Tempt Me: A First Class Romance Collection

by Jessica Hawkins

  We’re out on the sidewalk facing Radio City Music Hall saying our goodbyes, when Stephen grips his friend’s shoulder and points at me. “Hang onto her. She’s smart.”

  Remi’s arm slides around my waist, and my heart beats a little faster. “I intend to.”

  We have a spectacular view of the Empire State Building from the balcony of the penthouse suite. I’m holding a glass of Beaujolais, watching the lights flicker all around this amazing place when Remi walks up behind me, placing his hand on my lower back. It sends a humming sensation through my body. I love being here with him, learning about his world.

  “I’ve gotta say, you’re the first girl I’ve met to stand up to Stephen like that.” The pride in his voice fills me with warm satisfaction. “I know many who’ve wanted to say the things you did, but never do.”

  “If you’d met my dad, you’d understand.” Turning, I lean against the rail, admiring the way the light shines in his eyes, the way that dimple teases me when he smiles.

  Remi’s holding a glass of the red wine, and he’s so perfectly elegant. “I remember you said your dad made you question your choices. You didn’t say he made you strong.”

  Tilting my head to the side, I think about this. “I guess I didn’t really realize it until just now.”

  “Silver lining?” His voice is gentle. “You’re not afraid of anything.”

  “That’s not true.” I’m terrified of my feelings for him.

  I’ve dated so many guys, and I’ve never felt this way about any of them. It’s like Remington Key holds my breath in his hands, and it scares me to death.

  “What scares you?” He grins, caging me between his arms. We’re facing each other with my back to the balcony, his strong arms around me, his warm scent capturing my senses.

  Circling a finger around the button on his shirt, I think about my words. “Earlier, when Stephen asked you if you’d ever move back to Seattle… Would you?”

  His brow furrows, and I can see he’s considering his answer. I love that even in this moment, with us so close, he hits pause to give me a serious response. No off the cuff answer. He’s listening to me, thinking, as if everything he says to me is important.

  I want to reach up and trace my finger along his forehead, move that curl off his brow. He looks down at me, and my heart beats faster. “Would you ever consider leaving Oakville?”

  Exhaling a laugh through my nose, I relent. “When I was young, all I wanted was to leave Oakville. I thought it was a hick town with small-minded people.”

  Remi takes the wine glass out of my hand and sets it with his on the glass table beside us. Then he turns back, enclosing me in his arms. I love being surrounded by him.

  “I think I hear a but coming.”

  “Everyone I know has a big butt,” I tease.

  He grins. “Well?”

  I take a deep inhale of his cedar and leather scent, of soap and Remi. “Now I realize how much I love my friends and being near my mom, even though she drives me crazy.” His expression doesn’t change, and I add, “It made me sad to hear you’d thought of leaving.”

  Leaning forward, he traces his nose along the line of my hair, just at my ear, rising higher to my temple. “I haven’t thought of leaving once in the last eighteen days.”

  His words are warm and sensual. My eyes close as electricity skates down my arms, as my panties flood with heat. “Has it been eighteen days?”

  “Tomorrow will be nineteen.” It’s a low rumble I feel all the way to my core.

  “Is that a good thing?”

  Warm lips touch my forehead, my nose. His eyes capture mine. “I think it’s a very good thing. Do you?”

  Lifting my chin, I kiss his scruffy jaw. “I think it’s amazing.”

  Our mouths meet in a sensual kiss. Warm lips cover mine, our tongues curl in a primitive dance. Leaning down, he lifts me into his arms, and I don’t even try to fight. I wrap my arms around his neck, kissing his cheek, moving up to his temple as he carries me through the suite to his bedroom in the back.

  Lowering me to my feet, he puts his hands on my shoulders, tracing his thumbs along the lines of my sleeveless dress. “I want to make love to you now. Is that okay?”

  My stomach is hot and clenching, I nod before the words are out. “Yes, please.”

  Hot eyes darken. He frames my face with one hand, his thumb on my chin, lifting it. Our mouths collide, and he parts my lips, plunging his tongue inside to find mine.

  A little whimper aches from my throat. I’m chasing him, holding his face as his mouth moves down to my jaw, to my neck. My entire body is on fire as his beard scuffs my skin.

