by DRAYER, GINA
In the dark, Matt used his hands, feeling his way up her body. He didn't need the lights on for what he had planned. His fingers slid past the boot to her deliciously smooth leg, all the way up to her hip. The smell of her arousal filled the air, making his cock ache to be inside her. He grazed a finger through her fold, and she was right, her pussy was dripping wet.
Fumbling for the box of condoms he'd conveniently left on the side table, he made short work of it and slid inside her warmth without the usual foreplay. So much for the slow seduction he had planned for tonight. Their joining was hard and fast, leaving them both breathless and satisfied.
After, Matt took care of the condom, and collapsed back on the bed, kicking himself for the performance. The only thing he could be thankful for was that he'd taken the time make sure she'd come first before he'd completely lost control. He'd wanted tonight to last. But Christ, Beth was just so damn responsive. And vocal.
He wasn't sure what was more distracting, the soft, needy noises she made while he was fucking her or the way she let loose, throwing her head back and screaming her release. Either way, he could spend all night listening to her.
"Fuck," he sighed. "That wasn't how I saw our night ending."
"Hmm," she purred, stretching out beside him in a cat like fashion. "It was exactly how I wanted it to end."
It was still dark in the room. The only light, the faint moonbeams that filtered in through the windows, caressed Beth's still form. As she shifted on the bed, the light spilled over her, highlighting all the curves and valleys he still wanted to explore with his mouth.
"What I meant was I'd planned on taking my time. I don't want you to think my only speed is fast."
"I enjoyed fast," she said. "But next time we can give slow a try."
Next time. Matt stared at the ceiling and thought about next time. Tonight, the sex had been just as good as he'd remembered. No, good was too benign a word. The sex was fan-fucking-tastic.
He didn't want to wait for next time. What he wanted to do for the next hour or two, now that his lust was tamped down, was explore every inch of her hot, sweaty body with his lips until they were both ready to go again. But after the abrupt way she'd left last night, he wasn't sure what to expect from her. So instead of pulling her into his arms and tasting her again, he waited for Beth to make the next move. And waited.
It wasn't until he heard the soft, even timbre of her breaths, that he realized she'd fallen asleep. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, he found the covers—that had been tossed on the floor at the foot of the bed in the frenzy—and settled in beside her. Content to just hold her, Matt wrapped an arm around Beth and dozed off himself.
Sometime in the wee hours, he woke to find her mouth on him. This wasn't the first night he'd been woken up by a woman, but it was his first wake up blow job. Ripples of pleasure coursed down his length. He was afraid to breathe. Afraid he would break the spell or wake up, realizing it was just a dream. She proceeded to suck him deep into her mouth and it pushed him to his limits.
"I'm going to come if you keep doing that," he said on a sharp inhale of breath.
She drew back until he popped free of her lips. And he wasn't sure if he wanted to sigh with relief or beg her not to stop.
"We can't have that," she said. Retrieving the foil package for the nightstand, Beth straddled his hips and slid on the condom. "Not when it's my turn to be on top."
She leaned back as she rose and slid down his length. Matt reached out to support, but otherwise, let her set the pace, which, no surprise, was fast and hard. He wanted to tell her to slow down, that he wanted to explore and worship at the altar of her body, but he was already too far gone to get the words out.
When he knew he couldn't hold his release for another second, he slid a hand between their bodies and he found her clit, so they could come together.
"Right there," she gasped. "Don't stop."
She threw her head back rode him faster, taking extra care to grind her clit against his fingers. Her moans of pleasure grew louder, and for the first time he worried about his sister next door hearing them. Sensing she was close, Matt grabbed her shoulders and captured her scream of release with a kiss as he shuddered with his own climax.
For the second time that night, he collapsed in a spent heap and was just falling back to sleep, when he felt her get out of bed. Leaning up on his elbows, Matt watched her silhouette as she retrieved her clothes from the floor.
"Leaving again?" he asked. "It's late. You should just stay. I thought maybe we could get breakfast in the morning."
"I need to go. All I have is that mini-dress, if I can find it, and of course, these go-go boots." She pointed to the aforementioned boots, that she still wore after all this time, and laughed. "Not exactly suitable breakfast attire."
"I'll come by your room in the morning then." Hell, what time was it anyway? Was it already morning? "I thought breakfast would be a nice change."
"This morning… Well, yesterday morning was an anomaly. I'm an early riser. And besides I don't do much besides yogurt or fruit for breakfast. When I'm not working, I like to hit the gym first thing in the morning and then just take an early lunch. It would be better if we met up around dinner. That way, I'll get my workout and you can sleep in. You haven't had much sleep and I'd hate to be the one to interrupt your sleep, again."
She'd found her dress and pulled it on. He had seconds before she was out the door. "I don't mind getting up early, if it means spending time with you."
Now he sounded like a clingy lover, but, fuck, she was leaving. AGAIN. Was it too much to ask for her to spend the night and wake up curled against him? He wanted to see her in the early dawn's light. He wanted to enjoy slow, lazy morning sex after a good night's sleep. He needed to have her come against his mouth first thing in the morning so he could have her taste on his tongue all day long.
