WindSwept Narrows: #4 Alice Branch Read online

  “I think I am sparkling,” Alice looked down at her palms. “Chloe sprinkled me with glitter…I have a very handsome escort…it’s beautifully warm outside,” she stepped up to one of the large curved windows and stared into the sky. “You’re quite right, Nick. It has been a lovely evening.”

  Nick stood behind her, his palms on the bare flesh exposed by the erotic cut outs on the sides of her dress. Alice sighed and leaned back against him.

  “This is nice,” he whispered against her ear. “Are you going to disappear on me, Cinderella?” He turned her slowly, his palms rising to frame her face, fingers brushing the lower edge of her mask.

  Chapter Two

  Alice felt her hands shaking a little, fingers toying with the lapels of his jacket. He was strong and solid beneath her palms, an intoxicating scent of cologne and Nick assaulting her senses.

  Nick watched the bright grey circles peek up at him through thick, pale lashes, his thumbs beneath her chin and tipping her mouth up to meet his. He tasted the sweet wine on the full lips, caressing softly. Then she responded. It was as if the entire Fourth of July fireworks display had been set off next to him.

  Alice knew instantly that she liked his kisses. Firm and teasing; breaking off and nipping her lower lip then caressing the spot with his tongue, urging her to play the game and welcoming her hungrily. Her fingers were curled around his lapels but flattened out slowly, pressing inside his jacket, over the warm, strong outline of his shoulders. He nudged her head back, his teeth nibbling along her throat sending ripples of fire racing through her.

  This wasn’t her intent. But it felt so good…so very alive…

  “Come home with me, Alice,” Nick whispered against her throat, right below her ear. He went still. What was wrong with him? He’d never taken a woman home with him…not since…

  Alice swallowed and tried to steady her breathing. “Nick…”

  “Come home with me, Alice, I don’t want the night to end,” he repeated softly, sweeping in and covering her mouth with his, their tongues fencing, stroking and arousing one another. He felt her nod and lifted his head. His palms slipped down her arms, taking both her hands in his and carrying them to his lips. He turned to lead them out of the large art display when her palm gripped his arm tightly.

  “Nick…”

  Part of him was afraid she was going to change her mind; the other part of him shouted that here was his way out!

  “I…” Alice swallowed and looked into his eyes. “I don’t have birth control…I mean, I’m not…” Her voice was a soft stammer of nerves.

  Nick felt his resolve shatter. “We can stop on the way,” he promised, one palm rising and stroking gently over her cheek. “I’ll protect you…”

  Alice knew she was in danger of breathing too much, too quickly, shivering as they stepped onto the wide stairs of the entrance. Another small part of her melted when he shrugged out of his jacket, draping it around her shoulders before taking her palm and leading her along the crowded Friday night streets around the pavilion.

  Nick couldn’t remember being this nervous in his adult life. He felt like he was seventeen and his girl had just given him the ‘sign’. He pulled the keys from his pocket, chirping the moderate SUV and opening the door for her. She was tall but not nearly tall enough. His hands moved to her waist without asking, lifted her gently to the seat.

  Alice avoided looking at him, fumbling with the seatbelt. Her head was spinning. This wasn’t her, she heard shouted in her mind. You’ve never done this before in your life! Another part of her listened to his words. He didn’t have protection with him.

  “I’m nervous,” she said softly when he dropped the keys, shoving them into the ignition a second later and fastening his own belt.

  “I know…” Nick took her hand for a minute. “I feel like a teenager…”

  “I think I missed most of that time,” she answered honestly. “My parents are professors at the university. Boys dated me in the hopes of getting good grades…or sneaking peeks at exams being made…”

  “British boys must be way different than American boys,” Nick said with a laugh, relived when she laughed with him. “I definitely wouldn’t have cared about my grades if you were my date.”

  Alice looked down at the palm she held between both her hands. No rings. Just a watch showed when the cuff of his shirt moved. She followed the white of his sleeve, her hand up and tugging lightly on the tie he wore, pulling it free and setting it on the dash before opening the top two buttons.