  “I’ve dreamed of this every night since you came.” It’s a rough confession. It curls my toes.

  Large hands are on my thighs, rising higher, lifting the hem of my dress until he reaches the center.

  “Oh yes,” my chin dips, and I kiss his neck, his cheek, struggling to touch every part of him with my mouth.

  Long fingers curl between my thighs, ripping my panties aside and diving between my folds. “You’re so wet,” he groans against my neck.

  His hand is gone, and I’m acutely aware of its absence. He’s behind me now, grasping the zipper on my dress and pulling it down. My white dress falls in a puddle at my feet, and I reach behind me for his neck. He holds my waist, sliding his hands over my ribs, higher to cup my breasts.

  “I love your body.” Kissing my neck, he pulls the skin between his teeth, and my knees go liquid. “You’re so beautiful. Look at you.”

  My eyes blink open, and I see us in the mirror across the room. I’m standing, my dark hair wild and falling all around my shoulders. I’m still in my heels, but otherwise, I’m only wearing my black lace bra and panties. Behind me, Remi’s face is in my hair.

  His darkened eyes sear into mine, full of hunger, lust, and longing. I watch as his hand spreads out over my stomach, sliding lower until it dips into the top of my panties. He watches the progress of his fingers, dipping between my thighs, searching for that little spot that makes me scream his name.

  My eyes are fixed on his hand, spreading me, touching, probing, until he finds it, and my body starts to quiver. “Remi…” It’s a hoarse whisper.

  His face is beside my ear. “Say my name again. I want to hear you saying my name as you come apart.”

  His hand moves faster between my legs. I’m hypnotized by the movements, focused entirely on the surges of pleasure streaking through my body from my thighs to the arches of my feet. I feel his erection at my back, and I reach behind me, sliding my hand up and down the bulge in his pants.

  “Fuck yeah,” he whispers into my hair, and my orgasm tightens in my lower stomach.

  The pressure grows hotter, his hand moves faster. My gaze is full of him holding me, one hand inside my bra, kneading my breast, the other massaging my clit.

  I feel the orgasm start to flutter, tighter, tighter in my pelvis, and my head falls back as it breaks through me. “Remi!” I gasp his name, bending my knees as my thighs shudder.

  His arm becomes a steel band around my ribs, holding me up as he gingerly touches my clit, stroking it through the last waves of orgasm.

  “Oh, yes,” I’m trembling, riding his hand, my pussy tightening between my legs, longing for that ache to be filled.

  Without a word, he walks us to the bed, guiding me forward until my hands are flat on the mattress. My ass is up, and I look over my shoulder as I arch my back. I want to see that cock I’ve only felt time after time.

  His lids are heavy as he goes to the nightstand, reaching into the drawer for a condom.

  “Compliments of the hotel?” I tease.

  He’s too focused to grin. “I put some in the drawer. Just in case.”

  I haven’t moved. It all happens so quickly. I watch as he unfastens his slacks, letting them fall to the floor as he steps out and makes his way to me. My eyes are hot and straining. I want to see, but I don’t want to move.

  Once he’s b
ack behind me, he drops to his knees, jerking my panties from my waist to the ground and burying his face in my ass.

  “Oh shit!” I gasp, my knees giving out as he kisses me, licking his tongue into my core and sucking me at the same time. “Remi, oh…”

  His tongue is back on my clit, his cheeks scuffing the electric skin of my inner thighs. I’m crying out and rising onto my toes as waves of orgasm flare to life inside me again. My pussy is clenching, grasping, begging.

  He’s back on his feet again, and I hear him rip the foil, rolling the condom on quickly. I’m fisting the bedspread when his tip nudges at my entrance. He moves my legs wider with his thighs, and in one swift plunge, he’s inside me, all the way to the hilt.

  We both groan loudly. My back arches, and he catches me around the waist, holding me to his chest as he starts to pump. He’s thrusting fast, relentless, focused. I hear his breathing in my ear, ragged and desperate.

  “Ruby… yes… fuck, yes.” His mouth is at my neck, and he holds my shoulders, my waist, leaning us forward as he drives harder.

