Free Fall Page 11

  Maggie smiled up at him, and then turned her attention to his arousal. “I want to taste you.” Dipping her head, she delicately ran her tongue over the blunt head of his penis, and he jerked against her palm. “Mmm. You taste good.”

  His breathing was coming faster as she took him in her mouth and swirled her tongue around him. The hot, slick sensation around his cock was so intense that Jack had to grit his teeth to maintain control. When she began to suck on him in concert with the stroking motion of her fist, Jack knew he wasn’t going to last long.

  “Easy, baby,” he panted.

  Maggie broke free long enough to give him a seductive look from beneath her lashes. “I want you to come.”

  At the raw sexuality in her eyes, pressure built in his balls and his dick swelled even more. He was such a goner, but he didn’t want this to end so soon, not without giving her pleasure in return.

  “Wait,” he gasped, and thrusting his fingers into her hair, gently drew her away from him. “There’s something I need to do first. Come up here.”

  She rose to her feet, running her tongue over her lips as if savoring the taste of him. Reaching behind her, Jack unfastened her bra and slowly drew it free of her arms to let it fall on the floor. Then he filled his hands with her breasts, lifting their weight in his palms and running his thumbs over her nipples. She was the perfect size, and her areolas were large and pink, the nipples drawing to tight points beneath his fingertips. Lifting one breast, he bent his head and flicked his tongue over the distended tip, drawing a gasp from Maggie. When he drew it into his mouth and sucked hard, she thrust her fingers into his hair and held his head there, her breath warm against his ear.

  “Oh, that feels so good,” she moaned. “Don’t stop.”

  Jack didn’t intend to. As he laved her breast, he used his free hand to work the button on her jeans, opening them enough to slide a hand into the back and cup her rear, kneading the pliant flesh.

  “Take these off,” he muttered, releasing her breast to help her push the denim down over her hips.

  “My shoes,” she said on a broken laugh, bending to unfasten the laces. “My pants are stuck.”

  “Here, let me help.”

  Before she could protest, he picked his shirt up off the floor and laid it on the table, and then turning Maggie, he lifted her onto the surface so that her legs, still trapped in her pants, dangled over the edge. His own jeans were still down around his knees, and he took a brief moment to kick off his shoes and step out of his pants and boxers.

  “Now it’s your turn,” he said, infusing the words with wicked promise, as he pulled her shoes and socks from her feet and then dragged her jeans and panties down the length of her legs. Finally, she was completely naked. “Much better,” he purred, his eyes devouring her.

  In the eerie red light of the dark room, she looked like every fantasy he’d ever had. Her breasts rose and fell rapidly with her agitated breathing, and she watched him with an overtly sensual expression that caused his balls to tighten in anticipation.

  “Here,” he said, moving between her splayed legs, “slide to the edge of the table. I’ve got you. Comfortable?”

  She was leaning back on her hands, and now she nodded, biting her lip. “Yes. What are you going to do?”

  Jack smiled. “Anything I want.” He started by smoothing his hands over her stomach and hips, and then back up to her breasts to toy briefly with her nipples. Then he crouched in front of her, and slowly drew her knees wide. “This is what I want,” he said, aware that his voice was husky with desire.

  In the dim light, she looked achingly feminine and mysterious, and Jack couldn’t resist pressing a kiss, first to her knee, and then to the soft skin of her inner thigh.

  “You’re trembling,” he observed. “Are you cold?”

  “No. Just...completely turned on.”

  Jack understood, and it took all his restraint not to stand up and thrust himself into her body. Instead, he slid his fingers over her, gratified when she gave a soft, broken cry, and jerked convulsively. Even in the indistinct light, he could see she was swollen with arousal and glistening with moisture.

  “You’re so wet,” he said on a note of wonder. Parting her lips, he swirled his finger over the small rise of her clitoris. She groaned and pushed her hips against his hand, seeking more of the intimate contact. “Do you like that?”

  “Oh, God,” she panted. “I like it too much.”