  Nick felt his heart thumping when her fingers brushed his chest. Had it been that damn long that he couldn’t control himself? Why this woman? She was a fantasy woman with an accent that caressed his senses like velvet who felt so damn right in his arms.

  Alice saw the blaring lights of the small shopping area, a tinge of heat filled her cheeks when the car went silent. She looked over to see him watching her, staring.

  “I…ahh…my wallet…”

  “Oh…” Alice sat up, sliding his jacket free and handing it to him. Her fingers moved nervously to the radio when he left the car, her head back with an audible groan. “What the bloody hell are you doing, girl?” She said aloud, even as his scent remained on her, around her. “You’re far too old to begin behaving this way…or is it way past time?” She held the small bag that had been around her neck between both hands, one palm up and slipping the mask off, letting it rest in her lap.

  Alice let her gaze move to watch him leaving the store, his stride long and confident, his head up and smile soft when he caught her eyes. She shifted in the seat, noticed a hesitancy when he was back beside her.

  “Alice…I don’t usually…”

  “Kiss me, Nick…please…” she leaned closer, sighing softly when his mouth covered hers, his fingers warm against her face. Like before, their single kiss fell into another and another, the inside of the SUV fogged over by the time Nick realized his palm had wandered to her side, his fingers brushing the underside of her breast. He lifted his mouth from hers, dark eyes filled with desire.

  “I…we need to get home before…”

  She offered a soft smile and nod, her head lying against the seat. “You’re very good at that kissing stuff…”

  “And here I thought it was you…” He answered huskily.

  Alice sat up when they slowed, going down a brief driveway and pulling before a house, the porch wide and stretching around the side. She opened the door and slid to the ground, concrete beneath her heels.

  “It’s beautiful, Nick,” she whispered, staring up at the high peak of beams in the front. She could hear the ocean. “May I…” she held her mask and purse in her hands. “Go around to the back?”

  “Ummm…yeah…it’s lighted…be careful, Alice…” Nick locked the car and went into his house, reaching for his wallet as the teenager gathered her books from the large table and put them into her backpack. “Everything good, Trinity?”

  “He’s a fun kid, Nick…we made caramel popcorn and played games. He went down about nine,” she accepted the generous payment. “Let me know when you need me again…good night.”

  Nick closed the door after her, locking it and draping his jacket over a chair. He went automatically down the hall, the small night light in the corner showing him enough. His hand brushed the shock of dark brown hair from the small replica of himself before quietly leaving the room.

  He took the box of condoms from his jacket and dropped them to his nightstand before walking to the wide, open glass patio doors. It was a warm night, a very slight breeze coming in off the Sound and moving the fabric of her skirt around her ankles. Now and then the crystal looking heels showed as she walked over the deck, perched on the wide wall he had built and staring out over the water.

  Nick moved quietly from the house, his head shaking in disbelief. He still had no answer to his behavior. No sane answer. He was thirty-six years old. He had a three year old son. He’d never brought a woman to his home before and he hadn’t
been with anyone in almost four years. Now and then lights caught on the pearl coloring of her gown, the very pale blond hair shimmering when she faced him.

  “It’s beautiful here,” she said softly, her eyes closing when his palm came up and stroked over her face and into her hair.

  “It feels magical tonight…I have my own fairy queen…”

  Alice stood up slowly, both palms against his chest. One held her mask and bag while the other moved to the buttons on his shirt, easing them free as they stared into each other’s eyes. She pressed her palm against his chest, the soft coils of dark hair against her skin as she felt the strong pounding of his heart.

  Nick let his palms drift to her shoulders, savoring the warmth of her before taking her hand and leading her into the house. He vaguely heard the sound of her bag being put on the table while he made sure things were locked up. She had remained where he left her standing, his palm taking hers and leading her down the hall to the end. A lantern type light was hung just inside the master bedroom and always left on, throwing romantic shadows around the room as he led her inside. He closed the door, leaving it just open enough to listen.

