“Are you kidding me right now?” I dropped my forehead against the top of the bar and squeezed my eyes shut.
When I lifted my head again, the bartender slid both of the shots in front of me. “Here, I think you could use the extra one more than the bachelorette needs another drink.”
“No fair,” Maria cried as everyone gathered around us.
“Trust me, she needs it if she landed the big boss. Especially if she’s a virgin.” He wagged his brows at me. “There haven’t been any women linked to him in all the time I’ve worked here. He’s bound to have a lot of sexual frustration to work through.”
I gulped down the first shot in one go before muttering, “I can't believe this is happening.” I wagged my finger at Maria. “And it’s all your fault. If you hadn’t given me that stupid dare, I never would’ve found myself in this position.”
Maria grinned at me. “What position would that be? Flat on your back under the big boss?” Her eyes went wide as though she just realized what she’d said, and she turned to the bartender to ask, “What did you mean when you called him the big boss?”
He opened his mouth but snapped it shut before saying anything. I figured he was worried about filling me in on who Zack was in case I didn’t know, and I took pity on him. “It turns out that the mystery man I kissed on the sidewalk last night is a millionaire who owns this hotel and casino.”
“Billionaire,” the bartender softly corrected.
“You lost your virginity to a freaking billionaire?” Maria breathed in shock before snatching the other lemon drop shot. She lifted it and said, “Here’s to hoping that what happens in Vegas doesn’t stay here. It’d be a damn shame for you to leave the billionaire behind after a weekend fling.”
“I didn’t lose my virginity,” I hissed.
“You can’t really blame me for thinking you did.” She waved her hand at me. “Not when he carried you off and then you come back looking like you had your first orgasm.”
“You can climax without having sex,” I pointed out with an eye roll.
“A sexy billionaire made you come and stopped there without taking your virginity. What in the hell are you doing here with us?” one of the bridesmaids asked.
“She’s so right. Go find your hot guy,” Maria urged as she nudged me toward the door. “The best present you could give me this weekend is to have as much fun as possible and tell me all about it later.”
We both knew I wasn’t going to give her all the dirty details, but I still took her up on the offer.
8
Zack
I leaned against the wall next to the door leading to the kitchen and tried not to look like an obsessed stalker. But I couldn’t take my eyes off the room where Amelia was drinking shots with her cousin. The instinct to barge in and “kidnap” her again was getting stronger, and the only thing holding me back was knowing it would make me look like a jackass to my girl if I dragged her away from this special time with her family.
My staff was giving me a wide berth while I stood there brooding. Normally, I would never want to be unapproachable to my people, but I’d never been in this situation before. In my sexually frustrated and almost desperate state, I was the last person anyone would want to talk to.
My brain and dick were still battling over our options when Amelia suddenly pushed away from the bar and headed toward the door. She stepped outside of the room, and her eyes swept the interior of the restaurant. I straightened and prowled in her direction. She was likely looking for me, but it didn’t matter. My body won the argument, and I was determined to whisk her away to somewhere we could be alone.
She spotted me when I was a few feet away, and while her cheeks bloomed with a soft shade of pink, her lips curved up into a seductive smile. My cock immediately responded, and I was forced to alter my gait to make my movements less painful. Fuck, I wanted her. I wanted to sink inside her heat and take us both over the edge. But I also wanted to be surrounded by her sweetness. Hear her laughter. I wanted to learn everything about her because she fascinated me on every level.
Once I was in front of her, I silently held out my hand, giving the illusion that she had a choice. I was prepared to throw her over my shoulder and haul ass, but a smile stretched across my face when she placed her palm in mine. I lifted her hand to my mouth and pressed my lips to the back. Then I released it to put my own on her lower back and walked beside her as I guided her to the back of the restaurant. The heat of her skin burned my fingertips through the thin fabric of her dress. Damn, I could only imagine the fire that would rage between us when our bodies were finally pressed together with no barrier.
We emerged from the kitchen, and I debated for half a second whether to take her up to the penthouse where I could have her naked in minutes or take her home. As soon as the question entered my mind, the answer was right on its heels. My suite wasn’t a fuckpad. In fact, I’d never taken a woman there. However, I didn’t want Amelia to feel for even one moment that she was a hookup or a one-night stand. She was special and bringing her home would show her how serious I was about us. Besides, it would be her home soon as long as she liked it, so it would be as good a time as any to see if I needed to put my house on the market.
With slight pressure on her back, I urged her to turn left and walk to a set of double doors that led to an underground garage where my car was parked. Amelia kept sneaking glances at me, looking up through her lashes. It was cute as fuck, especially when her cheeks turned crimson each time she realized I’d caught her looking.
We reached my Maserati, and I reluctantly removed my hand to touch the door handle so it would unlock. I opened it and helped her slide into the seat before swinging it shut and jogging around to the driver’s side. After getting in and settled, I started up the car and drove toward the exit. I reached over and laced my fingers with hers, then brought our hands to my mouth and kissed hers before resting them on her thigh. This was going to be the longest fifteen minutes of my life.
