giggled and breathed his name. Her hands settled on top of his, urging him higher until his palms settled on her breasts.
She shifted so that she could rest her feet on the arms of his chair, opening herself for him. He accepted the silent invitation and slowly licked her most feminine place. She gasped in pleasure. Her thighs parted more. He explored all of her, the place he would enter later, the sweet mysteries of her desire, before kissing that one spot designed to make her moan.
He found it easily, and knew exactly what to do. As his fingers toyed with her tight nipples, his tongue circled her center, moving over and around, teasing, rubbing, kissing, licking. He moved fast, then slow. He made her moan and then he made her beg. Only when her legs were trembling and her body slick with sweat did he give in to her demands and move in the steady rhythm designed to make her fall into ecstasy.
It took less than ten seconds. He licked her over and over, guiding her to her release. Then she shuddered in his intimate embrace. Her body quivered as her insides spasmed.
He held back as long as he could, waiting until she had finally stilled. Only then did he stand and reach for his belt. He fumbled with the zipper before finally unfastening it. As he shoved down his pants, he pushed the chair out of the way and urged her to wrap her legs around his waist. Bracing his hands on the desk, he stared into her beautiful face and plunged into her.
One deep, slow thrust that had them both gasping. She clamped her muscles around him and smiled. Her eyes were still glazed with the lingering aftershocks of her release. As he moved in and out of her, he watched her expression tighten. At the same time he felt her body convulse around his. She moaned. He swallowed hard and struggled for self-control.
She didn't make it easy. He knew that as long as he moved in and out of her, she would climax, rippling against him, drawing him in deeper, forcing him over the edge. He pulsed his hips, then swore, knowing it wasn't supposed to be this good and never wanting it to stop.
Wait, he told himself. Hold back. But he couldn't. Using her legs, she pulled him closer, sending him in deeper, then gave herself up to the release. As she breathed his name, he felt himself losing control. He grasped her hips and pumped hard and fast. The sound of his blood rushing through his body filled his ears. He couldn't think, couldn't breathe, couldn't do anything but feel the intense release as he spilled himself into her.
When he'd recovered, he bent over her and kissed her mouth.
'Amazing as always,' she said with a sigh. 'You are a man of many talents.'
He touched her cheeks, her nose, then her lower lip. 'I aim to please.'
'You reduce me to a puddle. That's more than pleasing.' Her hazel eyes darkened. 'No more hiding away, okay?'
He couldn't deny her anything. Even when it made sense to do so. 'I promise.'
Jeff typed in his notes on the report the team had prepared. They were getting close to finishing up the security plan for Kirkman and his associates. The meeting was in several days.
His phone rang and he took the call, but when he was finished, he found it difficult to return to his report. He wasn't concentrating very well these days. Ashley was always on his mind.
It had been nearly a week since she'd accused him of hiding out. A week during which their relationship continued to complicate his life. He knew that he should give her up but he couldn't seem to find the words to tell her goodbye. While being disconnected was the safest course of action, he found himself resisting returning to his solitary world. He enjoyed the warmth and the laughter Ashley and Maggie brought to his life. He enjoyed the passion Ashley brought to his bed. He liked knowing she was home, waiting for him, thinking about him. He trusted her.
While he'd trusted men with his life on a mission, he'd never trusted a woman before. Not with his heart and soul. He could almost imagine himself doing that with Ashley.
There were times when he wondered what was going to happen. How would he survive her walking away? He thought that-
The door to his office flew open and Ashley raced into the room. While he took in the fury in her eyes, a part of his brain acknowledged that she burst into his life on a regular basis. She was fearless, which he admired. Hers was real courage-she was brave even when she had something to lose.
She slammed the door behind her. 'What the hell were you thinking?'
Her rage was a tangible life force in the room with him. Jeff turned away from his computer so that he could face her. Even as he wondered what she was talking about, he realized she'd never visited him at work before.
'Ashley, what seems to be the problem?'
Her eyes flashed with fire. 'Don't give me that. Don't pretend you don't know. What was it, Jeff? A game? Did you think it was funny? How dare you play with my life! Were you even thinking? Didn't you care that I had goals and a plan? Damn you.'
He didn't know what was wrong. He rose and walked around the desk so that he was standing in front of her. Had she finally figured out that his dreams weren't strange images from his subconscious, but were, in fact, the truth? Had she realized he wasn't like other men?
Tears filled her eyes. She angrily brushed them away. 'Say something.'
'I still don't know what's wrong.'
Her mouth thinned. 'How like a man. What am I supposed to tell Maggie? Did you even give her one thought in all of this?'
At the mention of her daughter's name, his heart froze. 'Is something wrong with Maggie? Is she hurt?'
'She's fine. This has nothing to do with Maggie.' She shoved him away from her. 'You and your big sob story. To think I bought into it. I'm such an idiot. You lied to me. How could you?'
'Ashley?'
She glared at him. 'I'm pregnant.'
Chapter 14
Ashley continued to talk but Jeff wasn't listening. He couldn't believe what she'd said.
Pregnant?
He tried to figure out what, if anything, he was feeling, but he couldn't tell. It was as if his entire brain had shut down. Pregnant. He turned the word over and over in his mind wondering how it could be possible.
'And don't for a moment think that you're going to say something stupid like 'Who's the father'?' she said, still glaring at him. 'You know exactly where I've been spending my nights. This baby is yours-'
A baby. That was more real than hearing her say she was pregnant. Had they really produced a child together? A living being growing inside of her that would become an infant and grow into a child.
He hadn't thought he was human enough to father a child. He remembered what the doctor had talked about when there had been problems with Nicole. That he, Jeff, had a low sperm count. Something about less than optimal numbers. That it was unlikely he could father a child in the traditional manner, although there had been other alternatives if they'd been interested. By then, Nicole wasn't interested. She'd said that the reason he couldn't father a child wasn't about his sperm count but the fact that he was no longer human.
She'd been wrong.
Jeff had never thought to question the doctor further. Until Ashley had entered his life, he'd used condoms for health reasons. Although with her that had never seemed necessary. He knew he was healthy, so he hadn't worried about passing anything on to her. But he'd never considered that he might be able to get her pregnant.
'Are you even listening to me?' she demanded.
Something bright and alive flashed inside of him. It was hot and pure and it took him several seconds to recognize the feeling.
Joy. Pure, wonderful joy.
He grabbed her at the waist and swung her around the room. She shrieked and hung on to his shoulders. 'Jeff!
