Diamond by Sharon Sala Page A

began.
    Soft and supple, her mouth responded to the insistent pressure of his own. She came alive beneath his touch, moving against him and with him as if there were a slow but steady magnetic pull between them. He took a step forward, pressing her between his body and the porch post, and then groaned when she moved, letting him slide one leg between hers.
    The moan that slipped up her throat and into his mouth sent a line of sweat beading across his forehead. He thrust his leg forward and rocked it gently against her body, then turned loose of her and reached for the porch post for support when her hands dropped down to caress the bulge behind his zipper.
    “Easy…”
    It was the only warning she was going to get. If Diamond wanted this to stop, she would have to be the one to stop it.
    She heard the hesitation in his voice and recognized it for what it was. What happened next was entirely up to her. She made her choice.
    “I missed you,” she said softly, and began to unsnap his shirt, baring his chest to her touch.
    Jesse’s eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared. It was all he could manage as her fingers feathered across his belly.
    “You sure you want to do this, lady? In about one more heartbeat, what control I have left will be gone.”
    She answered by pulling his shirt from the waistband of his jeans.
    Jesse wrapped his arms around her, tilted her face to his, and swooped, taking what he wanted of this woman’s offering. What he wanted was everything. Jesse got what he wanted.
    Diamond felt the ground disappear beneath her feet as Jesse lifted her into his arms and carried her inside the house. He kicked the door shut behind him and walked blindly toward the staircase, using instinct to guide him as her hands locked around his neck and her gaze focused entirely on the shape of his mouth.
    “I’m going to make love to you,” he said.
    “I know.”
    “Is there anything you want to tell me before I completely lose my mind?” His question was no more than a low, husky growl as he looked down at the beauty in his arms.
    “Just hurry,” she said.
    And he did.
    A path of their discarded clothing began at the head of the stairs, trailing down the long hallway past her bedroom and through the open door of his own. There was nothing left to remove but their pants and boots by the time he shut his door and tossed her onto the bed.
    Diamond’s heart was racing, and her limbs were heavy from the wanting. She couldn’t move other than to follow him with her gaze as she lay helpless on his bed, waiting. She’d never wanted anyone or anything this much in her life. She’d never allowed herself to care this much for a man. The feeling frightened her. If this was a mistake, she was about to make it. Stopping now was as impossible for her as it would have been for him.
    And then he stood naked before her, unashamed of his need as he approached her.
    “I don’t use any…I don’t take—”
    “I’ll protect you,” Jesse said, and reached for the drawer of his bedside table to fulfill his promise.
    She tried to speak as he knelt above her on the bed and began removing first one of her boots and then the other. And then her body arched beneath his hands as he stripped her of her Levis, leaving nothing between them but a narrow strip of thin white nylon. Then that, too, disappeared.
    Breathing became difficult, and his hands shook as he bared her body for his touch. Then he blinked back tears as her eyes closed and she smiled. This woman was made for loving.
    His eyes were dark, his movements slow and steady as he lowered himself onto her and then gently into her. She sighed and moved, wrapping her arms around his neck as his whisper feathered across her breasts.
    “I’ll always take care of you, honey,” he said. “I promised.”
    The fever between them rose. Diamond knew that in moments, she’d never be the same. As his mouth demanded, his hands teased. As her body arched to meet his, she fell under his spell