by Amy Lamont
He leaned forward and removed his hands from his pockets, reaching for the other glass. But before he could move so much as an inch, I aimed a dirty look at him and drained the second glass, too.
He raised an eyebrow and finally, finally, there was the hint of some emotion. Okay, so it was amusement, but at this stage I’d take it.
“Did you drag me in here to have your way with me, Miss Silver? Need more fodder to feed your writing?”
His sardonic tone made me want to punch him. I took a step forward and put my face up close to his, the three glasses of champagne fueling my courage.
“It’s Miss Glover.” My jaw clenched as I all but spit the words at him. “And I don’t write about my sex life in my columns.”
“Don’t test my patience by lying, sweetheart.”
I threw my hands up and then almost clocked him as I dropped them again. “I give up. Think what you want. I’m a femme fatale out to put another notch on my bedpost.” I couldn’t help the snort that broke from me at the ridiculous words leaving my mouth. “I saw you sitting at the bar all innocent and decided to have my way with you. I planned the whole thing.”
“You were the one with the innocent act—all starry-eyed wonder as you looked at Christmas decorations.” He shook his head. “I guess the only one I have to be angry with is myself. I’ve long since given up believing in Santa Claus, but somehow I missed the fact you were a phony out to fuck a rich guy so you could write about it.”
His words hit me like bullets to my chest and I stepped back from him until my back connected with the pantry door. My head dropped and when I spoke, my words came out on little more than a whisper. “First of all, I didn’t know who you were, other than a guy named Nate, until after the fact.”
His chuckle held no amusement. “Do you think I haven’t heard that before? It’s the same song every gold digger sings when they try to get their hooks into me. I’ll admit, you were better than most. Can’t wait to read the article. What’s this one going to be called? ‘How to Bag a Billionaire’?”
My breath left me in a gasp. “I don’t write about my sex life.”
“I looked through your clippings. Very impressive list of sexual conquests you have.”
His words startled a chuckle out of me. “You think I did all those things? That I’m writing about my own experiences?” I laughed outright. “That’s hysterical.”
“Forgive me if I fail to see the humor.”
I shook my head. “No, you wouldn’t see it. But my friends would laugh themselves silly over this. My sexual exploits, as you put it, wouldn’t get me a syndicated column. Hell, they wouldn’t get me two inches in the letters to the editor section of a men’s magazine.” I paused for a second before looking up at him. “Well, except for the hours I spent with you. But I would never write about that.”
He narrowed his eyes. “And I’m supposed to believe that? I’ve read your articles, Emma. There’s no way you made those up.”
Heat flooded my cheeks. “They aren’t all entirely made up.”
“No, shit.”
I shook my head. Why bother explaining all this to him? God, what kind of hold did this man have on me? I stared at him, long and hard, trying to be impartial and see if he was worth the trouble.
I’d really only known him for a few hours. I’d spent more time with my dentist than I’d spent with this man. Maybe I should just let him go, let go of the idea of him I’d been clinging to since that night over two weeks ago.
“You know what? It really doesn’t matter. If you’re worried about being featured in one of my articles, you can send me a nondisclosure agreement. I’ve turned two stories in since our night together, and I’m sure you’ll have no trouble finding out the topics of those have nothing to do with you.” I shook my head and turned toward the door. “You have nothing to worry about. Please don’t feel like this is hanging over your head.”
I twisted the doorknob, but before I could open the door, Nate moved. A soft gasp escaped me as he placed his hand over mine and pressed himself firmly against my back. I had nowhere to move.
I turned my head to look over my shoulder. “Wh-what are you doing?”
“Oh, sweetheart, I think you know very well what I’m doing.” He pressed soft kisses against the nape of my neck.
A jolt went through me and every nerve ending sat up and begged for more. But confusion still clouded my thoughts. I pushed back with my hips in an attempt to escape, bracing my hands against the door.
He groaned and nipped my neck.
Okay, not the reaction I was going for. I spun and his arms slid around my waist as he continued to lay kisses on my neck and jawline. I flattened my palms against his chest and held in my own groan at the feel of his hard muscles as I pushed. “Nate, stop!”
He lifted his head and stared down at me, but didn’t move back or let me go.
“What’s going on? A minute ago you were pissed at me and now…” I flipped my hand back and forth between us. Thoughts tumbled through my mind, so fast it made it hard to pick one out from all the others, but one thing was very clear. “I can’t do this again. If I learned anything that night with you, it’s that I’m not a one-night stand kind of girl.”
The corners of his mouth tipped up. “Since this would be our second time together, by definition, it’s no longer a one-night stand.”
I smacked my hands against his chest. “You know what I mean. Casual sex is not my thing.” I stared up at him, letting all my guards down so he could see I meant it. “Not at all.”
He pulled me closer, one hand warm against my back and the other resting at the top of my ass. “Yeah, that’s becoming clear.”
I stared at him for a long moment and then gasped at the warmth in his eyes. I shook my head. “I don’t understand. You-you left that night. And it’s a total coincidence we’re here together. You never gave me a second thought except to be pissed because you thought—”
He pressed his mouth to mine, kissing me hard and fast before he pulled back. “Sweetheart, it’s not a coincidence. I knew you would be here tonight.”
