Just for Today...

He pulled back just far enough to watch as her eyes drifted back open, her expression dazed.

“Wow,” she whispered.

“Yeah.” He grinned, knowing it would be goofy, but that one kiss had been enough to make him absolutely positive about what he wanted next. He cupped her chin with one hand. “Jess? I really like you. I’d like to spend the night with you—if you’d like to spend it with me.”

Jess wet her lips nervously but her eyes didn’t move from his. “That was direct.”

He gave a small shrug. “Best to be up front about these things, I’ve found.”

Jess didn’t answer. Her eyes were round and her porcelain skin pale in the sulfuric glow of the streetlight.

“You look a little scared.”

She gave a weak laugh, shifting in the seat to pull away from him. Sean dropped his hand to rest on her thigh.

“I’m not scared,” she said. She met his eyes, a curious determination visible in them.

“If you don’t want to, that’s cool. Seriously. We’ll head back to the reception now.” It was the right thing to say, but he hoped to hell she wasn’t going to take him up on it.

She still looked nervous, but the smile she gave him was sure. “No, I was over the wedding anyway. Let’s go.”

* * *

“I THOUGHT we were going to your hotel?” Jess asked as Sean turned onto a suburban street. She had a sudden sinking feeling about exactly where they were headed. And her nerves sang. He’d accused her of being scared—he was way off the mark. Terrified was more like it.

And that was why she had to go through with it. That and the urgent ache low in her belly that his kiss had only magnified.

“I said we were going to where I was staying.”

“And you’re staying at Hailey and Rob’s place?” Her voice went up at the end, betraying her discomfort.

“Just for tonight. The house sitter doesn’t arrive till tomorrow, and someone has to feed the dog in the morning. Does it make a difference?”

Well, yes. One-night-stand sex—with a guy seven years younger than her who also happened to be Hailey’s brother-in-law—in a hotel room was fine, mostly. Doing it in Hailey and Rob’s bed? Not so much. “Uh, well, I...”

“We won’t turn any lights on. You can pretend to be anywhere.” Sean pulled up on the street in front of a large ’60s brick veneer house and its carefully tended row of roses along the fence line. It wasn’t a mansion, but it was certainly a decent step-up from a typical newlyweds’ first home—Jess knew the Paterson family had bought it, in full, for the couple as an engagement/wedding present.

Sean killed the ignition and the sudden silence made Jess aware of the pulsing of blood in her ears.

His hand reached for hers where they were clasped in her lap. She knew it wasn’t by accident that his fingertips brushed against her inner thigh as he took her hand in his. The simple touch sent a bolt of heat straight to her core.

Damn.

She’d never been so turned-on by a guy so easily. Was it a hormonal thing? Didn’t they say that women reached their sexual peak in their thirties, men in their twenties? Was that why the chemistry between them was smoking hot?

“Jess?”

She’d never be able to come here for one of Hailey’s regular summer barbecues again if she did this.

There was a click and the shushing sound of Sean’s seat belt retracting. Then his other hand was on her cheek, turning her to him. He was inches away, a stripe of color from the streetlight highlighting one side of his face. She blinked and her heart rate picked up as if he’d changed her gears as smoothly as Dezzie’s.

Oh, who cared about barbecues, anyway?

It took less than a second for Jess to lean forward and banish the distance between them, her lips meeting his. Just like before, they were firm, but soft, and his hand slid across her cheek and into her hair, curling around the nape of her neck. Then he was in control of the kiss, tilting her head to meet his, parting his lips to gently swipe his tongue along her bottom lip. The hand that still held hers, in her lap, had stretched out, and his fingertips were stroking her thigh.

Jess melted into the seat. Any rational concerns she’d had—sex with someone she barely knew, the ramifications of Hailey finding out, the weirdness of doing it in Hailey’s house—had vanished. All she knew was that the past couple of years had been hard, and lonely, and celibate. If she didn’t deserve this, she didn’t know who did.

Sean leaned a little more into her. Somewhere along the way Jess had forgotten to breathe. Her head was spinning, need spiraling deep inside her. She wanted him with a ferocity that astonished her. Her tongue met his, sliding against it with warm, wet heat. She prayed for his hand to climb higher, parted her legs in invitation.