"Suit yourself," she said, flippantly, bringing him back to the present. "But you need to be at my room before seven. I'm not going to wait."
If she hadn't been halfway to the door, Matt would have pulled her back down to the bed to persuade her to stay with his mouth sucking on her clit. As he recalled, she really enjoyed that. Tomorrow, he thought. Tomorrow he'd take it slow. Really devote the time to pleasuring her, instead of just fucking.
And who knew? Maybe the key to getting her to stay was making her come until she couldn't move. Matt kind of liked the idea. He was ready to call her back and test that theory, but she was already at the door.
"Sleep tight, Matt. I'll see you tomorrow."
Beth had enjoyed sleeping curled up next to Matt entirely too much, but it wasn't the sleeping part that had her running for the door this time. No, it was the direction her rebellious thoughts had turned. Lying there next to him in the dark wide awake after having yet another fantastic orgasm, she started to think about the time they had left.
Would their passions continue to burn, hot and out of control? Would they cool to a slow simmer that would keep her constantly wanting him every second of the day? Or perhaps, it would end like her relationship with Robert. Like a flash fire, intense and hot at first, but gone almost before it had truly begun.
And after they parted ways? When they first met, he'd wanted her to call when she returned home. Was that still what he wanted? Was it what she wanted? How would they make it work with the distractions of life and obligations pressing down on them?
Her doomed relationship with Robert had taught her a few things. Most important was that long term didn't work with her lifestyle. There were too many things that got in the way.
And with that swirling in her head, Beth had to leave. There was going to be no after for them. This was it. This cruise, this vacation, was all they had. Trying to make it anything else was a one way ticket to heartache.
She needed to keep this casual. That meant no falling asleep in his arms and no daydreaming about a future that could never be.
And that's just how she'd carry on. O
ver the next few days, Beth fell into an easy rhythm with Matt. He'd bring her coffee in the morning, they'd grab a quick snack, and then work out together. Afterward, they'd part ways. She'd make an excuse about some activity she'd planned to attend and he'd play along, saying he had work to do. Inevitably, he'd ask her to a romantic dinner or to attend one of the shows. She in turn would refuse. But they'd meet back up for dinner with his family. And they'd always end the day back in his suite. She never stayed the night.
The whole dance was ridiculous. They spent hours together. They had sex every night, but the boundaries felt safe. The thought of staying the night with him or even a private dinner with him was too intimate. Too much like they were a real couple.
Even though she had a stranglehold on the intimacy, it didn't put a damper on the desire that burned between them. And each night her grip loosened. Their breakfasts spilled over into lunches. They'd meet for before-dinner drinks. She stayed a little longer in his room each night. By their fifth night together, she could feel her resolve weaken.
"I don't understand why you just don't stay," he said as she was getting dressed.
Beth was tempted, looking back at him stretched out, naked and unashamed. All she wanted to do was crawl back into bed and lick all those strong corded muscles. Was that so wrong? But she'd put up these walls for a reason.
"I think I'd like a Cappuccino tomorrow with extra sugar," she said, ignoring his comment. She slipped on her shoes and started the search for her missing purse. She couldn't remember if she'd tossed it onto the table when they came in or dropped it at the door, like she did most nights when they came in frenzied, tearing at each other's clothes.
"Stay tonight, Beth." he said. "I know you have to be exhausted. It's nearly two in the morning. I'll be down to your room in less than six hours."
By the tone of his voice, she could tell he wasn't going to let it go this time, so Beth came up with a diversionary plan. If she gave in a little, like maybe the private dinner he wanted, Matt would stop pushing. They only had six more nights together, and she didn't want this easy rhythm they'd developed to end.
"Not tonight," she said and bent down to kiss him, lingering a little longer than she should. Fuck. She was in trouble. Just a few more nights and then this would just be a pleasant memory. Something she'd never forget, for sure, but just another memory. "How about we do something different tomorrow? Could you meet me on the upper deck in the morning, instead of the gym? I haven't tried the rock climbing wall and I think it would be fun. And tomorrow, let's plan on dinner. Just the two of us."
Chapter 11
Modern Girl Tip #7: Be Spontaneous—Being cautious and setting boundaries doesn't mean you can't be spontaneous. Get out there and try new things, both in and out of the bedroom. Now's the time to spice things up. Go on an adventure or even try that one kinky thing you were always afraid to try.
It wasn't quite eight, and Matt didn't think he was late, but Beth was already geared up and stretching out by the time he'd arrived. He could have stayed there all morning and watched her, but she looked up and caught him staring.
"I was beginning to think you changed your mind."
"I was ambushed by my brother." Matt picked out a harness and helmet from the shelf. "He wanted to know if you were going to be joining the family for the wine tasting after dinner. I told him we had plans and wouldn't be joining them tonight."
"I didn't realize they would be expecting us tonight. We should just skip our dinner plans tonight. If there is a family thing." Beth stood up and tried to take the helmet out of his hands. "This thing between us shouldn't interfere with plans you already have. I can keep myself occupied this afternoon and I'll see you all for dinner."