  My hands shoot out to hold the bedspread. He’s over my back, forcing us faster and deeper to climax.

  Lights flash behind my squeezed eyes. It’s fireworks and irresistible need. It’s something I’ve only read about but never experienced. I lift one leg, putting my knee on the bed, and it sends him even deeper. We both cry out, and he thrusts one, two, three more times before holding steady, holding my ass against his pelvis, as he erupts with a loud, ragged shout.

  I feel his dick pulsing, filling the condom. I feel his chest against my back, slick with sweat. I feel his heart beating hard against my skin.

  It’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever experienced.

  He’s blown my mind. Again.

  Then he says my name.

  24

  Remi

  Being inside Ruby is like diving into warm, crystal clear waters in a private cove surrounded by jasmine and roses.

  Her hair swirls around us like glossy silk, and her body is so sexy. Her hips rock and sway when I touch her, and she rides my hand, threading her fingers in my hair chanting my name. It’s incredible. My cock is so hard and aching, when I finally get it inside her tight little pussy, I almost blow my load in two pumps. Steadying my thoughts, I’m able to crest the overwhelming wave of pleasure.

  Still, the way her body moves with mine, it’s all nearly more than I can handle. Her scent is all over me. I had to taste her one more time, get her right to the edge, because this first time won’t last long. We’ve been building to this for weeks.

  When we finally reach that cliff together, I’m holding her to my chest as we dive, white light blinding me, the orgasm snaking up my legs, pulsing into her.

  “Ruby.” I say her name like a prayer, kissing her face, the side of her cheek, her hair.

  My heart is beating out of my chest, and I’m warm in her depths. I don’t want to pull out. I only want to hold her.

  Reaching carefully between us, I grasp the condom, tying it off quickly before depositing it in the small trash under the desk. Just as fast, I catch her hand, leading her to the bed. Sliding back the blankets, I guide us through the silky sheets into each other’s arms.

  Her panties are long gone, and she unfastens her sexy bra before snuggling in beside me. “I really like that bra.” I wrap my arm around her, holding her close.

  She grins, tossing it to the side. “I thought you might.”

  My grip tightens on her. “What happened to not sleeping in my room?”

  “We’re not asleep yet.” That teasing glint is in her eyes, but I pull her small body tighter to mine.

  “You’re not going anywhere tonight.”

  She starts to laugh. “You’re kidnapping me?”

  Rolling us onto her back, I look down into her sweet face, her dancing eyes, and white smile. “More like… holding you hostage.”

  Her chin lifts, and I meet her halfway, pulling her lips between mine, parting them and sweeping my tongue to find hers. It’s heaven. It’s more than I thought it might be. We finish with short nips, light touches. I bend down and trace her chin with my mouth.

  Dropping beside her on the bed, I have one arm behind her neck. The other traces the skin of her flat stomach. “I’ve been thinking about what you said before we left Oakville.”

  She turns onto her stomach facing me, her arms bent over her breasts, hands tucked beneath her cheek. She smiles, and her nose crinkles adorably. “I said a lot of things before we left Oakville.”

  Reaching out, I move a dark wave off her ivory cheek. “I don’t want us to be friends.”

  Her eyebrows rise, but that smile sparkles in her gaze. “You don’t?”

  “No.”

  “Hm…” She nods, doing her best to make a serious face. “So we’re not friends anymore. Interesting.”

  “We are not.” Leaning closer, I kiss her jaw. “I plan to do very naughty things with you. Things friends would never do.”

  Her shoulder rises, and she makes a little noise. “Very unfriendly kisses?”

  “Very unfriendly kisses, touches.” My hand slides down to her waist, over the curve of her ass.

  I’m ready to explore her body with my mouth again when a loud knock sounds on the door and we both jump. She sits up, holding the sheet over her breasts.

  “What the—” I slide to the edge of the bed, snatching a robe off the hook on the wall.

  “It’s our cupcakes!” She hops out of the bed as well, grabbing the other robe and pulling it over her naked body.

