Merlicious 1 Read online

  Jaiden chuckled and drew Jill closer. Silently, he rocked her, stroking her hair in a loving, intimate fashion. “Do you know what I would call any man who leaves you?” He grazed her cheek with a warm, sweet kiss.

  Jill tipped her chin, regarding him with eyes that shone with tender affection. “This had better be good,” she winked.

  With a sly grin, he changed his course of thought—and action. “I'll make sure it is,” he growled.

  Before Jill could respond, he lowered his head to capture her lips with his. Swallowing her gasp of surprise, he joined their mouths fully and gave her the sort of deeply probing movie screen kiss she had experienced only in dreams.

  Burying her hands in his long blond hair, she moved her lips passionately against Jaiden's, grinning into his mouth as he curled his masculine hands around her weary, stress-laden shoulders.

  Soon his hands moved to her upper chest, tickling the tops of her breasts as she thrust forth her tongue to deepen their kiss. Without hesitation, her would-be lover responded, sweeping her into his arms and pressing their bodies together. As Jaiden massaged her hips, his mouth descended to the nape of her neck where he licked and laved her.

  Throwing her head back, Jill again opened her mouth to release a low, sharp moan. Suddenly, she remembered their surroundings and situation. “Before we go much further,” she teasingly nipped his carved, bronzed cheek, “I suggest you close and lock my office door."

  Jaiden's already radiant eyes came alight with passionate ardor. “You will allow me to make love to you?"

  Jillian nodded, chuckling in spite of herself. A sweet, sensual, stunningly gorgeous man begging to have sex with me. She grinned almost drunkenly as he rose to close and lock her door. I ask you, how many women would kill to be in this situation? Large-scale, petrifying tropical storm notwithstanding, it's a pretty sweet deal.

  All coherent thought quickly fled her mind as Jaiden stood solidly before her. Their glances locked as he slipped his tight cotton tank top slowly and teasingly upward, revealing again that bronzed, muscled chest. Jill inhaled sharply as he peeled off his borrowed blue jeans to reveal once again those rock hard thighs and that long, hard shaft.

  "Wow, Jaiden.” She shook her head with a giddy grin. “This is amazing—a bit overwhelming, to be sure, but definitely amazing."

  Clucking his tongue softly, Jaiden gathered her into his arms and cradled her in a warm, loving embrace. “Relax and let me do everything.” He nibbled her ear. “All you have to do, my lady, is enjoy it. Enjoy me."

  Taking this suggestion very much to heart, Jill ran her hands slowly down his perfect upper half, teasing his nipples and caressing his sculptured abs before settling them finally around his trim waist.

  His hands, meanwhile, busied themselves removing her nightgown, exposing a body that, in her estimation, did not match his in terms of overall perfection.

  "You said you'd been out at sea a while, didn't you?” Her tone slightly hopeful. “So you probably haven't been with a lot of women lately."

  Taking her work-worn hands between his, he licked the tips of her fingers. “These are the hands that help people, and I am honored to kiss them.” Again, he nibbled her earlobe. “This is the ear that listens attentively to the cares and concerns of others."

  His mouth moved in a smooth line from her ear toward her lips, planting sweet baby kisses in its path. “This is the mouth that issues words of wisdom and humor to people in distress.” He covered her lips with his, engaging her in a smooth, leisurely kiss as he wrapped his manly hands around her shoulders.

  Ah, but there was nothing leisurely about the bolts of sheer sensual electricity that coursed unbidden through her stomach. His luscious lips soon followed their pattern. “This is the belly that will someday birth the children of a very fortunate man.” He brazenly licked her bellybutton and shaped his hands around her abundant hips.

  Now trembling unabashedly, Jill sank her hands into the silken depths of long feather-soft blond hair, the tips of which teasingly tickled her thighs. “My entire body is eternally thankful for this generous dedication,” she tugged playfully at his hair. “As you most likely can tell. It's just a shame, though, that my clit hasn't done anything particularly noteworthy."

  "I'll give it a free pass, baby.” Jaiden nipped and laved Jill's feminine folds until they opened to him. His tongue then lightly tickled her wet, heaving clit, intensifying her evident arousal. Finally, his lips covered in full her ripe womanly fruit as he lovingly devoured her.

