who took care of his body. She'd seen him plenty at the gym, and he worked hard to keep his body in shape. It showed. He had strength.

  Now she'd have to test his stamina, because it had been a long dry spell for her and she intended to make this night last.

  She opened her arms to him and he came to her, kissing her deeply. Lord, but the man knew how to kiss a woman senseless. And to have his hard body against hers--finally--now that was definitely a dream come true. She ran her hands over his shoulders and chest, and down his belly.

  "I like touching you," she said.

  "Feel free to explore," he said, brushing his lips across hers.

  She did, getting to know every part of him. His stomach was flat, with very fine hairs there, so soft to the touch. The only place he was soft, of course. The rest of him was covered in hard muscle.

  She reached down to take his shaft in hand, rewarded with his harsh intake of breath. She began to stroke him, but he pulled her hand away.

  "Too much of that and it's going to be all over with in a hurry."

  "We'll save some of that exploring for round two, then."

  He smiled. "I like the way you think."

  He reached down to the floor and pulled a condom packet from his jeans.

  "Not that I thought this was gonna happen, but I do like to be prepared."

  Now it was her turn to smile. "And I like the way you think."

  He put the condom on, and slid between her legs. He looked down at her, and she heated at the way his gaze roamed over her. And when he cupped her sex, readying her with his fingers, taking his time to smooth his hand over her, she arched her hips, pulsing and near the brink again.

  It had been a while, and as he nestled between her legs, he took his time fitting his body to hers. When he was seated fully inside her, his cock pulsing, she shuddered at the unexpected emotions coursing through her.

  He brushed her hair from her face and kissed her, still unmoving. She knew what it cost him to be so still while her body adjusted to him. It drove her crazy, feeling him swelling inside her, her own body throbbing with need and desire.

  "Will," she whispered.

  "Yeah?"

  "You can move now."

  "You okay?"

  "Definitely more than okay."

  When he finally began to thrust, it was as if her world exploded. She arched, meeting his thrusts, breaking out in a cold sweat as he rocked her world by pinning her with his body and grasping her hand to hold it above her head.

  Then he showed her what she'd been missing for far too long, cupping her butt, tilting her pelvis and driving hard into her, grinding against her until she thought she might die from the sweetest pleasure she'd ever had. She squeezed his hand and cupped the back of his neck to draw him forward for a blistering kiss that was her undoing.

  When she came, it was like lightning had struck her--a sudden explosion that caught her by surprise. Her eyes flew open and she met his gaze, giving him everything she had as she shuddered with the ecstasy that poured from her. He drove hard and fast into her, then growled out his own orgasm, taking her lips in a violent fury that catapulted her over the edge again, leaving her breathless and shaking.

  One of them was trembling. Or maybe it was both of them. She couldn't be sure. She smoothed her hand down Will's sweat-soaked back, closing her eyes and committing every second of this to memory, because she wasn't sure it would happen again, and she needed to remember it all. Fuel for her fantasies and all that.

  He rolled over to his side and drew her against him. She finally opened her eyes. He was looking at her.

  "So, it's really like riding a bike, isn't it?"

  She frowned. "Huh?"

  "You definitely didn't forget how to do it."

  "Oh." She laughed. "I guess not."

  "But just in case you do forget, we should probably practice five or six times tonight."

  Heat settled low in her belly, and she was shocked to find renewed desire quivering through her. One would think she'd be satiated after all
that.

  Apparently not.

  "Yes, we probably should."

  "I'll be right back," he said. He rolled out of bed and went into the bathroom.

  Her cell phone rang. She frowned, and looked over at the clock on her night table. It was after midnight. No one would call her that late except Chelsea, and Chelse knew she was on a date tonight, so she'd wait until Jane called her tomorrow to rehash her night with Will.

  She slid out of bed and found her phone, buried in her purse which she'd left on the floor by the front door.

  It was a missed call from her mom.

  "Damn," she whispered.

  "Something wrong?" Will asked, coming out of the room. "I heard your phone ring."

  She turned to him. "Probably. I just missed a call from my mom. The kids are there."

  She punched the number, her heart pounding as she waited for it to ring. Her mother answered almost immediately.

  "Jane?"

  "What's wrong, Mom?"

