“You just won this challenge,” Kelly murmured, eyes dancing with mischief, and Blake groaned a grateful oath and yanked her into him once more.
Chapter Eleven
Kelly
She’d deliberately chosen the bikini. Two weeks of waiting for Blake to make some kind of move had finally gotten desperate after one too many nights of touching herself, writhing around her vibrator, screaming into the emptiness of her room as she came alone, seeing his face with every pulse of her fingers or toys.
Finally coming to the conclusion that she’d scared him into never making a move, what with his original misunderstanding, she’d pulled out her hottest bikini, one her evening companions—which she’d seen much less of lately, though she still had to do occasional stints, to pay the bills—had definitely never laid eyes on.
And Blake’s reaction had been everything Kelly had hoped, and more.
He kissed her endlessly, his hands roaming over her body with a sort of reverence that was brand new to Kelly. No man had ever touched her that way, and as they stumbled to the bed, Kelly knew that it might never feel this way again. She was going to savor every moment.
As soon as they tumbled onto the bed, they were all over each other again, kissing with such eagerness that it was amazing to Kelly that they managed to remove each other’s clothes at the same time. Both had been anticipating this moment for so long that there was hardly any need for foreplay, though Kelly hoped that they would have many opportunities for extensive teasing of each other in the future. For now, though, she was so ready for him that she could hardly stand it, and she could feel that he was rock-hard through his shorts.
The sensation of being naked beneath him was incredible, and Kelly stared up at him as he feasted his eyes on her body, his eyes roaming her full breasts. He lowered his head, taking one of her nipples in his mouth so that he could lick and suck the sensitive bud, teasing her with his teeth.
She cried out, arching up beneath him as she whispered his name again and again. When one of his hands slid lower on her body, skimming over her hips and then teasing her inner thigh before he slid his fingers deep inside of her. She gasped, tightening around his fingers and moving her hips to take him deeper still.
“You’re so ready,” he breathed, looking up at her face with eyes filled with lust as his fingers continued to tease her. More eager than ever, she arched upward, urging him to take it even further. She was lying on her back, legs spread for him, and he moved over her, slipping his fingers from her damp folds and replacing them with his hard length.
The head of his cock teased at her, then slid all the way inside of her, filling her completely and making her cry out with pleasure. He was so big that he stretched her in the best possible way, and she took a long, delicious moment to savor the way he felt inside of her. Then she grinned up at him and thrust her hips upward, telling him that she was ready.
He grinned back, kissing her hard as he began to pump his hips, slowly at first and then gradually getting faster as their passion heightened. She dragged her hands down his back, grabbing his ass and pushing him against her, grinding her own hips up against his to bring herself even more pleasure. He must have liked it too because he buried his face in her neck, groaning against her skin. His tongue teased the sweet spot beneath her ear, making her tremble, then his teeth skimmed over her earlobe and she almost exploded.
But she wasn’t ready for it to be over, so she held back, focusing on every perfect moment of his body moving inside of hers. She could feel him growing, pulsing with desire, and it made her feel powerful and sexy to know that she had this sort of impact on a man like him.
Her moans grew louder and her body became more insistent. She knew that she wasn’t going to be able to hold her climax off for much longer, and she gave herself over to the pleasure coursing through her, moving faster and harder against him as he met her pace. Her climax hit her hard, sweeping over her with a cresting power that dragged her completely under. She trembled as she shattered around him, and his arms held her close as he followed her over the edge, spilling inside of her body.
Their moans mingled, their bodies slowly coming down from their mutual highs, and they lay there in each other’s’ arms, sweaty skin against sweaty skin.
“That was—incredible,” he murmured, and she smiled, easing back to look up at him.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to charge you for that one,” she said with a smirk, and he shook his head.
“I said I was sorry, and I meant it,” he said with a smile, and she nodded.
“I know, I just can’t help but tease,” she said with a laugh. She nestled against him and sighed, feeling complete. There was something different about this man, and though she wasn’t entirely sure what it was, she knew that she liked it.
She liked it very much.
Chapter Twelve
Blake
Blake woke slowly and rolled over onto his side. He stared at the indentation in the pillow beside his confusedly for a second before the evening’s red-hot events sped through his mind and he bolted upright.
“Kelly?” he called, not even sure what time it was. “Kelly!” He called her name repeatedly, flashes of their wild lovemaking racing through his mind as he looked around at the furniture overturned every which way, and his clothes in various parts of the room. But her things were completely gone, making it look as though she had never been there.
Confused and dismayed, Blake sagged back into the mattress and glanced over at her side of the bed again. Save for the dent on the pillow next to him, he would have wondered if he had dreamt the whole thing. Never in his life had he felt that kind of connection with anyone. He honestly didn’t even know if it was tomorrow or yesterday or if he’d slept through his usual appointment at the construction site.