I blinked. “You did?”
“I did. I looked into you. At first, I admit, it was because I was pissed. When I saw your press pass, I thought you played me.”
My eyes popped open wide and my head moved back. “Seriously?”
He chuckled. “Seriously. I thought it was all a setup.”
I shook my head. “I had no idea who you were that night. You were a guy I met in a bar.”
“I’m starting to see that.”
I stared up at him. “You are?”
He laughed softly. “I am. I wanted to come here tonight to let you know I’d go after you with everything I had if you printed word one about our night together.”
I shook my head but when I opened my mouth, he placed two fingers over my lips.
“Talking to you for two minutes, Emma, I started to think that nobody could be that good an actress. And then you offer to sign a nondisclosure to put my mind at ease...I know I wasn’t wrong about you.”
“Wrong about me?” I whispered.
“I told you at the Hotel Wynter. I don’t pick up women in bars. My dates are carefully chosen for certain qualities, including their discretion. Since I’ve built my business I’ve made it a point to keep my personal life just that, personal.” He gathered me closer and leaned his forehead against mine. “I saw you staring at me in the hotel lobby.”
I pulled back slightly. “You did?”
“I did. I thought you were beautiful but not worth the trouble.”
My heart plummeted to my feet and I struggled against his arms. Not worth the trouble? I followed him into that bar and practically tossed myself in his lap after one glimpse of him, and his first thought was I wasn’t worth the trouble?
“Be still, Emma.” He gave me a gentle shake. “It didn’t take me long to change my mind.”
I froze and searched his intense gaze for the truth. What I saw
there made me stop the struggle and melt back into him.
“When you walked into that room and looked around, you were all big-eyed innocence. I thought the best actress on the planet couldn’t fake that.” He pulled me into him, tucking my face into his neck as he whispered the rest against my ear. “And all I could think about was burying my cock in you.”
“Nate.” His name escaped me on a breathless whisper, my fingers gripping his shoulders.
“I thought one night would be enough, but as soon as I had you the first time, I wanted more.” He moved his hand into my hair, his palm cradling my head. He used his hold to tilt my head back and he pressed teasing kisses on the corners of my mouth, up along my jaw and back to my ear. “I still want more.”
I shivered at his words. A small part of me urged me to ask him how much more he wanted. Just tonight? Another week? Another month? It sucked when he walked out of that hotel room. I wasn’t looking forward to feeling that way again.
But as his teeth scraped the spot under my ear, my body heated and one thought played through my mind. I could hear the words Jade spoke on the train on Thanksgiving night—adventure of a lifetime.
Whether this lasted one more night, one more week, one more month, I was going to make sure I had enough memories of this adventure stored up to last me a lifetime.
Chapter 10
I turned my head and captured his mouth with my own. He quickly took over, kissing me hard and stroking my tongue with his own. When he tore his mouth from mine, he left me gasping for breath. His hands slid around my sides, coming up around my ribs to cup my breasts. I dropped my head back against the door as he slid his thumbs over the peaks of each breast.
“There’s no lock on this door.” I couldn’t help but think of the waiters and other catering staff working in the kitchen, not more than a few feet from our hiding spot.
He grinned down at me. “We’ll have to improvise.”
I stood up on my toes to press hungry kisses against his jaw. “What do you have in mind?”
He moved his hands around to my back, sliding up until he found my zipper. He slid it down slowly. “Sweetheart, if you knew all the things I had in my mind, you’d probably run out of here as fast as your feet could carry you.”
I kept my eyes pinned to his as he slid the dress down my body and over my hips. It dropped to the floor, pooling at my feet.
I cleared my feet from the dress, kicking it to the side and leaning back against the door again. “You’ve read my articles, Nate. I have a vivid imagination, too.”
He chuckled and smoothed his hands down my sides, his gaze following his hands, and he groaned. “What are you wearing?”
I purposely bit my lip, looked up at him from under my lashes and reveled in my newfound confidence. This man wanted me. I saw it. I felt it. And I loved every second of it. I was thrilled I let Jade talk me into the black bustier and matching panties. “You like it?”
“Tease,” he whispered, as he moved in to claim my mouth again. His hands moved over my hips, pulling me hard against him and slipping a leg between mine.
His hands worked at my bustier, pushing it so that my breasts popped out over the top. He dipped his head down to take one nipple into his mouth. He sucked and licked the aching peak of my breast, and then pulled back and blew across it. I shivered and threw my head back as he shifted to give the same treatment to the other one. My panty-covered center ground down on his leg and a long, low moan escaped me.
He raised his head to whisper in my ear. “Shh, sweetheart, you don’t want anyone to discover us here.”
As he spoke, he moved his leg from between mine, only long enough to reach down and grasp the thin strings of my panties over my hips. With a quick jerking movement, he tore the panties from me.
An indecipherable sound ripped from me and he moved in close again. “No noise, baby, or I’ll have to stop.”
Before he finished speaking, he moved his leg up between mine again and returned to licking and nibbling my pebbled nipples. I bit down hard on my lower lip to keep any sounds from escaping. I might die right here if he stopped now.