But something held her back from reaching around him, pulling him over her, feeling his heat and heaviness resting on top of her.... Damn seat belt.

“How ’bout we get out of here?” He whispered the words against her lips, retreating from their kiss just far enough to speak.

“Yes, yes.” Did she sound desperate? If so, she didn’t care. The idea that she wouldn’t see him again, that Sean would soon be moving on to his next destination, meant she didn’t have to worry what he thought of her. She just had to get him to satisfy the raging need he’d stoked to a firestorm inside her. Nothing else mattered. It was incredibly freeing—she wondered why she’d never found the courage to do something like this before.

Something about this situation was different, though. Perhaps it had something to do with Sean’s overwhelming confidence. Most guys who’d approached her in recent memory had given up in the face of her hesitation. Her divorce had left her with scars that usually took more than a sexy smile and a wink to overcome. Usually.

Jess fumbled with the seat belt for a moment and then had to scramble for her clutch purse on the floor. By the time she’d found it and untangled herself from the seat belt, Sean was at the door, opening it for her and offering a helping hand. She took it, grateful for his steadying grip. Her knees were feeling unreliable.

The cool night air was almost enough to sober her. Almost. She cast her eyes around the neighborhood, wondering if anyone was watching out of a chink in their curtains. Divorcée Jess Alexander, about to vanish inside with a man practically half her age, after making out in the car with him. It was indecent!

But no. Maybe she was overreacting a little. As nice a street as this was, it was still the city. And neighbors didn’t really care what went on next door as long as it wasn’t too noisy and it didn’t affect the resale value of their property.

Jess had a feeling it might get noisy, but she figured the resale values were safe.

“Whoa, hey, girl,” Sean said as they stood on the porch and he tried to push the door open. For a confusing moment, Jess thought he was talking to her, but then Hailey and Rob’s aging golden retriever, Suzie, woofed an excited greeting. Jess could hear her tail banging against the wall inside.

“Come on, Suz, you’ve got to stand back so I can get inside,” Sean said with a fond tone. He muttered from the side of his mouth, “Gorgeous dog, but certainly not the smartest one in the litter.”

“Uh-huh.” Jess was more than familiar with Suzie’s goofy smile. She usually wore it when Hailey brought her into the clinic with yet another accidental injury. Suzie had perfected the “Whoops! Look what I did” look.

The dog was bouncing around excitedly, and Sean was doing his best to control her as they stepped inside the house and closed the door behind them. “The neighbors walked her today,” Sean said as Suzie jumped up, her paws landing in his gut and making him oomph. “Not that you can tell.” He was laughing and patting her and saying, “Down, girl,” not using a tone the dog would recognize as a command.

“Suzie, down,” Jess ordered. The dog dropped to the floor and turned her interest to Jess instead. “Sit.” Suzie sat. “Good girl,” she praised, giving her ears a scratch.

Sean looked at her with wide eyes. “You’re like, Doctor Dolittle or something.”

“Not quite.” Jess smiled. “Suzie and I know each other, that’s all. I’ve bandaged her tail more times than I can count.”

“Really?”

“She’s the most accident-prone dog I’ve ever met.”

“That sounds like Suzie.” Sean took over patting the dog, crouching down to rough up her fur and scratch under her chin as he muttered in a silly tone, “Who’s the most accident-prone dog in the world? You, huh?”

Jess could only watch as Suzie drooled with pleasure.

It was ridiculous to be jealous of a dog.

But as much as Jess loved animals, it was time for this dog to go to her kennel and leave the human beings to indulge in a little primal behavior of their own.

Sean seemed to read her mind, because he straightened up and gave Suzie one last pat. “Suzie, go to bed,” he ordered, pointing to the back of the house.

Suzie pouted at them for a moment, pulling a puppy-dog-eyes look, before turning away and obeying the command, tail between her legs.

“She thinks she’s done something wrong,” Jess observed.

“I’ll make it up to her in the morning.”

Dogs don’t work that way, Jess almost said. But then tonight wasn’t about that. Suzie would be fine. Jess on the other hand was feeling a little chilled. Goose bumps skated up her arms as Sean turned to face her, his eyes dark with promise.