  "I don't want you to panic or anything, but Tabby got up to go to the bathroom and slipped on that rug by the kitchen and hit her head on the table."

  She tried for calm. "How bad is it?"

  "There's a lot of blood, but of course there would be because it's her head. But she's got a pretty good gash and I think she's going to need some stitches."

  "I'll be right there to get her."

  "I thought you would be. We'll have her ready."

  "Thanks, Mom." She hung up and headed toward the bedroom.

  "What happened?" Will asked as he followed behind her.

  "Tabitha slipped on the way from the bathroom and hit her head on the kitchen table. My mom said she has a pretty good cut on her head that probably needs stitches." She started to get dressed, grabbing underwear and bra, then a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.

  Will got dressed, too. "I'll drive you."

  She turned to him. "That's not necessary."

  "Actually, it is. You had way more to drink tonight than I did. You're likely panicked thinking about your daughter, which adds an adrenaline rush you don't need while driving."

  "It's not like I have a choice. Or I can have my dad drive." Though her dad wasn't good with night driving.

  "Look, you can take care of Tabitha while I drive. Plus, I know all the folks at the ER, which late on a Saturday night will be crowded as hell. I can bypass some red tape for you so you don't have to spend six hours in the waiting room."

  She shuddered in a breath, realizing he had a point. And despite her wanting to do this on her own, right now she could use all the help she could get. Tabitha was her number one priority. "Okay. Thanks."

  They climbed in his car and he drove her over to her parents'. The lights were blazing as she made her way to the front door. Her mom was already there. She didn't even give Will a second look, just smiled at him and nodded. "I'm glad you're here with Jane."

  "How's Tabby?" Jane asked as they came through the door.

  "Fine. Scared. She knows she's going to have to get stitches, and you know how she feels about that."

  "I know."

  Tabby was in the kitchen sitting on Jane's dad's lap with a bloody towel on her head. Nausea rolled in Jane's stomach. It was a weakness she hated to admit, but the sight of blood made her sick. She stomached it as well as she could, because she had kids and that's what a mom had to do, but she didn't deal with it well.

  "Took a header into the table, did you?" Jane said, trying to look anywhere but at the head wound and all the blood soaking the towel her dad had pressed to Tabitha's head."

  Tabby's bottom lip wobbled and tears welled. Big fat drops slid down her daughter's cheeks. "I fell, Mommy. My head hurts."

  "I know it does, sweetheart." She scooped Tabitha into her arms, the pungent smell of blood about to send her vaulting to the bathroom. She pulled back. "Will is going to take us to the emergency room, and we'll get you taken care of, okay?"

  Tabby nodded, and Jane fell into the chair, gulping deep breaths of non-bloody-smelling oxygen.

  Some mother she was.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Will took one look at Tabitha, and then his gaze crossed to Jane, who had gone pale and looked like she was about to lose the dinner they'd had earlier.

  He'd monitored her drinking, and though he told her she shouldn't drive, it had been long enough that she should have been fine. She'd been drinking water and all she'd had was soda at Cain's, so he had an idea her current dilemma had nothing to do with alcohol and everything to do with her daughter's current state.

  "Hey, Tabitha," Will said. "Mind if I take a look at your owie?"

  Tabitha nodded and Will walked over and lifted the towel to take a peek.

  "That's a pretty good boo-boo," he said. And it was. A nice gash across the top of her forehead, right near the hairline. It was going to need several stitches or staples.

  "I need to use the bathroom," Jane said. "I'll be right back, Tabby."

  Yeah, that's what he thought. He could see her stiffen, saw her chin lift, and knew she was going to tough it out on behalf of her daughter, but she looked like she was about to pass out.

  Jane was squeamish about blood or gaping wounds. Tough thing for a mom to deal with.

  "Guess what I have in my car?" Will said to Tabitha.

  "What?"

  "A siren. We can use it on the way to the hospital."

  That caused her shaking sniffles to stop. "Really?"

  "Can you do that--I mean legally?" Sarah, Jane's mom, asked.

  "Only for the most important of people that we take to the hospital," Will said, looking at Tabitha as he responded to Sarah. "And we all know how important Tabitha is."

  Tabitha sat straighter in the chair, grinning as Jane came back in the room. "Did you hear that, Mommy? I'm 'portant."

  "I heard. I guess we should get going then."

