Winter Soulstice Read online

  He was definitely flirting with her.

  “Is it? Well, then I suppose we’ll have to have some.” She took a small sip of her coffee, letting the smooth heat of it slide down her throat. She licked a drop off her lip and watched him follow the motion with his gaze.

  Oh yes, there was some heavy chemistry here, and it wasn’t one-sided.

  Their gazes locked. She recognized the heat there, naked heat. She wanted to feel it burn on her skin.

  Forget pie. Forget everything.

  She wanted to take this man home with her right now, do every wicked thing to his body she had ever imagined. She had to have him. Now.

  Chapter Two

  “What’ll you have?”

  The nasal tone of the waitress broke through the haze of desire, and Reece turned to her to order the pie. Destiny took a moment to collect herself. What had she been thinking? She’d just met this guy. But her whole body pulsed and sang with lust, every note about wild, hot, uninhibited sex. Trying to calm down, she took a deep breath.

  “Just one piece, I think,” Reece said. “We’ll share it. And plenty of whipped cream.”

  Whipped Cream. The images that brought to mind made her groan inwardly. Why was that the sexiest thing she’d ever heard? Maybe because he was the sexiest man she’d ever seen. He seemed nice, too, a rarity in Los Angeles. Every other guy she’d dated since moving to L.A. had turned out to be an actor. They were all so self-involved. Not one had shown the least sign of gallantry. Reece seemed different from all of them, and she found his easy humor refreshing. In fact, he seemed altogether too good to be true. Lord help her if he was an actor.

  “What do you do, Reece?”

  “I’m in the tech industry.”

  He took his glasses off and tucked them away. She had to suppress a sigh. That Superman thing again. She ran one finger around the edge of her coffee cup.

  Reece’s gaze drifted toward her finger for a moment. He licked his lips before he continued. “I write software. Have my own company, actually. And you?”

  “I’m a clinical psychologist.”

  “Does that mean you spend your days in a lab wearing a white coat?”

  “I have a private practice.”

  “Ah, too bad. I rather liked the image of you in a lab coat.” That lush mouth of his quirked in a sexy grin, a dimple flashing.

  Her cheeks heated, and the rest of her body followed. Coming from another man, his words might have made her feel he was pushing the boundaries of flirtation too far. But with him it felt natural, and she was enjoying every second of it.

  She watched as he lifted his cup to take a sip of his coffee. He had great hands. Big and strong looking. Something about the way they were built, the way the flesh lay over bone and muscle, made her want to touch them. To feel them on her body.

  “So, do you go by Freudian theory or Jungian?”

  She cleared her throat, trying to wipe the image of his hands on her skin from her wandering mind. “Mostly Freudian.”

  He grinned, and that dimple of his flickered. “I like that in a woman.”

  She laughed, trying to sound casual, but there was nothing casual about her body’s response to every word, every motion he made.

  “I like you, Destiny Walker.” He reached across the table and traced his fingers over the back of her hand. A small whisper of pleasure followed the path of his touch and spread, settling in the suddenly damp V between her thighs as though he’d touched her there. She shifted in her seat, trying to ease the ache.

  When the pie arrived, he withdrew his hand. “You first,” he offered.

  Yes, a gentleman. She liked that. But she really couldn’t eat. Not with him sitting across from her, flirting with her, and making her system hum with desire.

  “I’m not very hungry. You go ahead.”

  “You have to have some. It looks wonderful. Here, try a bite.”

  He speared a small piece and lifted his fork to her lips. She took it into her mouth. Sweet and tart at the same time—delicious. A tiny bit of the juice dripped over her lip but, before she could raise her napkin, he reached out and wiped it away with his thumb. His touch left a molten brand on her mouth, and her tongue darted out of its own accord to taste the heat he left behind. She watched him as he put his thumb to his lips and licked the juice off.

  Her sex went wet and warm all at once. She wanted that mouth on her. Anywhere. Everywhere. Now.