  Throwing her head back, Jill hissed her approval as Jaiden kissed, licked and lightly nipped her enflamed clit, all the while massaging the skin of her hips and thighs.

  Finally, his intimate kiss deepened and intensified and, with a final mighty lick, sent her hurtling across the brink of ecstasy. Instantly, his body covered hers, and he caught her as she descended swiftly into the soft depths of her cot. The two drowned in a heated embrace, and their lips soon met in yet another passionate, full-bodied kiss.

  Jill reveled in the feel of his muscular body and wrapped her arms and legs around his strong, sturdy back. “I want you inside me,” she breathed, thrusting her tongue into his mouth for a passionate tango of a French kiss.

  Copying this motion, Jaiden slipped his rock hard cock smoothly into her slick, wet pouch, grasping her waist as he began moving slowly but intensely inside of her.

  Thrusting forth her full, round hips to meet his pressing need, Jill listened with pleasure as his breathing quickened, and he moaned sexy words against her lips.

  "Woman, you undo me,” he growled, burying his head in her chest.

  Slowly, lovingly, he licked her breasts and teased her nipples. As his drawn-out intimate strokes intensified below, he swept his thick, wet tongue in a leisurely lick from the top of her chest to the tip of her chin. Finally, their lips again met and smacked resoundingly together as their bodies shared an explosive mutual orgasm. Moments later, they lay together in a sweet loose embrace, their whispers mingling poetically in the atmosphere around them.

  "I want to know everything about you, Jill.” Jaiden cupped her flushed cheeks in two strong, loving hands. “Not just Jill the rescuer or Jill the lover, but Jill the woman."

  Jillian shrugged. “I'm an open book, Jaiden—though we probably should save this discussion for tomorrow morning when we're both fully dressed.” She nudged him playfully. “I would hate to soil the reputation of a new citizen or have to make some lame excuse for the benefit of others.” She attempted to pull off an innocent expression; one she believed to be sadly ironic, given their current circumstance. “I swear I was just being a good city manager,” batting her eyelashes, Jill made her best attempt at a fake Southern accent, “covering the body of this sweet, innocent man to protect him from the storm."

  Stifling a laugh, Jaiden pinched her cheek playfully. “No worries, love. I'm not concerned about my reputation. And I'm not exactly a new resident of Port Emerald."

  Sobering immediately, Jillian pinned him with a curious glance. “Then why have I never met you? Where exactly do you live?” She shrugged in frustration. “Who are you?” Her brow wrinkled worriedly as he pulled away.

  "Jill, you don't know me,” he sighed deeply. “We've only just met, and already I feel so close to you. But when you find out what I really am...” He looked away, frowning sadly. Without another word, he arose from Jill's cot, pulled on his jeans and walked silently into the darkness.

  "Jaiden,” Jill gestured helplessly after him. “Come back and tell me. Whatever it is, just tell me."

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  Chapter Three

  "Across the waters of the clear blue sea, that truly is the place for me..."

  The soft, smooth tones of an a cappella melody drew Jill gently from her sleep, urging her to her feet and in the direction of pure, hypnotic song. The woman beamed broadly as she witnessed the source of the song; a striking Jaiden, dressed in his borrowed jeans and tight fitting tank top, surrou
nded by a circle of clapping, laughing children.

  "Sing it again, Jaiden,” one urged.

  "And tell us again about the man from the sea,” a little girl's eyes came alight with wonder as she made her own request.

  Lydia Cone stepped forward and offered the chuckling entertainer a cup of freshly squeezed orange juice. “I have to hand it to you, Jaiden, you work wonders,” she complimented him. “Yesterday evening, I faced a frightened group of crying kids. Now they act like they're at summer camp. You made them forget all about the storm."

  Jill stepped forward to join hands with Jaiden, who blushed adorably in the face of Lydia's praise. “I'd have to agree.” She kissed his cheek.

  Bowing dramatically, their visitor gently waved the children in the direction of the shelter's dining table. “Go and get yourselves some breakfast,” he coaxed them. “I'll tell another story in a bit."