"Oh no you don't." He pulled the helmet out of Beth's grasp and kissed her hard on the lips. "We've spent the last week having dinner with my family. I'd like to have you all to myself for a change."
Was the woman daft? Now that she'd agreed to have dinner with him alone, there wasn't a chance in hell he'd give that up. Except for their morning workout and that night at the club, she'd refused to spend any time with him alone. Unless it was in his bed.
"This trip is for your parents. You'll be home before you know it. And from what you've told me, you don't get much time away from work. Take the time now. Besides, you get plenty of time alone with me. What we've been doing has worked well and I'd hate to cause problems now."
"I'd much rather spend the entire evening with you. A beautiful woman beats out swan towels any day. Now, do you want to do the basic climb or the expert?"
"Swan towels?" she asked, wrinkling her brow. "You are a very strange man, Matt Carver."
"What?" he said with a shrug. "It's the truth. I'd suck at folding towels anyway."
Beth stood there with her hands on her hips, shaking her head. He couldn't tell if she was about to come up with another excuse or laugh at his absurd comment. She was adorable, and he wanted to pull her into his arms and give her a proper kiss.
"So about dinner tonight."
"Matt, you're going to defeat the purpose of having me around if your family hates me. Your mother will start pushing Kitty again, hoping to drag you away from this thoughtless woman you're dating. Is that really what you want?"
"Are you kidding? My mother loves you. She's been trying to pry details out of me since she met you. I could tell her I'm planning on spending the rest of the cruise locked in my cabin with you and she'd send water and food every few hours so I wouldn't have to leave. Besides, even before we started this, I wasn't planning on spending every second with them. Bridget has all these spa days and classes planned for the women. Jason and I were just going to hang out and drink. And the office keeps calling with work. Trust me. Spending the evening with you is a much better plan."
"How about we make this interesting," she said. "Why don't we race? The winner gets to decide on dinner tonight."
"Fine, but the dinner has to be the two of us, not my family."
"Deal."
Matt turned to the wall. Brightly colored hand holds were peppered across the faux rock in various patterns. The green was easy. The purple challenging. And the red was for experts. Matt could easily navigate that run. There were several indoor clubs in Chicago that he frequented. Besides running, it was one of the few sports he enjoyed.
"Your choice. I'm good with any of them, so you pick."
Beth tilted her head to the side, considering the wall. Damn she was cute when she did that. Matt wanted to skip the climb, the dinner, everything, and go back to his room and lock them in for the rest of the cruise.
Beth picked the expert course, and Matt almost stopped to make reservations at Sonnas for them now. Everyone in his family was competitive. Everything from sports to academics, and Matt was no exception. A gentleman might let her win, but this was his chance to get exactly what he wanted. And there was no way he'd give up that opportunity.
"Don't think that because I'm generous in bed I'll let you win," Matt whispered in her ear as he walked past and clipped the rope to his harness.
"Generous in bed? Weren't you the one begging last night," she quipped. "Just promise me you won't feel too bad when I beat you."
This competitive side of her was surprising, and fuck if he didn't find her challenging tone extremely hot. But then again, there wasn't much about Beth he didn't find appealing. He reached down to chalk up his hands, deciding that he would take it easy on her. It didn't matter if he won by a little or a lot. And if she thought the race was close, she'd be less likely to balk at his suggestion.
"On three," she said, finding her first handholds.
The high flush on her cheeks reminded Matt of the way she'd turned bright pink last night when she was on the edge and begging for him. He was so wrapped up in the memory, he missed her countdown. She was a good five feet up the wall before he even started.
He had known she was fit, but watching her move up the wall with grace and speed made him realize her workouts
weren't just for show. She used her long legs and flexibility to find the best positions. Often times using grips in positions he'd never attempt. And like the expert climber she seemed to be, when there wasn't a convenient place to put her foot, she'd use her arms to pull herself up a few more inches.
About a third of the way up the wall, Matt realized he'd not only underestimated her ability, he'd also set himself up for failure by letting her get so far ahead of him. Not because he wouldn't have been able to catch her, but because every time he looked up to find his next hand hold, he was presented with a fantastic view of Beth from below.
More often than not, he found himself watching her move instead of advancing up the wall. And in the end, she reached the top several minutes before him.
Sweaty and a little embarrassed by his performance, Matt finished the course and rappelled down the wall to join her where she was waiting.
"I'm not sure, but I think I was hustled."
"What? Me?" Beth placed a hand on her chest and batted her long eyelashes. "I would never."
"I'm not saying you didn't win fair and square, but—" Matt leaned in close so only she could hear "—I was a bit distracted by the view. I could see your black lace bra every time you pulled yourself up."
"Oh, my God. You couldn't. Could you? Do you think he saw?" She eyed the attendant with horror.
"Don't worry. I don't think he saw. Remember, I had a front row seat."
Nervously, she yanked at the hem of her short tee a little lower and started unhooking her harness. Grinning, he walked over to the shelf next to the climbing wall and put away his gear. It was cute that she was embarrassed. After the last few nights, he was beginning to think nothing phased her.
"So, it's lady's choice. What's it going to be for dinner? But remember you agreed, nothing with my family."