“Where are we going?” Amelia asked softly. She sounded curious rather than afraid since she’d just driven off with a man who was almost a stranger. Although, once I’d had my mouth on her delicious pussy, I was pretty sure I wasn’t classified as a stranger anymore.
“Home,” I told her simply, flashing her a warm smile.
She raised an eyebrow, but her lips curved up to match mine. “You don’t live at The Artemis?”
I shook my head, then looked at her when I stopped at a red light. “I didn’t want to raise my daughter in a hotel.” I shrugged and gave her a lopsided smile before turning back to watch the road as I began to drive again. “Besides, I prefer the comfort and privacy of a home to room service and valet parking.”
Amelia laughed, and while the sexual tension between us didn’t dissipate, the atmosphere became more relaxed. “I can understand that. My family traveled a lot when I was growing up, and I loved it, but I was always happiest when we returned home.”
“Would you like to travel more?”
“I wouldn’t mind it. It’s always fun to have unique foods to write about. But it’s also nice to be able to do my job locally, especially if I have kids one day.”
“You’re a food critic?” She was becoming more and more interesting with everything I learned about her. I doubted she’d noticed the slight tone of longing in her voice when she mentioned kids. I almost corrected her “if” to “when,” but I decided against it because I feared she’d clam up and stop being so open.
“Sort of. I’m a food blogger. There’s some critique in my work, but I rarely post negative reviews. I focus on the things that make me happy and that I believe my readers will enjoy. Recipes, tips, and tricks I’ve found while cooking, attempting to make new things. That’s always the most fun, even when I completely screw it up.” She giggled, and it spread warmth through my chest. “I think people like to know they aren’t the only ones who mess up in the kitchen.”
I wanted to keep asking her questions, but I’d turned onto the
road leading to our home and stopped to punch a code into the tall, wrought-iron gate. “0615,” I told her. “Delia’s birthday.”
Amelia gave me a strange look, but before she could explain, the gate swung open, and she gasped, staring out the windshield with her mouth hanging open. “This is your house?”
“Do you like it?” I navigated around the circular drive before turning onto a connecting driveway that took us to the five-car garage on the side of the house.
“It’s gorgeous,” she breathed.
I’d lucked out when I found the eleven-thousand-square-foot house that was a mixture of Mediterranean and Tuscan design. The owners had raised a family there, but once the kids were grown and they’d retired, they wanted to downsize. It wasn’t a showpiece, and while there were rooms obviously meant for adults, none of the spaces felt like a museum. With a game room, theater room, kids’ playroom, a cozy den, and an outdoor area with a firepit perfect for making s’mores, it had clearly been built for a family. The entire pool area was surrounded by a tall safety fence, but when Delia had been a small child, I was particularly fond of the small wet area where little kids could play in shallow water. Its proximity to my hotel was just another perk, and it had made it much easier to be home when Delia left for school and came home in the afternoon.
Delia and I had loved living there, but at times, I wondered why I’d bought such a big house for two people. As I took Amelia’s hand and helped her exit the car, it hit me that somewhere deep inside, I was planning for this house to be full one day.
Amelia continued to peruse her surroundings with awe as we entered the house. I thought about offering her a tour, but once she was in my space, all I could think about was making sure she stayed there. I intended to get to work right away on making those babies to fill every bedroom in our house.
I shut the door and set the alarm before prowling over to Amelia like an animal locked onto the scent of its prey. She’d been ogling the double ovens, but she must have sensed me because she spun around just as I closed the distance between us. With my hands firmly grasping her hips, I yanked her into my body, and my lips crashed down onto hers.
9
Amelia
From the moment I spotted him on the sidewalk, there’d been something about Zack that I couldn’t resist. Each of the kisses we’d shared had been mind-blowing, but this one took my reaction to a whole new level. “You’re a dangerous guy, Zack.”
“Never to you, beautiful. You’re always safe with me,” he promised.
I meant to explain that he was a threat to my virginity, not my well-being, but I lost track of my thoughts when he bent low to slide his arm under my knees and carried me bridal style through the house. From what I could see, the rest of the place was as gorgeous as the kitchen. Not that I was surprised, considering the gate, the impressive grounds, and the spacious house. None of it mattered, though. All I could focus on was Zack.
He lowered me onto the mattress of his king-sized bed and crashed down on top of me. His lips captured my mouth in another passionate kiss, and we were both panting for breath when he lifted his head to press kisses along my jawline. His hand cupped my breast, his thumb caressing the pebbled nipple through my dress. My back arched, pressing it deeper into his palm. “You’re so fucking perfect.” His gaze scanned me from head to toe. “Even more beautiful now that I’ve finally got you where you belong.”
“Finally? We just met two days ago.” My voice hitched at the end when he slid his hand under the neckline of my dress.
“That might be true,” he conceded as he tugged the sheer material down to get better access to my cleavage. “But I’ve been looking for you my whole damn life, Amelia.”
“You do realize that saying stuff like that makes you even more dangerous.” Not just to my body. To my heart, too. I was starting to believe he really meant that he wanted more than just a weekend fling while I was in town.
“What about when I do something like this?” he asked, moving down my body to slide the hem of my dress up my thighs. When he got the material up to my hips, he commanded, “It’s time for you to drop those pretty panties for me.”
