by Ella Frank
“Race you the last mile, Langley.”
He kept pace beside her. “What are the stakes?”
“Stakes?” she asked, looking a little confused.
“Yeah, what do I win?”
Letting out a quick laugh and breathing a little more heavily, she asked, “What makes you think you’ll win?”
“Answer the question, Lena. We’re coming up on the last mile marker.”
“Bragging rights?” she suggested quickly.
“Lame,” he told her, rolling his eyes.
She narrowed her eyes at him, knowing that he wanted more from her than bragging rights, and then a mischievous twinkle morphed in her eyes.
“Okay, then. How about winner decides, but no touching involved.”
Mason felt his heart pick up in his chest and nodded, confirming his approval as they rounded the bend to the marker that signaled the beginning of their last mile, which would take them down along the lake.
“Go!” she shouted, and took off. Damn, she was quick. She flew past him and he ordered his legs to get moving. They seemed to listen and started pushing him forward, closer to her delectable ass bouncing up and down in front of him. She sprinted round the slight bend at the halfway mark and he watched as she looked over her shoulder and winked at him. Oh hell, this woman was going to kill him. Picking up the pace, he started pumping his legs and pounding his way toward her. She thought she had him and he almost let her but no, victory would be his and so would she. Just as they got to the bridge, he passed her and came around the bend triumphantly hitting the marker where they’d started. He turned, heaving deep breaths, in and out, and saw her standing just behind him doing the same. She raised her eyes to his, flushed pink with sweat sliding down her temple. Putting her hands on her hips, she took in a deep breath and then shook her head.
“You don’t play fair,” she told him.
He walked over to her, feeling the sweat dripping down his back. “Excuse me? I won fair and square.”
She shook her head, pouting at him, “You won because I ran full out to the end. I tired and you took advantage and powered the last sprint.”
He burst out laughing at her. She was adorable in full sulk mode. “You, Dr. O’Donnell, are a sore loser.”
“Am not,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest like a ten-year-old. He bent down until they were nose to nose.
“Are too.” He kissed her quickly on the nose and then headed to the park bench to start his warm down. “And now I get to name my prize.”
Lena stood trying to catch her breath as she watched him look her over. She could only imagine what he had in store for her. She knew it was something devious, no doubt.
“Okay, Langley, enough with the suspense already. Spit it out.”
He walked over to her slowly and reached out, tipping her chin up. He grinned down at her and said plainly, “I choose a shower.”
She blinked once, then again. “Huh?”
“I choose to take a shower.”
Still looking up at him, she raised a brow. “I’ve got news for you. It’s not going to happen. I’m not showering with you. I said no touching.”
That was way too intimate. For her, it was more intimate than sex. Being close enough to trust someone with your health and care.
“I didn’t ask you to.” He bent down so they were inches apart, his finger still under her chin and said slowly, “I’m going to take a shower.”
Narrowing her eyes, still confused, she stated, “I don’t understand how that’s a reward. You could do that anyway.”
That’s when a wicked grin tugged on his lips and he nodded. “That’s true, but my prize is that you’ll be there to watch.”
He couldn’t have shocked her more than if he’d told her he was an alien. Who in their right mind demands someone watch them shower? A lunatic trying to drive her crazy, that’s who. She felt her face heat up and it had nothing to do with the five-mile run.
“What?” she managed to squeak out.
“I won, so I get to choose my reward. I need and want a shower and you’re going to watch.”
Sputtering, Lena managed to get out, “That’s kind of kinky, Langley.”
“Says she who offered to smack me on our first date.”
Lena felt like her whole body was on fire. Just thinking about his big body under water made her want to hyperventilate. The idea was outrageous, but so damn sexy she could feel herself getting damp between her thighs. He dropped his hand and moved back a step and Lena found herself looking him over. She was trying to visualize what exactly he was going to show her. Then her eyes found his and they were burning bright.
“So I’m what? Just going to sit there and watch you take a shower?”
