by Tina Beckett
Towing her behind him, he made his way through the thinning crowds toward the door. A surreal sense of anticipation began pulsing through her. The likes of which she didn’t think she’d ever felt before. Even with Kyle.
Of course, she’d never played games like this. With her ex...or anyone, for that matter.
Even as she thought it, she wondered if things had been leading toward this ever since he’d promised her that coffee. No even before that. When he’d talked about ordering those portable ultrasound machines that she’d wanted so badly. She’d been so thrilled. So happy. Because he knew how much she needed them and it was so thoughtful of him to look out for her department like that. Was going with him a product of that? No, she was pretty sure it wasn’t. More likely she’d been determined to show him that she could keep up with him just fine in the romance department.
Ha! Romance. No. This would be a single-use sexual encounter. Something she’d never done before. And would probably never do again.
They went through the door and he glanced back. “Were you hungry?”
Kind of late to be asking her that question, wasn’t it? “I’m starved.”
She tried her best to give the word a sensual subtext, but wondered if she’d failed miserably for a second, then he responded. “Good. Me too.”
He didn’t have to work at sounding sexy. That rough gravelly voice of his made everything he said sound like he’d just climbed out of bed after a long night of lovemaking.
She shivered. Would he sound like that after being with her too?
They made it to his car. “Do you want me to drive you to the hospital to pick up your vehicle?”
“Can we do that later? After...coffee?”
A sideways glance made her swallow. “As long as you’re okay with it being much later. And the coffee may have to wait for another time.”
Her teeth sank into her lower lip. “It wasn’t really coffee I wanted.”
“I was hoping that was the case.”
She was probably setting him up for a huge disappointment. Carly wasn’t the girl she was pretending to be. The one who knew all the right moves. But she was a quick learner, when she wanted to be.
And this was something she wanted to learn. With him. Even if she never got to use those skills again in her life.
Sex with Kyle had always been a little tame, even by her standards, even more so when all their thoughts were stuck on pregnancy. There’d been no spontaneity, no desperate need for each other.
Not like the need she felt right now.
He opened the door for her, and she slid into the passenger seat. As she reached around to fumble for the seat belt, he leaned over and kissed her.
And that kiss...
Mouth against mouth, hand buried in her hair, he hinted at things she’d only dreamed of. Her hand curled around the webbing of the seat belt, needing something to hold on to.
God! Tame was one thing this man could never be accused of.
Then he was gone, the door closing as he walked around to the other side of the car.
Somehow she managed to get the restraint buckled, although her hands were now shaking.
Once in the car, he turned to look at her. “Are you sure about this?”
Sure about what? The wisdom of sleeping with him? Or wanting to sleep with him? Those were two entirely different subjects. The latter was a resounding yes! The former? Well, she would examine that one later.
“Yes.” He didn’t kiss her again, but he did drive with an intensity that spoke volumes. “Are we going to your place?”
“Yes. It’s close. About five minutes.”
She settled back in her seat, his hand on the gearshift doing funny things to her insides. Especially since his thumb was sliding back and forth along it in a way that made her mind conjure up sensations that were becoming very, very real.
Five minutes had never seemed so long. Or so short. Five minutes until her world changed forever.
Well, maybe not changed. But at least rocked on its axis a time or two.
She shook her head. No. She was making too big of a deal about this. This was sex. A man and a woman enjoying spending an hour together. Nothing earth-shattering.
Really? Then why was there a part of her that didn’t believe that?
Maybe because she hadn’t felt this shuddery awareness before.
She’d played it safe with Kyle. Every time. That cautious nature that had always seemed to raise its ugly head. That had gotten even worse with every failed attempt at getting pregnant. And their last few times together had definitely never felt...special.
This man had left his dinner behind for her. How was that for special?
She shivered. It wasn’t like he’d had a fencing match with someone over her.
Unless you counted his empty stomach.
Adem pulled up in front of a block of flats just off the Thames that boasted curved facades and sweeping balconies. Her eyebrows went up. She was used to much simpler accommodations. After all, her mom’s university work and orchestral involvement might have caused her classmates to ooh and ahh, but they were not high-paying careers. Not that any of that had mattered.
He pulled into an underground parking area and shut off the car. “Still okay? You’ve gone quiet over there.”
Had she?
She glanced over at him, and the emotions that had started this whole process quickly rose back up. She would probably never spend another night like this in her life. And she found she very much wanted to experience the non-cautious side of life. At least this once. “Oh, yes. Still okay.”
They made their way to the elevator, where he pushed the button for the fourth floor. Once the doors closed, he turned to her and tipped her face up, studying it for a second or two. His fingers brushed her temple and traveled down her jawline. “Hell, I want to kiss you. If I wasn’t already giving my doorman a hint of what’s about to happen, I’d show you exactly how much.”