  Holding her open with his fingers, Jack leaned in and licked her, stroking his tongue over her opening, and teasing her clitoris as she made small mewling sounds and writhed beneath him. He used his tongue to thrust into her, while stroking her with his fingers, and he felt her muscles begin to draw in and tighten.

  “That’s it, baby,” he breathed against her aroused flesh. “Come for me.”

  “Jack,” she cried, and grasped his head with surprising strength. “Come inside me. Now, please!”

  Jack looked up the length of her body to find her watching him with wild eyes. Her breathing was ragged and he could see she was on the very edge of control.

  “Babe,” he protested, “you know I want to, but—”

  “I’m safe,” she said, her voice almost frantic. “I’m on the Pill, and I’m completely safe. I just—I need you inside me.”

  Hearing the urgency in her voice, and seeing the evidence of her arousal, Jack was a complete goner. There was nothing he wanted more than to bury himself in her heat, but he tried one last time to reason with her.

  “I’m safe, too, but, Maggie—”

  “Please, Jack!”

  With a groan of utter defeat, Jack surged to his feet and grasped his cock in his hand, fitting the wide head to her entrance. Maggie was on her elbows, her legs wrapped around his hips as she used her heels to urge him on. Gritting his teeth against the exquisite sensation, he eased himself into her, feeling her flesh grasp at him. She was tight and hot, and Jack knew the ride was going to be fast and hard. Sliding his hands beneath her buttocks, he lifted her for a better fit.

  “Hold on,” he said hoarsely, and began pumping into her, so deep that his balls ached with the need for release. Her body fisted around him, her hands gripping his wrists as she rose to meet each powerful thrust.

  “Oh, yes, yes...” she cried, her body tightening around him. “Oh, Jack, I’m going to!”

  Reaching between their bodies, Jack found her clitoris and stroked it hard, watching her face contort in pleasure as she curled forward, her fingers digging into his wrists as her body shuddered with the force of her orgasm. With the last vestiges of his control, he snatched himself free from her body and fisted his cock, stroking himself twice before he came in a blinding, white-hot rush of ecstasy, spilling himself onto her stomach and breasts in long, hot spurts.

  For several long minutes, there was only the sound of their harsh breathing in the small room. Jack had never felt so completely drained. Maggie lay half sprawled beneath him, her breasts heaving as she sucked in lungfuls of air. Her glorious hair spilled around her on the table as she watched him through sated, slumberous eyes.

  “Thank you,” she said softly. “You have no idea how much I needed that.”

  Jack laughed softly; he couldn’t help himself. She was thanking him for the most powerful release he’d ever experienced. Even their lovemaking of the previous night, while amazing, hadn’t been like this. He watched as she raised one hand and languidly traced a finger through the pearly fluid on her stomach. Incredibly, the sight made Jack’s dick twitch.

  “Here, stay still while I find something to clean us up with,” he advised, looking around the small room.

  “There are some paper towels on the back wall,” Maggie said, “and the sink has running water.”

  Several minutes later, when they were both clean and dry, Jack helped Maggie get dr
essed, before pulling on his own clothes. He turned her toward him and lifted her face with a finger under her chin.

  “I’m sorry about that,” he murmured. “That was ridiculously rushed, and not very romantic. I just didn’t want to take a chance and come inside of you.”

  Maggie’s eyes widened. “Are you kidding me? That was the most intense experience I’ve ever had, and that’s saying something, because I thought last night was unbelievable.” She smiled softly and wound her arms around his waist, stretching up to plant a moist kiss against his mouth. “Watching you come like that was the most incredibly sexy thing I’ve ever seen. I may never let you use a condom again.”

  Jack grinned and hauled her against his chest, kissing her hard. He definitely liked the sound of that.

  10

  WITH JUST THREE days until the arts-and-crafts festival, the town of Coupeville was already gearing up for the thousands of tourists who would flock to the area to enjoy the celebration.