Then, suddenly, the intent in his eyes faded. “You’re right,” he said. “I need to take care of her. Don’t move. I’ll be back in a second.”

Jess barely had time to realize what was happening before Sean was back at her side.

“I gave Suzie one of those disgusting liver treats she loves so much. She’s happy now.”

“That’s good.” He’s kind to animals. That gave Sean an automatic big tick in Jess’s book.

And that delicious sparkle was back. “Let’s go in here,” he said.

He grabbed Jess’s hand and led her into the living room, turning on one lamp in the corner to bring a soft peachy glow to the room. Hailey’s housekeeping was immaculate, not a spot of dust to be seen anywhere.

“I’ve been dying to get this off since about five minutes after I put it on,” he said, shrugging out of his tuxedo jacket and draping it over the back of a chair. He kicked off his shoes and tore off his socks at the same time.

“It suits you,” Jess said. She took a few steps back, bumping against the end of the solid timber dining table that dominated this end of the open-plan living/dining room. Sean stood between her and the doorway, and her nerves suddenly came back to life with a vengeance. She wasn’t trapped exactly—she knew, without knowing why, that if she changed her mind, he’d let her go without a problem. But part of her anxiety was realizing that she didn’t want to change her mind—and she didn’t want him to, either.

“Nah, the formal look’s not me,” he said, batting away her compliment. “But that dress, on the other hand... You look gorgeous.”

He gave her an admiring full-length assessment that sent more chills through her. Then he worked at the cuffs of his shirt, frowning at them in concentration, pulling out the cuff links and tossing them carelessly on the table before turning the sleeves back to reveal strong, bony wrists, lightly dusted with hair.

Jess’s stomach flipped. Maybe she couldn’t go through with this after all. Maybe she just wasn’t ready. “Sean? I—” She broke off and licked her lips nervously.

“Can you help me with this thing?” He stepped closer to her, tugging ineffectually at his bow tie. “I’ve got no idea how it works—Rob did it for me. I’ll probably strangle myself, left to my own devices.”

Jess sucked in a breath as she raised shaking hands to his collar. Her breath brought with it a lungful of his scent, as spicy and exotic as she’d thought when he’d sat down beside her back in the hotel ballroom. Only all the more powerful now that it was just the two of them.

Jess understood how scent worked in the animal kingdom. Pheromones were chemical communication signals that many animals used to let the opposite sex know they were ready to mate. She wondered what scent her own body was giving off. Would it reflect the turmoil of desire, confusion and fear that she was feeling right now?

It took only a couple of tugs on the tie to loosen it, and then it was hanging free. Having her untie it was clearly a ruse, but it had brought them closer together. Jess was backed against the table—nowhere to go. Sean was in front of her, looking down at her with an intense expression in his darkened eyes.

Those fancy tuxedo studs glinted at her, and Jess recalled her urge to find out how they worked. Before she knew it, before she’d made a conscious decision to do so, she found her fingers at the top one, working it free.

“I, uh, haven’t come across these buttons before,” she said. Looked as though she was committed now. Some of her nervousness disappeared simply at having made the decision. But her fingers still shook.

“You’ll work it out.”

She could feel the vibration of his voice as she worked the stud free, unhooking it from the button on the shirt flap below. Her hand brushed the bare skin of his chest as she parted the fabric, and his breath snagged.

His skin was smooth and lightly tanned, a sparse sprinkling of hair in the center of his chest revealed when she undid the second button. Sean helped her by reaching behind himself to unhook his cummerbund, letting it drop to the floor and then tugging his shirt free of his trousers.

Finally, his shirt was hanging open, and Jess held out her hand, the four tuxedo studs sitting in her palm.

“Here you go.” Her trembling was obvious, but Jess figured that was entirely understandable. He was standing there, right in front of her, like something out of a GQ celebrity photo shoot—bare feet, black pants, bared chest, white shirt hanging open, undone bow tie dangling around his neck. Jess half wished she could stop and take a photo, because this was a sight worth preserving.

“Thanks.” He took the studs and tossed them on the table, barely even glancing at them.

“How complicated is your dress?” he asked.