His doorman? Her eyes widened and tracked to a corner of the elevator, where a camera looked like it was pointed right at them. She gave a nervous laugh. “So no acting out a scene from a book?”
“That sounds intriguing.” One brow went up, and he leaned forward to whisper against her ear. “I’ll keep that in mind for later.”
Oh, God. She had no idea what kind of scene he had in mind, but several possibilities were streaming through her brain, reminding her that she might just be in over her head.
And she kind of liked it.
Playing it safe had always been her MO, so the fact that she was about to do something so outrageously out of character sent another little thrill through her. Her fingers went to his nape as she tugged his head a little lower, giving his earlobe a little nip. “I may hold you to that.”
“I’m looking forward to holding you in my bed. And in about a thousand other places. Including my plate-glass window.”
Her breath hissed in, causing him to chuckle and lift his head. “Don’t worry, honey. No one will be able to see you except me.”
She wasn’t worried. But she was squirming, and certain parts of her were growing uncomfortably needy. “Unless the glass breaks and we tumble out.”
“The glass is very, very thick. And very strong.” He cupped her face, eyes dark as he stared down at her. “We could do almost anything against it.”
She swallowed. She’d meant her words as a joke. But his response sounded almost like a dare.
Well, if this was going to be a night for the history books, she was going to make sure the memory of it would last her for the rest of her life. “That sounds almost too good to be true.”
His smile unleashed a barrage of butterflies in her stomach. “I’ll have a few survey questions for you after the tour.”
“Tour?” The word came out rough-edged, her need for him clearly eviden
t, even to her own ears.
“Carly, didn’t you know? I plan to take things one room at a time. One surface at a time. Until neither of us have a drop of strength left.”
The doors to the lift opened with a suddenness that shocked her, and it took her a second to get her bearings. He put his arm around her waist and eased her into the foyer, where three doors faced them. Exactly how soundproof were these apartments?
She had a feeling they were about to test that feature.
Spinning her in his arms, he backed her toward the apartment on the right. “Not a single camera out here.”
With her back pressed flat against the cool metal surface, his lips covered hers in a kiss that seared her senses. His hands slid behind her, curving over her bottom in a way that tilted her hips fully against him. She had no choice but to twine her arms around his neck and hold on tight.
A tiny portion of her brain hoped there weren’t peepholes on the doors of the neighboring flats, but a bigger, less rational part didn’t care. After all, she was soon going to be plastered against the glass in his apartment, right?
He pushed against her, leaving no question that he was as affected as she was. If he wasn’t careful, they weren’t going to make it inside before she came completely undone.
“You have no idea what you did to me back at the restaurant.” His hand slid down the outside of her leg until he reached her knee, fingers curling around the back of it. “I could just do this...” He tightened his grip, causing the inside of her thigh to slide along his as her foot left the ground, skirt bunching up.
Was he actually going to do it right here? All he’d have to do was unzip. One tug of her garment would give him access.
Her eyes fluttered closed, not caring, just needing him so badly.
Then he was gone, her foot finding the ground again with a bump. “I need to be inside. Now.” The growled words were at odds with the way he’d released her.
So if he needed to be “inside,” then why had he...?
He pressed his forehead against hers as if reading her mind. “Inside my flat. So I can be inside of you.”
The fact that he’d had to spell that out made her laugh. “Oh! I thought we were going to...”
“Yes. So did I.”
He retrieved a key card and swiped it in a slot next to a locked mailbox. A latch softly clicked and the door swung open. They went through, and Adem kicked it shut with the back of his foot. Grabbing her hand, he led her through the living room, the black leather furniture standing out against the white wood floors. He must have a housekeeper. Somehow she couldn’t see Adem dust-mopping under the sofa.
The image made her giggle.
The forward momentum on her arm stopped and went slack as he turned to face her once again. “You find something humorous about this?”
“No, I just...” She gulped. “No.”
He turned her until she was looking at a huge picture window, out from which jutted one of those balconies she’d noticed earlier.
Suddenly she knew she wanted that. Wanted all of it. Everything he was offering she was going to take. She might be sorry in the morning, but she would worry about that when it came.
Walking her forward, his lips touched the side of her neck, the warmth against her skin sending a shudder through her. It was all she could do to keep her eyes open so she could see where she was going.
And where she was going was to the end of the earth.
A remote part of her brain took in the view and stored it away for later, even as his hands swept aside her hair and continued to kiss her with light feathery touches, his body crowding hers from behind.
She glanced to the side, making sure there were no neighboring windows visible.
“No one can see,” he murmured. “I promise.”
How did he know that for sure? Had he tried this before?
No. Don’t think about that kind of stuff. Just enjoy the moment.
He turned her in his arms and kissed her again, the same defense-shattering melding of mouths, even as she felt his fingers at the first button of her blouse. He slowly worked his way down, cool air rushing in to meet the heated trail his touch left behind.