  “Alice…” Nick heard the soft groan in his voice when she stepped closer, her fingers opening more buttons on his shirt.

  “Shhhh…” her head shook slightly, her lips brushing against his collar bone, trailing over his shoulder as she pushed the shirt from him. She saw him fumbling with the buttons at his wrists and took over, gently opening them before reaching behind her.

  His palms were on her shoulders, pushing the slender straps and sleeves down her arms. Alice let the fabric fall to the floor, stepping out of the dress and bending to lift it. She heard him groan before she remembered what she was wearing. She laid the dress on a chair at the bottom of the bed, turning slowly on the three inch heels and gazing at the man who hadn’t moved. Just stared.

  Nick felt his insides burst into flames. The lace bra and panties were sexy on their own, add to that a pearl colored garter holding stockings in place and he knew he was doomed. He felt his feet moving, kicking off the shoes before taking a tentative step closer. His palms went to the bare flesh of her waist, and around her back, pulling her hard against him when her arms rose and circled his neck, their lips meeting again and again with unleashed need.

  His hands wanted to be everywhere at once. Traveling over her back and down onto the rise of her behind, holding her against the hardened arousal with a long, plaintive groan. His fingers brushed over the satin fabric of the wide garter at the same time he felt her hands moving over his back and down to his waist. Slim fingers teased just inside the band of his slacks before stopping on the button in the front. Her chest was pressed against his, a teasing softness in the fullness of her breasts surrounded by the lace and satin bra.

  Inhaling raggedly, Nick brought his palms from their sensual exploring to her shoulders, lifting her away from him with a long groan.

  “Alice…you’re making me nuts…your perfume…your hands…” He finished the zipper on his slacks, shoving them down his legs and stepping out of them, tossing them to the chair and taking her hands in his, pulling her into his arms. His palms went immediately to her behind, lifting her slightly and allowing nature to guide them, their hips moving against one another.

  He felt another strand of control shatter when she applied a little pressure, turning them until he fell back onto the bed, blinking up at her. She stepped out of the heels, long blond hair hanging over one shoulder as she prowled over the surface of the bed at his side, stretching herself out over him until he was lying flat. Long legs parted, the apex between her thighs pressing hotly against the boxers he still wore. Fabric that created little protection with his erection pressing demandingly against her.

  Nick opened the snaps at her back, helping the bra vanish even as he was fighting the heightened eroticism of the silken stockings against his thighs. Every second he thought he couldn’t possibly get any harder, any more turned on, Alice proved him wrong. He tipped her to the side, an action meant to give him access, his fingers and mouth wanting to sample the treasures. A pert, pink nipple hardened beneath his tongue, his teeth grazing it hungrily at the same time his own gasp broke free when her palm slid inside his boxers, her hand surrounding him and stroking tentatively.

  Alice felt the wild sensations coursing through her. Every place he touched, every place he kissed new and alive and screaming for more. She felt sensual. She felt amazingly feminine and not ashamed of it in Nick’s arms. She wasn’t weak or helpless with him! His bites along her neck sent lightening bolts along her body, her hips thrusting her lower body against the hardened arousal. Now and then she angled it just right and gasped at the hint of pleasure waiting to be set free. With his mouth on her nipple, her hands moved to the back of his head, her back arched and body hungrily demanding he continue.

  Nick tasted and aroused, his palm sliding over the flat of her stomach and inside the soft fabric of her panties. She fit nicely in his palm, his fingers cupping her gently before sliding along the center. Carefully parting the swollen sides, gently dipping into the thick dew he allowed to coat his fingers. He drew them higher, brushing the tiny nub, his heart pounding harder when her breath caught and seemed to stop.