  Maggie had dragged their exhibit tent out of storage and checked to ensure it had no rips or other damage. The weather prediction was for clear, sunny skies, and Maggie was grateful they wouldn’t have to contend with any rain or drizzle. Not only did that tend to drive away customers, but it was also no fun for the artisans who were trying to sell their products, either.

  They had spent the past two days selecting the items that they would sell in the tent, versus the shop, including a variety of hand-blown glass decorations.

  “I think we’re ready,” Maggie declared, looking over the items that they had set aside.

  The festival would feature well over three hundred exhibitors, whose tents would extend along the entire length of the waterfront. In addition, there would be an antiques market, wine-tasting events, attractions for the children and evening concerts. The annual fair was the biggest event of the year, not just on Whidbey Island, but in the entire Pacific Northwest. Despite the fact she hadn’t helped prepare for a festival in over ten years, Maggie found herself falling into the familiar routine as if it had only been yesterday.

  “It seems so strange to be getting ready for the festival without Eric or my mom,” Maggie mused.

  Carly looked up from where she was redecorating the front window of the shop and gave her a wistful smile. “Every year for the past ten years, I’ve heard Eric and your mother say the same thing about you. It just never felt the same getting ready for the festival without you. You always looked forward to it so much, and you had more inventory to sell than most of the other exhibitors at the fair.”

  Maggie ducked her head. “Well, I promise you that’s not the case this year.”

  Her photos of the orca whale had come out astonishingly well, but with just three days until the festival, Maggie couldn’t decide how to present them. Did she want to sell them as postcards, or note cards, or as framed photos? She had little time to decide, and a lot of work to do if she wanted to produce enough copies to make selling them worthwhile. The festival tended to attract a wealthy clientele, and sales over the three-day event often outnumbered the sales they did for the entire year. Which was why Eric had begged Maggie to come back to help oversee the preparations, and ensure their success. This year, as in previous years, their tent would be situated near the shop, which would make it easy to invite interested patrons to browse their extended line of sea-glass jewelry.

  “Well, I heard this morning that you can’t find a vacant room anywhere on the island,” Carly commented. “That’s good news, considering the economy. I’m thinking this might be one of the best festivals yet. I hope you’re able to get some of your work on display, hon. Talent like yours should be shared.”

  Her words were almost identical to what Jack had said to her in the darkroom four days ago. After they’d engaged in the hottest sex she’d ever imagined, and had been preparing to leave the darkroom, Jack had spotted the photos she’d taken of the orca whale. There were several of the sunset beyond the headland, and even one of Jack, standing in silhouette against the brilliant sky, although she didn’t recall seeing him there as she’d snapped the picture. She’d been completely focused on the wash of colors reflected in the water. When she’d developed the film and realized she’d taken yet another photo of him, she’d wondered if the universe was trying to send her a message. But what kind of message? To turn and run like hell in the other direction? Or to open her arms and welcome what she couldn’t seem to avoid? Right now, she was equally torn between the two options.

  “How’s that pilot of yours doing?” Carly asked, as if she could read Maggie’s thoughts.

  “Jack? Oh, he’s fine,” she responded automatically.

  “Yes, he is,” Carly said in obvious satisfaction. “He is very fine, if you ask me. Is he coming to pick you up again this afternoon?”

  “Er, no. I drove my car into town this morning. And he’s not my pilot.”

  “That’s too bad. He sure is a looker. And a gentleman, too.” She gave Maggie a wink. “And talk about convenient. What I couldn’t do with a yard ornament like that in my backyard!”

  “Carly!” Maggie pretended to be shocked, but couldn’t prevent giggling at the other woman’s outrageous remark.

  “Seriously, though, it looked to me like you two had a connection. Was I wrong?”

  Maggie felt herself going warm beneath Carly’s knowing look. She shook her head. “No, you weren’t wrong. There’s definitely a...connection.”

  “So why do you look so depressed? If I had a guy like that looking at me the way he looks at you, I’d be turning cartwheels down Main Street.”