  Sure enough, it’s our order. We move from snuggled in a cocoon of afterglow to sitting in the middle of the floor in the living room, a pink box of confections between us. We ordered the “I Cupcake New York” dozen, a collection of red velvet, chocolate, and vanilla cakes with assorted decorations.

  “Look at this one.” Her eyes are wide as she lifts a white cupcake with pink frosting and a candy daisy on top. “It’s the Carrie cupcake.”

  I grab a standard chocolate with chocolate frosting. “We should bring a few of these back for Lillie.”

  “Yes!” She tries to clap with her hands full of cake. “She’ll love it.”

  “I really love how much you care for her.” I’ve thought it so many times, but it’s the first time I’ve said it out loud.

  “She’s an amazing kid. She’s sweet and smart… and she’s goofy like you.”

  “I’m not goofy.” Happiness tightens my chest. It’s so easy to laugh when I’m with her. It’s been so long since I could laugh this way.

  “You like to tease and have fun.” She takes a bite of her pink cupcake and falls onto her side. “Oh my wow! This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted!”

  I have to confess, her orgasmic cries have my dick twitching. “If you keep making those noises, I’m going to have to fuck you again.”

  Her eyes widen, and she pulls her lip between her teeth as a naughty grin spreads across her cheeks. I watch as she slowly lifts the cupcake to her mouth. Her pink tongue slips out to take a lick, and she moans, closing her eyes. It’s fucking sexy as hell.

  “It’s sooo good.”

  That does it. I toss my cupcake back into the box and crawl across the floor to her. She squeals and tries to get away, but I’m too fast. I catch her ankle, then I’m on top of her, holding her hands out to the sides.

  “You’re a tease, Ruby Banks.” Leaning down, I cover her mouth with mine, kissing her quickly before lifting up again to meet her gaze.

  “I’m very sweet.” Her voice is sultry.

  “You’re delicious.” I kiss her jaw. “Everywhere.”

  A pretty flush stains her neck. I lean down to kiss her skin, my cock growing harder as I make my way lower, into the loosened wrap of her robe.

  “Do you want me to taste you?” I speak against her body, moving the cloth aside with my nose so her tight little nipples are exposed.

  “Yes.” The word slips out on a hot exhale, and I pull her
breast into my mouth, sucking and biting gently.

  Her body moves beneath me, and I push my thigh between her legs, spreading them wider. We’re both in only bath robes, and my dick is hard on her thigh. She whimpers, moving her hips around to center me above her core.

  “I have to get a condom.” My voice is strained as I kiss her shoulder, making my way up to her neck, behind her ear.

  “Oh!” Her back arches, and I know I’ve found an erogenous zone. “Remi, just the tip.”

  Fuck. I don’t know if I have the self-control for it. My dick is aching for her body, for release. Still, I move higher, covering her mouth with mine as I tease her with the tip of my cock.

  “Ruby,” I groan. She’s hot and clenching, and the sensation is almost unbearable.

  I almost come.

  I’m off her at once, headed to the bedroom to retrieve another condom from the nightstand. I’m taking it out as I return to the room, kneeling beside her as I start to roll it on.

  “So big…” She reaches out, stopping me as she wraps her fingers around my shaft, pulling and watching me, leaning forward and putting her soft lips around the head.

  “Ruby.” It’s a sacred whisper as I watch her pull me into her mouth, grasping the base with her hand and meeting it as she licks around the shaft like an ice cream cone.

  Ice cream… I remember teasing her in the park…

  My head drops back, and I’m lost in the flex of orgasm tensing my lower belly. She’s pumping me, and my hips move forward to meet her mouth. I’m so close. I’m riding her sucks, following her rhythm, but I want to be inside her.

  “Wait.” My voice is a rasp, and I gently nudge her aside so I can roll on the condom.

  Then scooping my hands through her hair, under her arms, I lift her to my lap, positioning her so she’s straddling my cock, which is pointed to the ceiling.

  She reaches between us and positions the head then drops completely, sending me balls deep into her clenching core.

  “Oh, fuck,” I cough, holding her body.

  I’m still sitting on my knees, and she rises again, only to drop all the way once more, sending me impossibly deep. My eyes roll back in my head, and I swear to all that’s fucking holy it’s the best thing I’ve ever felt.