  He lifted his head to see something he didn’t want to catalogue at the moment, but the expression on her face was definitely amazement. Stunned, breathless excitement that sent his brain running for cover. She was beautiful and she was exploding in his hands, he realized. His fingers explored lower, sliding inside on the trail of moisture. His mind and body groaned in unison.

  “Alice…” he slid a second finger inside, stretching her a little and unable to hide from the shout inside his brain.

  “Nick…don’t you dare stop what you’ve begun…” She whispered raggedly, her breath quickening and body reacting to the sensual pleasures. She buried her face in his neck, her teeth biting lightly before her body exploded under his fingers. She pulled his mouth to hers, clinging to him in the fading tremors. She felt him moving, his hands on her waist seconds later, urging her against him. She loved kissing him, losing herself and allowing her body to control her movement. Her hips seemed to know what they wanted, rotating and shifting, fitting him at her opening and urging him to glide slowly inside.

  Nick groaned against her mouth. He put his hands on her hips, intending to slow her, intending to ease inside. His suspicions only coming to reality at the tense, tight hot center he was stretching.

  “Alice…” He groaned aloud. “Alice…listen to me…have you…” He lifted her face, peering into those sparkling silver eyes of the fairy queen.

  “Nick…please…make it happen again…I need you…” She whispered, shattering whatever reserve he thought he had.

  “Slow, Alice…I don’t have any control right now…” he whispered around her breast, taking the aroused nipple between his teeth at the same time his palm slid between them, stroking over the damp nub. He thought he knew what he was doing until her body opened a little more, her hips rotating and pulling him inside. He heard her breathing increase, saw the fascination in her sparkling eyes seconds before her body completely ripped the control away from them both.

  Alice opened her thighs further, taking him in, inviting him to ride those wild waves with her. She felt the swirling, the tension burst into huge fireballs as all the points in her body awakened. Her muscles contracted around him, his palms on her hips, holding her in place as his own body thrust deeply higher. A dark sheen of fog spread around her mind. She was sure she heard him call her, over and over. Somewhere in the back of her mind she heard someone tell her she hadn’t even taken her panties off.

  “Oh my…” Alice let herself drift slowly to earth, her forehead against his. “That must be the most delicious sensation in the entire world…”

  “Yeah…about that…” Nick felt his body reacting. “Alice…don’t move…”

  “I haven’t…” she lifted her head, blinking to
clear the fog, her lips brushing over his mouth.

  “No…I mean it…don’t move…”

  “Don’t…” she felt heat strike her cheeks. “Oh…that?”

  “Oh…that, she says…” Nick groaned, his hands caressing over her hips and back. “Honey…listen to me…I can’t…these things…” She giggled when he dumped her to the side, dislodging them and sending him into the bathroom.

  “I feel incredibly decadent…” Alice murmured when he returned, a pair of shorts replacing his boxers.

  “You look incredibly sexy…” Nick stretched out next to her, dragging one finger between the full mounds of her breasts. “Alice…how old are you?”

  “Over eighteen, I promise you,” she answered, turning to her side and matching his pose, her head on her palm. “Oh dear…are you planning to lecture me? I assure you, I’ve had plenty of them…”

  Nick chuckled softly, finding it very easy to lose himself in her eyes. “My parents are instructors with the university…I suppose I might have a penchant to lecture from time to time…”

  “We’re doomed, Nick…professors on both sides of us…”

  “Is that why you’re not in England, Alice?”

  She let a long breath of air free. “I escaped being made into one of them. I wanted to do…not teach…I wanted to delve into the numbers and create the reports and live in a semi logical world of numbers, not endure students who were there because it was a requirement.”

  Nick put his hand beneath her chin, lifting until she met his eyes. “Are you okay?” He almost laughed at the puzzled expression on her face. His thumb was drawn to the bow of her lip, rubbing over the fullness. “This sex stuff is all new to you, Alice…”

  “Oh…well…you can tell that?” She focused on his throat, hoping her lashes could shield a little of herself from him. “I suppose I’m not very experienced…I hope you weren’t too terribly disappointed…”