I reached out to wrap my arms around his shoulders to steady myself as I slid my hips back and forth, grinding on his leg in a way that sent electric heat jolting through me. I moved my hands to the lapels of his jacket, determined to run my fingers over his bare sculpted muscles.
“Oh, no,” he said and stepped back a bit, making me lose contact with his leg. “This is all about you.”
His eyes burned as they raked over me, and I was suddenly very aware of how we looked. I stood in front of him clad in only my bustier which held my breasts up like they were being served to him, my thigh-high stockings and heels. All my important bits were on show for him.
He looked just as he had when I first spotted him this evening. Not a hair out of place, his tux jacket and black tie remained pristine. Two weeks ago standing naked and on display with a fully clothed Nathaniel Wilder would have sent me running, just as he said. But now, just the thought of it made my breath come in pants and wetness pool between my thighs.
“Please,” I said on a whisper. I needed his touch.
“Your wish is my command, sweetheart.” He leaned down and brushed his lips against mine in a gentle, almost chaste kiss. My eyes drifted closed.
He lifted his head and I could feel his breath against my lips. I used the tip of my tongue to lick them, tracing along the seam of his in the process. I shifted forward so the tips of my breasts just touched the rough front of his jacket, every sense on high alert.
“I can’t wait another minute to get inside you,” he growled.
My eyes flew open as he turned me in his arms. One hand moved to my back to push me slightly forward.
I didn’t need any more of an invitation. I leaned forward and braced my hands against the door. I trembled with need as I heard the metallic clip of his belt buckle followed by his zipper. A wrapper crinkled and I looked over my shoulder to see him rolling a condom down his long shaft.
He leaned forward and cupped my breast with one hand. He rolled my nipple between his fingers at the same time I felt his erection prodding my entrance. He leaned over my back and whispered, “Spread your legs for me, baby.”
I did as I was told and he rewarded me by sliding inside me to the hilt. I pressed my face against my arm to muffle the sounds that wanted to break from me and held on as he pulled out. His deliberate slowness allowed me to feel every inch of him until just the tip remained inside me. He thrust again, slamming into me, and I couldn’t help my whimper.
“Quiet,” he murmured. “Don’t make me stop.”
I bit the inside of my cheek and he moved again, picking up speed as he thrust in and out of me. His long length hit me in the perfect spot, over and over. I felt myself getting closer to losing all control when he whispered again. “Touch yourself for me, sweetheart.”
I leaned down further and kept one hand against the door, that and his hands at my breast and hip the only thing keeping me from tumbling down. I moved my other hand down between my legs and found my clit. I pushed it back and forth and I could feel him sliding in and out of me against the very tips of my fingers.
A white heat spread through my body as all those sensations took over. I kept playing with my clit as he picked up speed. I fought to hold on longer, but I couldn’t wait one more second. Something burst inside me and my wet core clamped down on him. My body rocked with my release and at the same time I could feel him shuddering behind me with a groan. Just as I feared my legs would give out, he scooped me up and held me against him, my back to his front. The chafe of his clothes against my skin sent another shiver skittering over my skin.
“I’ve got you, sweetheart.”
I laid my head back against his shoulder and gave him my weight as I waited for my breath to even out and my legs to steady themselves. He used one arm around my waist and another around my chest to keep me against him.
I turned my head so
my cheek rested on his shoulder and whispered, “I can’t believe we just did that.”
He chuckled, low and deep, and his arms tightened.
After a few minutes, I felt steadier. I twisted to face him, still in the circle of his arms. I raised my eyes to his. The warm affection on his face made my stomach turn over. And this time, I knew exactly what it was—excitement and no small amount of hope.
The feeling gave me strength. At least enough to ask what I really wanted to know. “What now?”
His lips turned up in the corners. “Well, I suggest we start by setting you to rights.” He slid his hands down and tugged my bustier back into place. “Though I will admit, that does seem like a real shame.”
I giggled. Giggled. I stood there, as near to naked as you could get, next to the hottest man to ever walk the earth, and I wasn’t searching for a sheet or scrambling into my dress. A Christmas miracle. I could feel the smile spreading across my face at the thought.
“You look happy,” he said.
I looked up at him flirtatiously. “I have to admit, I don’t have too many complaints at the moment.”
He grinned.
“But I guess you’re right. As much as I hate to end this,” I said as I stood on my toes and pressed a quick kiss to his lips, “someone might send a search party out if I don’t turn up soon.”
I pulled away from him and reached for my panties. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him dispose of his condom in a paper towel from one of the shelves and then drop it into a waste bin in the corner before readjusting his clothing.
I found my panties near the door, split in two. I held them up and made a face at him. “I guess these aren’t going to be of much use.”
“I’ll take care of those.” He pulled them from me and pushed them into his pocket. A thrill surged through me at the thought of him walking around the party, looking perfect and elegant and aloof, knowing my undies were tucked in there.
I wiggled back into my dress and did my best to smooth out any wrinkles. I turned my back to him and looked over my shoulder. “Zip me, please?”