  Oh my god. She had to stop thinking like a hormone-driven teenager! She was a thirty-three year old woman, with a doctorate, for heaven’s sake. She was someone who tended to be sensible about things, logical. But she seemed to have turned into a nymphomaniac the moment she’d met Reece Kellan.

  Lord, even his name running through her mind made her hot.

  She had to change the subject.

  “Um, how did you end up with your own software company, Reece?”

  Saying his name out loud didn’t help. Instantly an image of her calling out his name over and over while he pushed into her body came to mind.

  Stop it!

  “I started at a big Silicon Valley firm and quickly discovered I didn’t like the whole corporate thing. I think it’s cultural. Where I was raised people are more relaxed in their day to day lives. Friendlier. There, it seemed like everyone would do whatever they could to advance the corporate ladder. No matter who they hurt on the way up.” He glanced away.

  Ah, something deeper there. She was trained to read people’s body language. It was clear some story lay behind that evasive glance. But she hardly knew him well enough to press the issue.

  Instead she changed the subject. “How did you end up in the states?”

  He paused, took a bite of the pie, savored it, then licked a bit of whipped cream from the tip of his fork before answering. Again, she felt that lancing heat in her sex as his tongue darted out. She almost moaned aloud.

  “That’s a sad story, and one I don’t tell often. But I’ll tell you. I came here to marry an American girl.”

  “What happened?” she asked quietly, curious, but hesitant to pry where she might not be welcome. She tried to ignore the knot in her stomach at the idea of him being married.

  He shrugged, making her notice once more the breadth of his strong shoulders. “I married the wrong woman. We worked in the same industry. For the same company, in fact. She was smart, ambitious. Too ambitious. She chose her career over our marriage.” He shrugged again. “That’s when I decided to get out and moved down here. That was almost three years ago.”

  “Why L.A.?”

  “I liked the weather.” He shrugged. “I can write software from anywhere on the planet, as long as I have my laptop. What about you? Why did you become a psychologist?”

  “I’m nosy about people, I guess.”

  He laughed, a husky sound that rumbled in his chest, giving her goose bumps all over.

  “No, really. I’ve always been curious about what makes people tick. It’s fascinating. I like to figure things out, figure people out.”

  “I suppose you have me figured out already?” He forked another bite of pie, the cherries glistening red before they disappeared between his lips. His mouth would be all sugary sweetness if he kissed her right now.

  She cleared her throat. “Maybe a little. I think we’re both people who like to figure things out, analyze, and find a solution.”

  “Sure, you’re right there.” His dark blue gaze steadied on hers once more. Then his voice lowered. “I’d like to find out what else we have in common.”

  She went hot all over. She’d like to find out, too. And not only in bed, although her body wouldn’t let her forget her intense attraction to him for a moment. But she liked this man. Felt comfortable with him in a way she never had with a man she was attracted to. Attraction usually made her edgy. But being with Reece felt like the most natural thing in the world. Yes, her stomach fluttered as though it were full of butterflies, their wings beating a million miles an hour. But at the same
time it felt as though they’d known each other for a very long time. For once, she didn’t want to analyze things too closely. He made her feel good, and she just wanted to feel it for a while.

  They talked for hours about everything; movies, literature, art, travel, all of the things that interested her and seemed to interest him, as well. He made her laugh, with his accent and his relaxed, humorous take on life. She found herself wishing she were perhaps a bit more like him, had that attitude of easy acceptance. And the whole time her body yearned for him, so that she found herself leaning into the table, her ribs pressed against the hard edge.

  The rain continued to cascade in a steady downpour outside, making their little coffee-scented table even cozier.

  Until the waitress interrupted them by slapping their check on the table. “Sorry, but we’re only open until eight”

  Reece reached for his wallet. When she pulled some cash from her purse, he scowled at her.

  “Call me old-fashioned, but I couldn’t possibly let you pay.”

  Her Nana would have called him gallant. She would have liked him.

  There’s Nana, popping into my head again.