For the past five years, he’d thought of himself as the responsible older brother of the three. But there was something about Kelly that had changed that for him. Something about the way she looked at him—the way she invited him to get into trouble with her—there was just something about her that drew him so irresistibly toward herself that he felt as though he couldn’t possibly say no.
He wanted to send her a text, to track her down and do her all over again, then have her do him, the way she had in the latter half of their night, riding him to a climax that had made him see stars. He wanted to find her and just hold her, like he had in between sessions, stroking the hair back from her face and smiling into those dreamy eyes. Damn it, he just wanted her, point blank, in every possible way.
And while he had no idea what to do with that, exactly, he couldn’t bring himself to worry. He wanted Kelly, and Kelly wanted him. They’d figure it out.
Smiling, Blake finally figured out the time—slightly past 9:00 a.m., so a little late to work, but only by a hair—and jumped in the shower. He ran through his morning routine and was about to head out the door when he heard a knock.
A smile lit his face, because nobody else ever visited his room beside Kelly. “I missed you, beautif—” Blake trailed off as he opened the door on a short, bald, stocky guy who was standing in the hallway. “Uh. Hi?”
“Hi,” the man said gruffly. “I’m looking for Kelly.”
Blake frowned. “Sorry, who are you, again?”
“Nolan Maxwell. Is Kelly here?”
“No.” Automatically, Blake felt a dislike for the guy. He looked completely normal; there was no reason for the feeling. But it was there, nevertheless, and he bristled. “Why?”
“She was supposed to meet me last night. The manager said he last saw her head this direction.”
Blake’s brow furrowed. “Meet you?”
“I’m her client,” the guy explained. “We see each other every Thursday night. Been doing it for years.” A sly grin touched his lips. “Hey. Are you her Wednesday? She never lets on about the other men.”
***
Something sick and cold twisted through Blake. If he’d been Hawk or Cole,
he probably would have smashed the guy’s nose wide open. But instead, he closed the door on Nolan’s face and locked it, ignoring the outraged yell.
At a total loss, Blake walked aimlessly around the room, trying to process Nolan’s words.
“Hey. Are you her Wednesday? She never lets on about the other men.”
So he’d been right all along. She was a prostitute, and she’d played him like a fiddle, making him believe that she was actually into him. In actuality, he was just another guy. In the back of his mind, he knew there was one huge piece of the puzzle that wasn’t making sense, but his brain was once again whirling, and he refused to acknowledge that element.
“FUCK!” Blake bellowed, hurling the phone across the room and watching it shatter against a wall. “What the hell are you thinking? Fucking one of the local girls—and not using protection!” She’d said she was on the pill, and he’d taken her at her word because he had so desperately wanted to be naked and buried balls deep inside her. And he had been, over and over again.
“Who knows how many men she’s slept with—or if she has anything as a result!” he raged. “You got yourself so caught up in the moment that you didn’t bother to ask her if she had anything, and now here you are—possibly with some sort of a disease. Wouldn’t that just make Hawk’s life.”
Truthfully, an STD was the last thing on his mind, but it was easier than focusing on his heartbreak.
The bottom line was, he’d overstayed his welcome in paradise. Period. Stalking over to the phone, Blake began to pick up the pieces, unsure if the thing would even work again. If not, no matter. He’d be leaving this island on the next flight. That was for damn sure.
Chapter Thirteen
Kelly
Kelly looked down at her phone, her heart sinking once more. She didn’t know why she hadn’t heard from Blake all day, and she was beginning to become annoyed—and even a little angry. It wouldn’t be the first time something like this had happened to her, but at the same time, it was never very easy to stomach. She felt that even if a guy wasn’t interested in seeing her again, he should at least have the decency to let her know.
But, in her experience with men, most of them found it easier to just vanish on her and never speak to her again, casting her off as though she was nothing at all to them. And every time it happened, it hurt. Sure, she didn’t expect them to marry her or even to have a long-distance relationship with her, but there was something about Blake that she had just thought would be different.
She’d really thought he was different from the other men who came breezing through—that he would at least give her the courtesy to let her know what was going on and what he was thinking, not just disappear on her when she became inconvenient.
Kelly looked up at herself in the mirror, trying to make sense of it all. She had left his hotel room early that morning because she’d promised to take another one of Miska’s shifts. She had argued with herself for a few minutes before leaving, trying to decide if it would be better for her to leave a note or a message, but she’d ultimately decided that it was better for her to simply leave and let him decide what he wanted to do with it.
She’d expected that once he’d gotten up and seen that she was gone, he would send her a text and at the very least tell her that he’d had a good time the night before.
Even now she felt sore from the intensity of it all, and she would happily choose to do it all again in spite of how she was feeling, if she was given the chance—but her phone remained silent. At last, the alarm went off, reminding her that it was time she got to work and start her shift, and with a sigh, she tucked it into her purse. She would no doubt see Blake at some time during the shift, but part of her hoped that she wouldn’t.