When he’d fixed my clothing back in his office and talked about the next time he got me like this, I hadn’t really thought it would ever happen. I’d never been happier to be proven wrong about something than I was at this moment with Zack’s body hovering over mine. “Give me a little room,” I requested as I lifted my hips off the mattress.
Zack levered off my body, and I tugged my panties down until I could kick them off.
“Thanks, beautiful.” He nudged my legs apart as he positioned himself between them. “Perfect for me to get another taste of you.”
Using two fingers to open my lips wide, he licked up the center. My hips jerked up at the touch of his tongue, and his hands gripped my upper thighs to hold me down as he groaned. “I’m already addicted. I’ll need to get my fix every day from now on.”
If he gave me more mind-blowing orgasms like the one in his office earlier, I’d be more than willing to splay myself out and let him feast whenever he wanted. In a lucky coincidence, I was pretty sure I was already addicted to the pleasure his mouth could give me. Pressing my head back against the pillows, I focused on the feel of his tongue circling my clit. When he worked a finger inside me, my pussy clenched around it.
“I’m so close already,” I admitted as my body went taut.
His only response was to suck on my clit harder before he bit down gently. The little pinch of pain sent me flying over the edge. My hips jerked up again, and he replaced his finger with his tongue. I rode his face until the last of my orgasm passed, and then he rose to his knees.
My head was reeling from my climax, and I had a difficult time focusing on Zack as he slid his zipper down to free his cock. His dark eyes burned into mine as he demanded, “Tell me you want me inside you as much as I need to be there.”
“Yes,” I gasped as my legs wrapped around his hips, lining us up perfectly. His hard length pressed against my core, and my head finally cleared enough for me to remember I needed to tell Zack something important. Wrapping my hands around his biceps, I whispered, “You should probably—”
Before I finished my confession, he drove inside in one powerful thrust. I let out a little yelp, and he dropped his forehead against mine. “Fuck,” he groaned, his dark eyes burning into mine. “I’m so sorry, beautiful. If I’d known you’d saved your cherry for me, I would’ve been gentler this time around.”
“It’s okay. I don’t know that there’s a good way to do this, no matter what,” I reassured him, remembering the horror stories I’d heard from friends about how awful losing their virginity had been.
“Give yourself a little bit to get accustomed to me, and I’ll prove you wrong,” he promised before capturing my mouth in a deep kiss.
By the time he lifted his head again, the pain was a faint memory. I wiggled my hips and felt a tingle of pleasure race up my spine. “You might be right about that.”
“Of course, I am. How could I not be when you’re so fucking perfect?” He slowly withdrew. “Tight.” Then he plunged back inside. “Wet.” He stared down at me as he pulled back again. “And all mine.”
His control seemed to snap on the last word, and he kept repeating it as his rhythm sped up, pushing me closer to the edge. “Come for me,” he growled. “Now.”
I flew apart, crying out his name as my body convulsed around him. My pussy clamped down around his hard length while I saw stars burst behind my eyelids. His body shuddered, and he groaned, “Your pussy feels too damn good strangling my cock. I didn’t have a chance in hell of lasting any longer.”
He rolled onto his back, and I cuddled into his chest. “You won’t hear me complaining, not when you gave me two orgasms of my own.”
“Rest up, beautiful. The night’s not over yet.”
I mentally cursed my internal alarm clock when my eyes popped open at eight o’clock the next morning. Zac
k has woken me up twice throughout the night, so I hadn’t gotten much sleep, but once I was up, there was no going back to bed for me. Since he was still knocked out—and who could blame him when he’d done all the work each time we’d had sex—I slowly slid out from under his arm and rolled off the mattress. After tiptoeing into the bathroom and freshening up a bit, I stole a T-shirt and boxers from the top drawers in his massive walk-in closet. Then I headed to the kitchen to explore his top-of-the-line appliances.
I had my head buried in the Viking double oven when a feminine voice startled me.
“Are you going to be my new stepmom?”
My head banged against the top of the oven at her question. “Ouch,” I grumbled as I stood and turned to find the girl from the picture on Zack’s desk—his daughter—standing near the refrigerator.
“Sorry about that.” Her lips curved up in a grin, and her dark eyes—so very much like her father’s—gleamed with humor. “I didn’t stop to think about how I might’ve startled you.”
“It’s okay,” I reassured her with a smile, my hand dropping back to my side. “I think it was what you said more than anything else.”
Her gaze dropped down to The Artemis logo on the shirt I’d borrowed, making me acutely aware that it had to be obvious I’d come from her dad’s bed since I was wearing his clothes. “In my defense, my dad has never brought anyone home with him before. So, it’s not as though my leap to that conclusion was super huge.”
“I don’t even know what to say to that.” It wasn’t as though I could give a big whoop of joy over her confirmation that I really was special to her dad without scaring the poor girl, no matter how much I might want to.
“How about we introduce ourselves?” she suggested. “I’m Delia, Zack’s daughter.”
“And I’m Amelia,” I replied.
“Amelia and Delia. I like it!” Her grin grew wider. “But we might need to get creative with other names.”
Vegas, Baby: Complete Series Page 52