Jess frowned. “What do you mean?”

He gave a little wave at her neck. “I mean, is it like my tux? Do we need to begin preparations to remove it now? Or does it just unzip?”

Oh. That.

Jess had a sudden surge of memory, of what it had felt like when she’d been standing on that platform over a river in New Zealand, the safety people double-checking the rigging before she launched herself off into empty space.

She shook her head. “Nope. It’s simple. It lifts up over my head.” Leaving her in nothing but a skimpy thong. The dress clung to every curve, so she’d worn no bra and had done her best to minimize any VPL.

He gave her a slow smile. “Excellent.”

Thinking in a situation like this was only going to lead to trouble, Jess rationalized. Therefore, the only suitable choice was to halt all logic and proceed purely on sensation. And as far as sensation went, kissing Sean Paterson was pretty darned magical.

Jess reached up to cup his cheek. The prickle of his stubble scraped her palm. With him in bare feet and her still in heels it was a simple matter of leaning forward, tilting her chin up slightly and bringing her lips to his. She kept the touch light, a mere brushing of her mouth against his. He returned her light caress, bracketing her lower lip between his, pulling on it slightly before doing the same again with her top lip. His hands came to rest gently on her waist and his thumbs spanned her belly, rubbing the curve of her stomach in soft, gentle strokes.

Once again, Jess wondered if her knees were going to support her. A dart of desire, so sharp it almost hurt, stabbed through her body. She knew men often had issues with “holding on”—her ex-husband was a case in point. But she’d never before wondered if she might have the same problem. Sean had barely touched her, and she was on the edge, already.

He deepened the kiss, opening his mouth, teasing her with his tongue. Jess wasn’t sure whether to be embarrassed or proud of the low groan that came from her throat as she opened to him, welcoming him, meeting his desire with her own.

His fingers tightened on her waist and then one hand slid slowly upward until he cupped her breast, weighing it in his palm before he skated around to the low neckline of her dress and slipped inside. Skin against skin. He unerringly found her nipple and rubbed it between his thumb and forefinger.

Jess collapsed against the table, her head falling back as Sean traced her jaw with his mouth, stopping to nibble on the skin under her ear.

“Please,” she murmured, although she wasn’t entirely sure what she wanted. She just wanted more and wasn’t too proud to beg.

Sean seemed to know before she did—the hand on her waist skirted her hip, trailing heat over her skin as he traced her thigh, finding the split in her dress and breaching it. A moment later his fingertips brushed the lace panel at the front of her thong, sending ripples of pleasure through her entire body.

He sucked her earlobe into his mouth, diamond earring stud and all, before pulling back with a pop. “Do you want me to touch you here?” he whispered in her ear, pressing his fingers against her core. “Is that what you want?”

Jess’s first attempt at speech was a wordless gasp that seemed to please him; she felt his lips curve into a smile against her ear.

“Yeah?” he asked again.

“Yes.” She finally managed to form the word. Her fingers dug into his shoulders, the solid resistance of muscle against her hands almost as arousing as his touch.

He slipped inside the lace barrier and then he was touching her, teasing and rubbing and slipping against her. He was still kissing her neck, light teasing nibbles that weren’t enough, weren’t what she wanted. She wanted to be taken, to be overwhelmed. Jess sought his mouth again, kissing him with punishing abandon, groaning when he caught up with what she wanted and returned the kiss, forceful and demanding. His tongue plunged into her mouth as his fingers tormented her, and the winding coil of desire inside her reached the point of no return.

“Sean,” she gasped.

“Yes, baby.”

Jess’s breath caught, her body stiffened and every nerve sang with the power of his touch. Her last logical thought was that it had been far, far too long since someone had brought her to the edge of reason like this, and then there was no more room for logic, only sensation—exquisite sensation that made her thighs tighten, her toes curl and her fingernails dig deep into Sean’s skin.

She cried out as she shattered, and he swallowed her cry with a kiss that went on and on, anchoring her through the shudders that racked her body.

Finally, dragging in a breath that sounded like a sob, Jess collapsed, her forehead sagging to his shoulder, her knees almost buckling. If not for the table behind her and the man in front of her, she would have fallen to a puddle on the floor.