  Destiny put her money away. They stood up.

  “Well, I guess this means—”

  Reece interrupted her. “I don’t want our day to end.”

  “I don’t either.”

  He took her hand, turned it palm up, and laid a gentle kiss in the center. His lips were burning hot against her skin, and she had an odd flash of...what? A darkened room, a big bed, a small lamp casting amber light over bare skin. Her legs wobbled.

  “Let me make dinner for you.” He had a low, rich huskiness to his voice that gave her goose bumps in all the right places.

  “I...”

  “I know. I wouldn’t normally presume to ask a woman to my house the very day I meet her, and I’m a terrible cook, but this...feels different. I really can’t stand to see you go. Say you’ll come with me. Say yes.”

  Even considering such an offer was completely unlike her. However, she felt not only comfortable with Reece, but safe, as well. Was this wishful thinking on her part because she’d been feeling a bit lonely lately, with the holidays coming? Or was it simply the taut pull of attraction? What had been going on with her recently that would lead to such rash action?

  She was tired of questioning her motives. Maybe, for once, she would loosen up and go where her instincts led her, rather than trying to rationalize everything.

  “Yes.”

  Chapter Three

  They ran the three blocks through the downpour with folded newspapers over their heads. They were both soaked to the skin by the time they reached Reece’s house, a small Mediterranean style surrounded by a stucco wall. He opened the cast-iron gate, and they slipped inside, passing through a terra-cotta tiled courtyard edged in ornamental grasses and enormous pots overflowing with rosemary. A still-blooming bougainvillea climbed one wall, its coral-colored blossoms making a bright carpet on the ground. Destiny loved it.

  Reece guided her up a few steps to a pair of French doors and led her inside.

  “Wait here. I’ll get towels.”

  He disappeared through an archway to their left, leaving her in the tiled foyer. She peeked through another archway into the living room. An expanse of dark gleaming hardwood showed in the dimming light, which filtered through another pair of French doors that appeared to lead to a garden at the back of the house. The furnishings were heavy, masculine pieces with ethnic accents here and there: a Balinese mask, Moroccan rugs, Mexican pottery. She melted inside at the sight of it all. This place looked like her dream house come to life. One she could well afford but refused to buy for herself alone. Instead, she’d furnished her apartment with similar pieces she’d found at import stores or on some of her travels. How odd that he should be so interested in the same sort of things.

  Reece returned with a large, cream-colored towel. He wrapped it around her shoulders, then rubbed her arms to warm her.

  She warmed immediately, although she’d been shivering only moments before. The second he touched her, every tender spot on her body heated as though a furnace had been lit deep inside her. She needed to touch him, to kiss him. Needed his hands on her skin.

  As if he read her mind, he dropped the towel. She looked into those endlessly deep blue eyes and saw naked desire there. He burned as she did. She could feel it. Could almost feel the press of his big body even though he was still several inches away.

  “Reece...”

  “I know.”

  Then his mouth closed over hers, and even their soaking wet clothes couldn’t quench the fire between them. His mouth was hot, so hot. When he parted his lips and drove his tongue into her mouth, she thought she’d collapse onto the floor. But he held her tight, crushed her against his body. She could feel his heart hammering in his chest, pounding against her breasts.

  He deepened the kiss. She closed her eyes. Again she had that flood of images in her brain: the bed, the diffused golden light, and somehow she knew his bedroom would look like that.

  But his hands roaming her body distracted her. He was kissing her hard, their mouths fused together, tongues twining. Animalistic. Out of control. He gave her no time to think about it as he pushed her up hard against the door.

  God, she could feel the hard planes of his chest, his erection pressing into her thigh, big, warm, pulsing. She’d never wanted anything so desperately in her life.

  He tore his mouth from hers to ravage her neck, a trail of fiery open-mouthed kisses burning her flesh.

  “Reece, I have to...let me...” She was panting as she fumbled to pull his sweater over his head.