  Maggie sighed. “I know that’s what I should be doing, but there’s no future in it for us. He’s stuck here for at least the next three years, and I live in Chicago. He’s in the navy, which means long sea deployments and...all the rest of the baggage that goes with being in the military. I’m not sure I’m ready for that again. That last relationship broke me, Carly. Jack deserves better than me.”

  Carly put her hands on her hips and leveled a steady look at Maggie. “Is that really what you believe? That you’re broken?” She gave a snort and gestured around the shop. “In case you haven’t noticed, that’s our specialty.”

  Maggie glanced at the display cases full of sea-glass jewelry and frowned. “What do you mean?”

  Stepping forward, Carly took Maggie’s hands in her own. “Don’t you see? You’re like this sea glass. You started out whole, and then you got broken. You traveled around, got tumbled against the rocks a bit and all those sharp edges got smoothed out. Now you’re back on the same shore where you started, but you’re different...you’re more beautiful and special than you ever were before.”

  Maggie felt the prick of tears behind her eyelids, and leaned down to give Carly a fierce hug. “Thank you. I never thought of it like that before.”

  “It’s true,” Carly said. She stepped away and gave Maggie a thoughtful look. “Have you ever considered coming back? I know you think you don’t want to live here, but in the time you’ve been back, I’ve seen a huge change in you. You came here with the weight of the world on your shoulders, looking as if you hadn’t seen the sun in ten years, and hadn’t had a decent meal in all that time, either.” She gestured expansively. “Now look at you, letting your hair down, a little color back in your cheeks and I’ve never seen anyone devour a pizza the way you did at lunch today.”

  Maggie flushed. Everything Carly said was true. Since she’d met Jack—since she’d started sleeping with Jack—she felt like a different woman.

  Four days had passed since their interlude in the darkroom, and as if by unspoken agreement, Maggie found herself at Jack’s door each evening after he returned home. Sometimes she would bring dinner with her, sometimes Jack would prepare a meal, and sometimes they would forego eating altogether and head straight to his bedroom.

  Maggie was afrai
d she was becoming addicted to his touch. Just thinking about what they had done the previous night, in his kitchen, caused a smile to curve her lips. He was nothing if not inventive, and with the energy she’d been expending in the sack, it was no wonder she was famished all the time.

  “Ah,” Carly said in a knowing tone. “I’m right. He is your pilot.”

  Maggie’s smile widened, but she only shrugged. “For now.”

  “For keeps, if you’d just stay.”

  Maggie gave Carly a warning look, but couldn’t bring herself to dash the other woman’s enthusiasm over what she was sure was a match made in heaven. “We’ll see,” she finally said. “I’m not committing to anything.”

  But as she turned back to the storeroom, she could have sworn she heard Carly mutter, “And therein lies the problem.”

  Was it true? She acknowledged that she was leery of getting involved with guys in uniform, but did she really have a problem making commitments? She thought of her last few relationships. The two boyfriends she’d had in Chicago had been decent guys—honest, caring and hardworking. They’d been funny, had made her laugh and she’d genuinely cared about them, but when they’d pushed for something more, she’d panicked. Not outwardly, of course, but their insistence on making the relationship permanent had usually marked the beginning of the end.

  So far, Jack had kept his word and hadn’t brought up Chicago, or asked her to reconsider staying on Whidbey Island. But he was quickly making it impossible for her to think of a future without him in it. He had all the qualities she’d ever wanted in a guy, and more.

  Except, of course, for the damned uniform.

  She would have given anything to have a crystal ball; to gaze into the future and be able to see if he would be there in ten or twenty years, or if, like her father and Phillip, he would simply vanish from her life. Did she have the courage to take that chance? Was she strong enough to survive another heartbreak? Losing Phillip had been hard, but hindsight at least gave her the realization that she’d been too young to get married. Even if things had worked out for them, they’d probably have ended up divorced, and where would she be now? Stuck on Whidbey Island, probably living with her brother and raising a couple of kids by herself. Just like her own mother had done.