He nodded slowly and then stepped in so close to her she could see a small drop of sweat bead up and slide down his neck and into the shirt. “Yes. I told you, Lena, that you make me want things I’ve never wanted. You make me want to do things . . .” he paused, took a deep breath, and then let it out. “Hmm. Things I would never normally do.”
Licking her lips, she asked, “And one of those things is take a shower?” It almost seemed ludicrous until he added, “In front of you.”
She swallowed slowly, sucked into the sensuality of the moment, and nodded. “Okay. It’s your choice. You won.”
He reached out and she placed her hand in his. “Yes. I certainly did.”
Chapter Twelve
Mason didn’t know what on earth had possessed him to choose what he had as his prize. All he knew was at that moment they had been standing there after the race, and she’d been looking at him with a sort of hunger in her eyes, he hadn’t wanted it to stop. So when she’d asked what he wanted, well, that was the first thing that had popped out. In all fairness to her, it was a little kinky, but damn the more he thought about it the more he wanted it, especially the thought of those hungry eyes travelling all over his naked body. They hadn’t spoken since they’d reached the agreement to his winnings at the park. Now that they were getting out of the elevator and about to go into his condo, he was wondering if she was trying to think of a way out. Sure, everything about them had been up and down from the start, but right now, he would’ve done anything to know if she wanted to bolt after his outrageous request. When they finally reached his front door, he unlocked it and pushed it open. She walked past him and the slightest musky scent emanated off her skin. Stopping in his large living room, she looked around at the huge open space.
“Wow,” she uttered. “The lobby was pretty intimidating, Langley, but this–this is something else,” she told him, moving into his main living space.
His condo overlooked some of the most breath taking views of Chicago, including Lincoln Park and Lake Michigan. It also happened to have the most spectacular skyline view he had seen when looking for a place to live.
His kitchen was his pride and joy, as any chef’s would be—stainless steel appliances, dark granite countertops, and beautiful hardwood floors. He loved his place and was happy to see that she was impressed.
“This place is amazing,” Lena told him.
He dropped his keys on a small table at the entrance and walked to her. She watched him carefully when he stopped in front of her. “Thanks. I like it.”
Turning away from him, she walked over to stop in front of two huge windows that overlooked the Navy Pier. He followed and stopped next to her. She was quiet for a moment, almost contemplative, and then she turned to look at him.
“So where’s your shower?”
He felt a dark and edgy feeling crawl over and into his skin. He smiled slowly at her. “Over here.” He motioned, turning and walking behind a partition that separated the main living space from the bedroom.
A huge king-size bed dominated the room and pushed up against the brick wall facing a floor to ceiling window. His place didn’t have any blinds because it overlooked a park, higher than the trees, so no matter what time of the day it was, you were always awar
e of it. Opening the bathroom door off to the side of the bed, he flicked on the light. Lena made her way over and walked through the door, brushing past him. The lights were on a dimmer, so he muted them and let her look around. Along the left side was the vanity with a mirror running all the way down the length of the wall from the entrance to the end wall. At the far end of the room was a huge double-headed shower with a glass wall partition and on the right side, opposite the mirror, was a whirlpool tub. The bathroom was decadent and that was before what he had planned for her. He looked over to see Lena biting her bottom lip hard. She looked tense and he could understand; he was feeling pretty stiff too, everywhere. Finally, she looked at him and there seemed to be determination in her eyes.
“Where do you want me?” she asked.
Reaching down, he took her hand and walked them further into the bathroom. At the end of the tub, he stopped and bumped her back a little to rest her delectable ass against the lip of it.
“Here,” he told her, urging her to sit.
She arched a brow at him and then nodded. Licking her lips, she asked, “Rules?”
He narrowed his eyes, looking at her, liking that she wasn’t running from the tension that was simmering between them like a pot of boiling water.
“You can’t touch me.”
Smirking a little, she raised an eyebrow. “Thinking an awful lot of yourself there, Langley.”