  Soon Jill and Jaiden enjoyed their own meal of fruit-filled pastries and hot coffee. Though once intimate, they now sat slightly apart from one another, averting their eyes as they ate.

  "I'm sorry, Jill.” Jaiden pinned her with a sad-eyed gaze. “You were upset last night. I shouldn't have..."

  "I didn't say no, and I'm glad I didn't. Last night was incredible.” Jill reached under the table to squeeze his hand. “And I have something else to tell you. You said last night you don't want me to know what you are.” She drew his hand up and held it close to her heart. “When I saw you with those children this morning, I saw what you are.” Her voice lowered to an intimate whisper. “A loving, caring person. Right now, that's all I need to know."

  Jaiden looked at her, his ebony eyes misting strangely. Leaning forward, he kissed her shortly and sweetly on the lips. “When all this has, quite literally, blown over, Jill,” he flashed an engaging full-toothed grin, “I'd like to take you to dinner sometime."

  Jill nodded. “I'd like that.” She drew closer to him.

  * * * *

  Midmorning brought an eerie but sustained peace to the city of Port Emerald as the winds quieted and rains subsided to a dreary, persistent drizzle.

  Once it was safe to venture outside, Jill and Jaiden led a small team of volunteers to the farthest stretches of Port Emerald Beach where they set about clearing the beach area of debris and fallen limbs.

  A veteran of Florida's tropical storms, Jill generally detested this chore. Yet when standing at the side of a gorgeous man, especially one who saw fit to gift her with a pearl pink seashell he discovered onshore, it didn't seem all that bad.

  "Don't you just love the beach, Jill?” Jaiden threw his head back and basked in the breeze that lifted and spread his leonine locks.

  "Oh, yeah.” Jill watched intently as Jaiden bent his lean, muscular form to retrieve what appeared to be a fallen mass of feathers. The two sobered instantly as they identified Jaiden's unexpected discovery, a fallen bird apparently killed in the storm.

  "Oh, no.” Jaiden swept the bird's still, delicate form into a sure but gentle grasp.

  Stepping forward, Jill patted his brawny shoulder with a reassuring hand. “We'll bury the poor little fellow,” she suggested.

  Jaiden smiled his thanks as they interred the bird. Turning, he stared with worried eyes at the windswept waters of Port Emerald Bay. “I can't help but worry about all the dolphins and otters, the fish and the manatees.” He shook his head sadly.

  Jill joined him in his troubled inspection of the stormy sea. “As soon as we take care of our human neighbors, we'll take a boat out and see what we can do,” she assured him.

  She started as Jaiden turned to face her with firmly drawn lips and a stiff, set jaw.

  "Humans always come first around here, don't they?” He gestured broadly toward the waters before them. “Those creatures of the water have no shelter, no one to embrace or comfort them. They are forgotten."

  "Tropical storms aren't easy for anyone, Jaiden.” Jill hoisted her chin upward and planted her hands firmly on her hips. “It's also not easy to claim responsibility for their victims. I turn one way and see a crying, frightened child. I turn another way and see an elderly couple with no electricity in their home.” She threw her hands up in a desperate gesture. “In the face of all this, the man I love deserts me,” her voice strained noticeably. She turned from him then walked with quick, purposeful steps in the direction of the shelter.

  Jaiden caught up with her and drew her into a warm, all-encompassing embrace. “You're doing beautifully.” He kissed her forehead. “And I'm here for you."

  The two stood silently for a moment, their arms effectively shielding one another from the force of whistling winds. Drowning in a cocoon of silent companionship, they clung to one another in a storm that seemed to extend its geographic bonds and penetrate their souls.

  "I wish I could be alone with you right now,” Jill's whisper fell softly and invitingly on his ears.

  She started a moment later as her stone-faced lover broke abruptly away from her, turning toward their crowd of assembled volunteers who seemed infinitely more interested in watching them than in clearing debris from the beach.

  "I think we've done enough for one morning.” His voice sounded deep and authoritative. “Why don't you all retire to the community center for some hot cocoa and snacks?"

  Nodding with quick assent, the cleanup crew retrieved their trash bags and made their way slowly up the beach.

  "I could use some fresh hot cocoa myself.” Jill started to follow.