Unless he had a good explanation for not messaging her, she didn’t want to know what he would have to say to her. Or perhaps there was another reason he hadn’t. Maybe there was some issue with his phone. Maybe his phone had died in the night and he hadn’t had the chance to charge it yet. After all, how could he just ignore her after the connection they’d had? He’d felt it too. She was absolutely of it.
Maybe I should text him? she thought as she walked out the door and started for work. She didn’t want to think about Blake, but he was the only thing on her mind. Each cab that drove past her, she couldn’t help but look to see if Blake was the passenger, and each man she saw in a suit walking out of the building made her heart skip a beat—perhaps Blake was heading out to take care of that meeting he’d mentioned he had.
“Stop this right now!” she muttered to herself as she walked through the door and nearly tripped trying to see if a man who walked by happened to be Blake. She was losing her mind in the anticipation of it, and knew that if she was going to make it through the day without making a complete fool of herself, she was going to have to get this under control.
What was that about you not being a drama queen, Kelly? she thought grimly.
***
“I heard you went out on a date last night,” Annie said when she walked into the kitchen. Maria was washing dishes as usual, and she turned and grinned at Kelly alongside her friend.
Kelly felt her cheeks flush scarlet red, and she knew she was going to have to tell them how it had gone, though she wasn’t so certain she wanted to. Before she knew it, she was telling them each little detail of the night before—right up to when she’d left the hotel room that morning.
“Why did you leave?” Annie asked with a confused look on her face, and Maria put her hands on her hips, waiting for the explanation she already knew wasn’t going to be satisfactory. Kelly felt a new wave of doubt wash over her, and she tried not to be defensive, though it was clear that was what was happening.
“I don’t know. I didn’t want him to be freaked out that I woke up next to him or something. You know how men are—they act all cool one moment, then the next they get all freaked out like you’re trying to marry them or something!” She crossed her arms defensively, and both her friends exchanged a glance.
“How would you know what he’s thinking unless you were there to talk to him about it? He invited you to spend the night. I don’t think he would have been too surprised to find you still in bed with him the next morning, you know?” Maria asked as she looked back at Kelly.
Kelly could feel a knot in her stomach and silently prayed that she hadn’t made the wrong decision in leaving.
The truth was, she was scared of what was really happening with Blake. The fact that her friends thought she should have stayed with him that morning only made it more difficult for her to accept that she had just gotten up and left—and perhaps ruined her chances with the love of her life.
She had turned to walk out to the dining room, but stopped suddenly. Had she really just thought of him as the love of her life? Did she even know what that meant? How could this man she had only known a few days possibly merit that title? In all the men she been with over the years, she had never found one that she had considered herself to be in love with.
But, once again, there was something that was different about Blake. He had touched her in ways that no one else ever had before, and not just physically, either. She’d felt a sense of connection to him that she had never felt before in her life, and she wanted to know more. She wanted to feel as though she belonged with him, and that he felt the same way. Squaring her shoulders, she walked out to the dining hall with a greater confidence, ignoring her friends.
***
She did her best to get through the morning, but as soon as she had a free moment, Kelly grabbed her phone and slipped into one of the corners of the kitchen, away from everyone else. She debated for a moment, trying to decide if it would be better for her to call him or send him a text.
After a few minutes of debate, Kelly knew she was going to have to do something or forget about the whole thing, so she sent a simple text, hoping he would see it and respond to it quickly.
Hey, sorry I left so early this morning! I had to get home
and change before I headed back to work, but I wanted you to know that I had a great time last night. I would love to do it again! She read through the text several times before finally sending it, then she stood with her heart racing.
There was no indication that he was typing a response to her of any kind. She waited a few more minutes, doing her best to remain calm. As the minutes ticked by, the ache that had been her heart all morning turned into a lump of sadness in her throat, and she took a deep breath, trying not to let the tears that welled up in her eyes spill over onto her cheeks.
There had to be a good reason. She was being ridiculously dramatic, the exact kind of behavior she usually hated. There just had to be a good reason.
Chapter Fourteen
Blake
“I’m sorry, sir,” the lady at the airport counter said yet again. “There will be absolutely no flights out for the time being.”
He hated this damn airport and this whole damn island. Blake ground his teeth and stalked back toward the taxi stand, fists balled up into near knots of fury.
He was trapped. Literally trapped in paradise, by a hurricane that was apparently on its way, even though the sky was as blue as could be and the wind seemed just fine to him and Bubba had said hurricane season was over. But planes couldn’t take off, apparently, so now he was stuck on an island without a room, since he’d checked out earlier.
With nowhere else to go, Blake nevertheless had a cab taken him back to the hotel and sank down in a chair in the lobby, wondering where the guy who had been totally at peace with himself and the world had vanished to.
All he could do was pray that Kelly didn’t show up in the lobby with one of her men. He might just kill somebody, and the reason why was something he wasn’t about to acknowledge.
Dared to Love (The Billionaire Parker Brothers Book 3) Page 5