He took a step back from her, took his cap off, throwing it on the floor, and then reached down to peel his shirt off over his head, and he was pleased to see her mouth click shut.
Holy shit was all Lena could think as her hands gripped the edge of the tub on either side of her legs. There was Mason, standing a foot away from her, in nothing but sweat and running shorts. His built chest moved slightly as he breathed in and out. His ripped abs twitched as he held still. Okay, so he’d been right to enforce the no touching rule, because if she’d had it her way she would’ve been all over him like white on rice–the man was spectacular. She looked up to meet his eyes and he had such a fierce look about him that she was almost scared, until he smirked at her and turned to walk over to the shower. He stepped behind the clear glass partition and twisted the knobs. As the water started to spray, she watched him come back around and walk over to her. He leaned in and cupped a hand around the back of her neck.
“What happened to no touching?” she asked quickly.
“I said you can’t touch me,” and with that he covered her mouth with his. She was sure she lost some brain cells when she felt his tongue drag across her closed lips. Sighing, she parted them willingly as her hands gripped the tub harder. She heard him groan and felt his tongue slide in deep against her own. He slanted his mouth, squeezed the hand around her neck, and kissed her as if it were the last thing he’d ever do. All the kisses they’d shared previously had seemed hot and sexy until this one. As his mouth ravaged hers, the only word she could think of to describe past kisses was tame. This man was devouring her. He bit her bottom lip and gripped her neck as he dove back in and tangled their tongues.
Groaning again deep into her mouth, he finally pulling back. She was breathing so hard she was surprised her heart didn’t beat right out of her chest. His breathing was also labored as he took a step back, gripped the sides of his shorts and whatever was underneath, and pushed them right off. Now she knew she’d lost some brain cells. As his huge erection came into view, Lena felt a warm damp slide of moisture between her legs. Oh yes, she’d been well on her way from that brutal kiss, but seeing his thick muscled legs and that amazingly hard cock pointing straight up at his navel, she almost climaxed on the spot. He stood still as she looked him over. Her breathing was harsh and her hands were actually starting to ache as she dragged her gaze up to meet his. His jaw was clenched tight and his nostrils were flaring with every breath he took. She noticed that his hands were also clenched.
Lena licked her lips, took a deep breath, and then said, in a much calmer voice than she was feeling, “Well, you better get in there before you get cold.” She let her eyes glance down suggestively at his hard-on.
A smug look crossed his face as though he knew how difficult this was for her. “Wouldn’t want that, would we?”
Nodding stiffly, glued to the edge of the tub, she tried to smile but knew it looked strained. “No. Cold water causes shrinkage.” She sucked in a quick breath, not quite believing she’d just said that.
He looked down at himself, then back at her, and raised a brow. “I don’t think that’s gonna be a problem. Do you?” and with that parting shot, he turned around and made his way to the shower, giving her an awesome view of a tightly muscled ass.
Mason stepped under the spray and let the warm water slide down over his hair and face. He couldn’t believe he’d managed to walk away from her after the way she’d looked him over as though she wanted to eat him. He swore as he moved away, trying in vain to convince himself that this was not about the final act but to tease her, to drive her crazy, even if that would mean driving himself insane in the process. Closing his eyes, he tilted his face up to enjoy the feel of the water when he heard the pipes groan and creak as the water pressure shifted. Opening his eyes, he looked to where he’d left Lena. She was now at the middle of the tub, turning on the faucet there, with her hand under the water monitoring the temperature. She was still looking at him with an expression that made him want to drop to his knees. Lust. She’d been hot and bothered the night on the stairs, but the alcohol had been pushing her responses along and the night of their first date had been about discovery. It had been fun and flirty. Right now, she was full of hot, hungry, raw lust. She straightened up and walked over to the shower, looking over his wet body as though she wanted to smash through the glass wall and climb all over him.
Maybe he’d been wrong and this game was ridiculous. Maybe he should just turn the water off, come around the side, and take her. She then lifted both hands palms up and placed them flat on the glass as if she were peering in through a window. He was hard as a steel rod and completely naked for her.