  Her eyes flew wide as Jaiden grasped her hand and pulled her closer.

  "Not as much as you need this, love,” he growled, drawing her into the strong cocoon of two firm, loving arms. He captured her lips in a fierce, hot kiss, all the while massaging her back and shoulders with long, hypnotic motions.

  She barely noticed when he led her into the sheltering shade of a palm tree that faced Port Emerald Bay. And it only faintly registered when he sat her tired body beneath its thick, cushioning fronds.

  He started to take off his clothes. That she noticed!

  "Did you plan to go for a swim, Jaiden?” Still breathless from his heated kiss, Jill cocked her head curiously.

  Freezing abruptly, he regarded her for a moment before making his response. “I swim alone, Jill,” he shrugged uneasily. “Just a little quirk of mine.” He smiled and pulled his top slowly over his head. “You were half right, sweetheart—

  I do intend to get you very wet. And as much as you may enjoy swimming, I can think of another activity that would be even more fun, and infinitely more refreshing."

  Backing up his seductive words with some equally teasing motions, he flung his discarded shirt playfully in Jill's face. His jeans and shorts soon followed, leaving Jaiden fully nude before Jill's admiring eyes.

  "Go baby,” she applauded with a grin. “I must admit there's nothing like a good ol’ striptease to lift the spirits of a weary woman. I mean, how could you top that?"

  "Watch me.” Growling playfully, Jaiden quickly joined Jill beneath the tree.

  Collapsing in one another's arms, the couple rolled recklessly in the sands beneath them.

  For once forgetting her troubles, she giggled girlishly as he planted playful nips and licks across her cheeks and chin.

  Matters turned more serious moments later as he laid her gently, reverently down in the soft, sweet cushion of warm sand.

  "I'm glad the rain finally stopped,” Jill smacked her lips as a mild but welcome beam of sunshine filtered clearly through the clouds above them. “That makes it substantially easier to ‘get nekkid’ comfortably."

  Eager to prove her point, Jill stripped off her practical tracksuit and cast it recklessly aside. Then she wiggled playfully in the sand, beckoning Jaiden forward to join her.

  Waggling his eyebrows and chuckling wickedly, her lover swept her up into his arms and laid his head against her chest. He kissed and licked her small, tender breasts as her legs wrapped securely around his waist. Soon their lips met for a long, heated kiss,
as their bodies seemed to melt together in the rays of a new sun.

  And a new love.

  "I've never felt this way, Jill,” Jaiden drew back to stare deeply and lovingly into her eyes.

  "I feel the same.” Jill ran her hands with unabashed wonder over the smooth, bronzed angles of his beaming face. “I can't even believe that you're real.” Her hands stilled, and she squinted at him in confusion. “In order to believe, Jaiden, I have to know more about you,” she admitted.

  "All you need to know, my love, is this.” Jaiden slipped his fingers inside her wet pouch, delivering an electrifying kiss as he sought the ultimate source of her pleasure.

  Jill screamed outright as his fingers ignited her g-spot. Waves of radiant pleasure wracked her entire body, and her being pulsated with sublime sensation. Grabbing Jaiden's shoulders for support, Jillian immediately opened to him. In an impulsive move, she virtually tossed her shocked lover onto his back and straddled him boldly.

  "That's it, baby.” He reached upward to fondle her taut, sensitive breasts. “Let yourself go."

  Bracing her legs around his rock hard thighs, Jillian clasped hands with him as she continued to fill herself with his impressive manhood.

  She admired the vision of his long golden hair, splayed as it was across sands that matched its noble hue, and his eyes that held a gaze surpassing passion and transcending desire, seeming to convey an intense, meaningful sentiment; one that ventured dangerously into the dimension of love.

  Leaning slightly upward, he engaged her in an impassioned kiss. The gulls overhead seemed to sing their praises as they came together, becoming as one.

  * * * *

  Upon returning to the shelter, Jaiden and Jill set about transforming the place into a veritable seaside funhouse.

  As she read aloud to some elderly residents, he continued to entertain the children with stories and songs. Then Jaiden taught an impromptu educational workshop about various forms of sea life while Jill delivered a spirited stand-up routine at the dining table.