  "Thank you for the transport, Will," Greg, Jane's father, said. "I was all prepared to take her myself."

  "It's no problem," Will said. "I can get her through the paperwork a lot faster, so we can get Tabitha back home and in her bed as soon as possible."

  "Since Ryan has slept through the whole thing, we'll bring him home tomorrow," Sarah said.

  "Thanks, Mom. I'll call you and let you know how it goes."

  "You do that. Otherwise I'll be up all night worrying."

  Jane hugged her. "I know."

  "Mind if I carry you?" Will asked Tabitha.

  "That's okay with me." She held out her arms and his heart clenched at her trust in him.

  He picked her up and they headed out the door. Once in the car, Will grabbed his first-aid kit, removed the bloody towel, and applied a loose bandage to the wound. The bleeding had stopped so he discarded the towel in a plastic bag and tossed it in the trunk. Maybe covering up the wound would save Jane from wanting to either pass out or throw up in his car.

  She climbed in the backseat and buckled up next to Tabitha. Will came around to her side of the car and leaned in. "Are you all right?"

  She looked a little less pale. "Yes, I'm fine."

  He gave her arm a squeeze, shut the door, and got into the driver's seat. It was a short drive to the local hospital. Hope Community Hospital had a decent ER, and he knew the staff there. They weren't a huge trauma center--most of the tougher cases had to be transferred to the bigger hospitals in Tulsa. But for a simple stitch-up like Tabitha needed, the hospital in Hope would do the trick.

  And as promised, he threw on his siren--though only off and on.

  Tabitha giggled. "Cool."

  He pulled up in front of the ER to let Jane and Tabitha out.

  "I'm going to go park. I'll be right back," he said to her.

  "I've got this," Jane said with a wan smile. "Unfortunately, I've been here before."

  Having kids, he'd just bet she had. Probably had to do it with Vic, too. "I'll just be a few minutes."

  He watched her help Tabitha inside, then he went to the parking lot. Fortunate
ly with this being a small hospital, it wasn't too crowded, so he grabbed a parking space and headed inside. Jane was still at the front desk filling out paperwork.

  "Hey, Felicia," he said to the intake coordinator as he moved up beside Jane.

  Felicia looked up and smiled at him. "Hey, Will. I didn't know you were working tonight."

  "I'm not. I was out with Jane and her daughter, Tabitha, had a slip and fall. She has a cut on her head." He looked over in the seating area. There were about ten people in there. "How's the wait?"

  Felicia looked over the counter at Tabitha, who was leaning against Jane's leg.

  "Poor baby." Then she looked up at Jane. "I've got a couple kids myself. It's never easy when they get hurt, is it?"

  Jane shook her head. "No, it's not."

  "We'll get you into a room and have a doctor look at your daughter's head as soon as possible."

  She gave Will a nod and he smiled in thanks.

  Jane handed Felicia the clipboard along with her insurance information. Felicia had it all handled with her usual efficiency, then they took a seat. It wasn't five minutes before Tabitha's name was called and they were ushered into a room in the back.

  A nurse named Elaine came in, took Tabitha's vitals, and removed the bandage to take a look at the cut. Jane started looking at the monitors.

  "Yeah, looks like the doc will probably want to put some stitches in. You got a nasty gash there, sweetie."

  Tabitha's eyes welled with tears, the fear evident on her face. She looked over at Jane. "Mommy."

  Jane got up and took a seat on the examination table with her. "It's okay, baby. I'll be here to hold your hand."

  Will wondered who was going to hold Jane's hand.

  "I'm going to clean up this cut and get everything ready," Elaine said to Jane, then leaned down to look at Tabitha. "This is going to sting a little when I clean up all the blood."

  And Jane went pale again. But she held Tabitha's hand. She even turned to look at her, started telling her where she and Will had had dinner, and how they'd gone to listen to a band tonight and had gone to the park and seen some ducks. Will knew what looking at the wound did to her. She was tough, taking it so her daughter could be distracted while Elaine cleaned up Tabitha's forehead.

  "Okay, now we're going to lay you down to get ready for the doc, okay, Tabitha?" Elaine asked.

  Tabitha looked at Jane, who nodded. "Okay," Tabitha said.

  The nurse got her positioned and draped. Then the doc came in.