Softly he heard a “Shhh,” as she raised one of those hands to put a finger over her lips. She licked her top lip, took a step back, and looked him over again with those heavy lust-filled eyes. He thought he was going to explode. Reaching down, she grabbed the hem of her shirt and took it up over her head, much as he’d done, and then tossed it on the floor. He stood glued to the floor when she reached up behind her and unclipped her sports bra. His mouth fell open and his eyes couldn’t help but zero in on all the creamy flesh she’d just put on display. Reaching down, he stroked a hand over his aching cock and he noticed her eyes flick down to watch his movements. He was about to stop when he thought, what the hell? At this stage, he needed some release. Reaching behind herself, she tugged the elastic out of her hair, letting it fall down her back and over her shoulder. Then she smiled the dirtiest smile he’d ever seen and turned around, shaking her hair out down her back. Swiping at the fogged glass, he watched, hypnotized, as she bent over in half and peeled off those amazing fucking running pants and tiny panties. Holy shit she was sexy. She stood, after kicking off her shoes and pants, and walked back to the tub. Her hair swayed behind her and just lightly brushed the curve of her ass as she turned off the water. She climbed in the tub, lying down on her back, so she was facing him in the shower.
Lena didn’t know when she’d come up with the idea to turn the tables on him, but now as she leaned back in the tub and could see him standing in the shower stroking his hard cock, she had to admit the idea had been pretty damn amazing. He was looking at her with such intensity she was sure he was going to come around the glass to get her. However, as he watched her with heavy hooded eyes and stroked his hard flesh with his hand, he licked his bottom lip and waited. She’d decided in her mind if she was going to do this, she would not chicken out. So as she looked directly at him, she lifted her left leg up to the edge of the bath and slid her hand down onto her chest, fingering her nipple.
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It was amazing how much could be said in dead silence because she could almost hear Langley shouting at her not to stop, as his face took on a deep frown and his eyes watched her fingers with hawk-like intensity. She watched him stroke faster as she teased her nipples and moaned softly in her throat. Licking her lips and sucking a few drops of moisture inside her mouth, she lifted her gaze back to the hot horny man watching her and found she was so turned on she didn’t even care that she was masturbating in front of him. She looked at his hand as he slid it up and down his hard cock. He then brought his other hand up to brace himself against the glass.
Mason was about to explode. Literally, he could feel the blood rising in his cock and head. Lena was lounging back in his tub tugging on her nipples, with one leg up on the side of the tub, showing him the best view in the whole entire world. Her eyes were locked with his at that moment and when she smiled at him with the sexiest, cheekiest look he’d ever seen, his eyes dropped down and watched her other hand dip below the surface of the water. He was starting to curse the fact that he couldn’t see below the water until he heard a loud cry echo through the bathroom. His eyes flew up to her face. Her mouth was parted and her eyes were clouded as she bumped her hips up and ground her hand down between her spread thighs. He was so fucking turned on he was surprised he hadn’t pulled his cock off. He was tugging on it so hard watching her pleasuring herself that he’d stopped giving a shit about how hard he was pulling and was only interested in release. He let out a groan as her eyes stroked over his body and zeroed in on his cock. She blinked languidly as she squeezed and pinched a nipple and moaned loudly. Then she started really thrusting those hips of hers and he knew she was close. He stroked in time with what she was doing and when she screamed out it was his name that flew off her lips. That alone made him explode all over the glass shower wall.
Lena kept her eyes closed for a moment while her breathing calmed. She felt amazing. She couldn’t believe what she’d just done with Mason. When she heard the shower turn off, she held her breath and opened one eye. Mason walked over to the towel bar, snagged a big white fluffy towel, and wrapped it around his lean hips. Then he ran his hands back through his hair and his eyes found hers. With nothing to cover herself, she tried to remain dignified by sliding her leg back down into the tub as she watched him walk toward her. When he got to the spot where her head was lying he stopped, and remarkably kept his eyes on her face.