  “Here, darlin’.” In one sweep his sweater disappeared. She took in his beautifully broad shoulders and wide, muscled chest.

  Yes, Superman indeed.

  His skin was a light gold, as though he’d recently been in the sun. His nipples were brown and hard, with a bit of dark hair sprinkled between and around them. She ran her fingers over the tips, and he groaned.

  He pulled her sweater off in an instant, then her bra. Reece stood back for a moment, gazing at her breasts.

  “Ah, beautiful.”

  Then he was on her, his big hands cupping her breasts. She arched her body, pushing into him. When he thumbed her nipples she almost jumped out of her skin, the sensation shooting straight to her sex, making her ache.

  It was even better when he snaked one hand down and cupped her mound through her jeans. She couldn’t get that image of the bed out of her mind.

  “All right, that’s enough of these damn clothes.” His voice came out on a ragged growl.

  He unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans, then yanked them off, her lace panties coming with them.

  Yes, to be naked in front of him. Open to his touch.

  His pants were gone just as quickly. His erect cock sprouted from a nest of dark curls, enormous, the silky head already glistening with pre-cum. Her mouth watered.

  He was on her again in a flash, sliding to his knees on the floor, kissing her stomach on the way down. He held onto her hips in a tight grasp, pressing her back against the door once more. Then he put his mouth on her.

  There was nothing gentle or exploratory about his mouth. He dove right into her, licking her swollen pussy lips, lowering his hands to open them to his hot, invading tongue so he could plunge into her opening. Her legs went weak, her body suffused with pleasure. She could come at any moment.

  When he swept his tongue upward, licked across her clit, a shock lanced through her. A shock of pure ecstasy. He sucked her swollen nub into his mouth. Sensation drove through her body, a stabbing pleasure so intense she shook with the force of it as her climax shot through her.

  She was shaking, coming harder than she ever had in her life. Still, he sucked at her clit. Just when the tremors began to subside, he pushed his fingers into her, curving them so that he caught her G-spot with his fingertips, and suddenly she was coming once more. Coming a
ll over his fingers and his hot sucking mouth.

  Before the last ripples of orgasm had left her body, he rose to his feet and pressed against her again.

  She ran her hands over the taut planes of his shoulders, across his wide back, down to fill her hand with the rigid length of his cock.

  “God, you feel good,” he murmured. “As good as you taste.” He groaned when she tightened her grip. “Condom, damn it.”

  He swept her into his arms, carried her though the house as though she were no larger than a doll.

  She wasn’t surprised to find herself being laid down on a big bed in a half-dark room. A room lit by the golden glow of an amber-tinted glass lamp on the nightstand.

  He leaned over her, kissed her lips, her cheek, trailed down her neck, and drew one stiff nipple into his mouth. She arched off the bed, wanting more of him, pushing into his mouth. He swirled his tongue over the rigid peak. Pleasure lanced through her. When he began to suck she thought she’d come again from only his hot, wet mouth on her breast.

  She reached down to grasp his cock in her hand again, stroked the velvet shaft. Her own sensations intensified. He moaned, sucked harder before letting her nipple go to rasp out, “If you keep doing that, my darlin’, I’ll come right now in your hot little hand. And I want to be inside you. But I want you to come one more time first.”

  He slid his hand down, between her thighs, into her eager sex. Two fingers pressed into her while he stroked his thumb over her clit. He went back to work with his mouth, sucking hard on her rock-hard nipple.

  It was almost too much, his mouth sucking on her, his hand torturing her sex. Her hand wrapped around his thick, pulsing cock, like satin-sheathed steel in her palm. She writhed beneath him, knowing she was going to come any moment, wanting him to come with her.

  She grasped his cock, stroked hard and fast. His hand matched hers in speed and rhythm until she didn’t know the difference between his hand and hers, between his throbbing cock and her own body. A strange sensation, something new, but she could hardly think about it. His fingers pushed in and out of her, his thumb pressed onto her clit, and she exploded.