Sean’s arms went around her, half an embrace, half to support her, as she tried to regain her breath. She was very aware of the heat of him, her cheek rested against his still-shirt-covered shoulder, but the body beneath was hot, and she wished her dress was gone so she could press herself against him and feel that warmth directly against her skin.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asked gently, his hands rubbing circles over her back.

Jess managed a strangled-sounding laugh. “I’m awesome,” she said, her voice breathy and strained.

He chuckled, too, low and a little raspy. “Glad to hear it.”

As she regained some strength in her pleasure-weakened body, she straightened slightly to put a little distance between them. Just enough to see his face, watch him flinch slightly as her hands spread across his chest. A muscle ticked in his jaw, the only outward sign of his self-restraint.

His eyes were almost entirely black in the dim light of the room.

It took only a moment to slide her hands across his chest to his shoulders, pushing the shirt with her. He flexed his arms and the shirt slipped down and off, baring his chest and surprisingly muscled arms to her hungry gaze.

“You’re so hot,” she said, her hands tracing the heated skin and rounded muscle of his shoulders, across his collarbone, trailing a fingernail down to where the fine thatch of hair spread outward from his sternum. Too late she realized what she’d said had two meanings.

A deep laugh vibrated through his chest.

A blush heated her cheeks, but she shrugged. “I meant it both ways,” she said, darting a glance to his twinkling eyes.

“Well, then, thank you, I guess.”

Jess let her fingers continue their journey south, tracing a path from his chest, down his firm stomach to the waistband of his tuxedo trousers. The muscles of his belly jumped as she skated over them, looking for the button or catch.

After a brief search she gave up, her hands falling by her sides.

“I’ll do you a deal,” she said, giving him what she hoped was a sexy smile. “You get rid of the pants, I’ll get rid of my dress.”

He didn’t hesitate, rewarding her with a wide grin. “Done.”

As Jess pulled her dress over her head, she saw him remove his pants and briefs, walk over to where his jacket was and throw the pants over the same chair. She wondered for a moment about this display of neatness when he picked up his jacket and fished in the inside pocket for a moment, pulling out his wallet.

Ah. It really had been too long if Jess had almost entirely forgotten about that side of things.

Anticipation for what was to come next made her fingers shake as she removed her shoes and scrap of underwear, looking up to find Sean’s gaze on her, any trace of humor in his expression vanished.

He stood there, a few paces away, proudly, defiantly naked. Fully aroused, his chest visibly rose and fell with rapid breaths. The sight alone was enough to send tremors of desire threading through her. Combined with the aftershocks of her recent climax, it was a potent mix.

A few confident strides brought him to her side. He paused, taking a moment to scan her naked body, an assessing, all-encompassing look that made Jess want to grab her dress and pull it on again. Instead she forced herself to stand still, hands by her sides, her fingernails digging into her palms as she fought her discomfort. Age had brought with it a certain measure of acceptance of her body—it was what it was, and it was hers, for better or worse. Now that she no longer had her ex-husband around, telling her that she wasn’t good enough—proving it by making her second best in his life—it was easier to be more objective. But that was all well and good when she was alone, giving herself a critical review in the mirror. It was an entirely different thing to be standing in front of Sean’s careful gaze. In front of a man in the prime of his youth—strong and firm and no doubt used to women who were the same.

“Keep in mind that I’m a few years older than you.”

Sean’s hand flicked in dismissal. “I don’t care.”

She bit her lip to stop herself from saying any further self-denigrating comments and instead turned them inward. Her breasts weren’t as perky as they used to be, and it didn’t seem to matter how many sit-ups she did at the gym, she couldn’t shift the plump pad of fat under her navel that curved her belly outwards. And she wished—as she’d wished since she was a teen—that she was a few inches taller. If she could just stretch everything up a bit, she’d be more willowy than hourglass, and everything would be more balanced.

His eyes finally came back to meet hers. “You’re gorgeous,” he said.

Her first instinct was to deny the compliment, to point out her imperfections. But that wasn’t what this night was all about.

“You’re not too bad yourself,” she said instead.

He took one more step, a step that brought him close, so close that Jess could simply sway forward and her nipples would brush his chest.