Her blouse slid off, leaving her in her bra and skirt. His mouth left hers, his hands smoothing over her shoulders, moving down her arms, caressing the curve of her hips, and then he bunched her skirt in his hands, scooping up more and more of the fabric until his fingers touched the bare skin of her thighs. Then he found the upper edge of her lacy undergarment and tunneled beneath the elastic, taking a step back as he eased them all the way down her legs.
“Step out of them.”
She did as he asked, and the bikini briefs joined her blouse on the floor. He surprised her by tugging the hem of her skirt back down.
“Are you ready, Carly?” He pulled his wallet out of his slacks and took out a square packet.
She’d been ready ever since they’d left the restaurant. “Yes.”
He turned her around to face the window once again. “Then welcome to the first stop on our tour.”
* * *
Adem wanted her against that window so badly he could taste it. He’d intended on making it their last stop, but doctors never knew when they’d get “that” call. Besides, he really had had to reel himself back in as they stood at the front door. He’d wanted to just find home and take her. But unlike the window, someone could appear out of that elevator or one of the neighboring flats at any moment.
But when he was around her, he had trouble thinking clearly. Even when he’d first offered to make her that pot of coffee, his mind had been heading in this direction.
Her head fell back against his chest when he nipped the cords of her neck. Damn this woman was unlike anyone he’d ever known. So proper and cautious as she did her job. Uptight, even. And here she was squirming under his touch, willing to play a little exhibitionist game with him. He wasn’t going to strip her naked, although hell if he wasn’t tempted to see how far she was willing to go. And he’d bet she would stand there au natural if he asked her to.
He pressed his cheek tight to hers. “Seni çok istiyorum... I want you so much.” The words poured out in his native Turkish, telling her each and every thing he wanted to do with her. To her.
Hands reached back, her fingers gripping his thighs, edging toward the hard strain of his erection, as she whispered, “Yes, yes, yes...” as if she was having just as much trouble waiting as he was.
It was now or never, and if her hands found what they were looking for, it would be later. Much later. Taking her wrists, he lifted them, flattening her fingers onto the pristine glass surface in front of them.
“Keep them there. You can use them later. On me.” He smiled. “On yourself.” Yes, he would like to see that. Very much.
Reaching around her rib cage, he found her lace-covered breast, the mound filling his hand as he pressed her to the glass. He caught the nipple between his fingers and gave soft rhythmic squeezes, the moan she gave going straight to his groin. God, he ached. It was all he could do to not to unzip and thrust into her. And he would. Soon enough. His legs splayed apart, trying to assuage the temptation by pressing against the softness of her ass, the slight friction almost driving him over the edge.
He backed off and found the hem of her skirt once again and pulled it up, baring her backside completely.
“Adem...”
His name in that husky accent drove him to unzip and release himself, allowing skin-to-skin contact for a few luscious seconds before tearing open that packet and sheathing himself. His hand skirted her hip, fingers dipping down and finding a moist warmth that made him reel. All that, and he’d barely touched her.
“Tanri, Carly.”
Then again, she’d barely touched him and here he was fighting for control with every neuron he possessed. Still. He wanted to be su
re.
Finding her, he did what he’d done on her breast, trapping her and stroking, squeezing, even as he gripped himself with his other hand and positioned himself. He remained there for several breath-stealing seconds. Then he thrust deep, burying himself and holding completely still. Except for those fingers, which continued to move while he luxuriated in the tightness encasing him.
As if she couldn’t take it anymore, Carly pushed against his caressing hand, the movements transmitted to parts of his body that were already struggling. He upped the ante, using his thumb to slide along the small bit of flesh still trapped between his fingers. Her breath hissed in, her movements growing frantic.
The world outside of his window seemed to spiral down into one tight, sexy view: Carly pressed to that glass, squirming against it—against him—her breasts sliding with each movement.
Then with a sharp cry, she rocked his universe, pulsing against him, along him, into him.
It was all over. He drove into her again and again, the pleasure which had been padlocked inside him breaking down the door and pouring through him in a long stream he hoped would never end. He continued to rock to completion, whispering to her, telling her how glad he was that she was here. How he wanted to do more of the same, even as something inside of him began to wave a warning flag at the rush of emotion that was pouring through him.
He ignored it. For now.
Withdrawing, he turned her to face him, and found her biting her lip. He leaned down and kissed it until she stopped. “Okay?”
She opened bright green eyes and regarded him. Then she smiled. “Mmm...can’t talk. Don’t want to talk. But very glad that glass held.”
A laugh bubbled up from somewhere deep inside of him, rolling out and clearing away whatever had been whispering at the edges of his consciousness. He folded her in her arms. “Me too. I have other things we can test for strength, though. Like the bed... The dining room table... The office chair...”
Her eyes widened, but she didn’t miss a beat. “I’m ready for the next stop on our tour.”
With that he swung her up in his arms and carried her into the bedroom.