She glanced down and then looked at him, eyebrows raised.
“Mostly clean.”
“Good enough.” Her voice was husky. “Going to turn me loose now?”
“Yeah. Be gentle.”
“Gentle? Really?”
“Just kidding. Ride me, lady. It shouldn’t be a very long ride, but make it good.”
“You’ve got it.” She flattened her palms against his chest. “You’re still very sticky.”
“You can work on that later. For now…” He loosened his hold on her fanny. “Work that.” He groaned as she eased slowly upward. “Work it hard.”
“Don’t worry. I plan to.” She came down on him much faster than she’d gone up.
Everything after that was a blur of Giselle pumping him for all she was worth. Her breasts shook with every downward slap of her body on his. They both made noise, lots of it, as they surged toward the finish line.
He figured he might cross it first. The pressure felt like a bomb was about to detonate. “Can’t hold on,” he whispered as he felt his control slipping.
“Go for it.” She pumped harder and threw back her head. “I’m right there. Right there.”
“Ah…Giselle…Giselle…” He drove upward once more and came so hard it took his breath away. Blind and deaf to anything but the pounding in his groin, he couldn’t even yell. But inside he was shouting his amazement and wonder. Good, so good, so damn good!
Her spasms rippled over his pulsing cock and seemed to gently squeeze out every last drop, as if she wanted all he could give her. She’d completely spoiled him. Sex without a condom was awesome.
Her breathing slowed, and she eased down onto his sticky chest. “Excellent.” She said it with such a deep sigh.
He smiled and stroked her back. “You were excellent. You were great. You were—”
“An unexpected surprise.” She lifted her head and propped her chin on her fist so she could look him in the eye. “I never planned for this to happen.”
“I know you didn’t, and I’m grateful.” He rubbed circles in the small of her back. He was still fairly hard, and he didn’t want to move and break the connection. Lying here with her was nice. Sticky, but nice.
“It was pretty wonderful.”
“And although I won’t harp on the subject, you gave me a gift by letting me in without one of those little raincoats. I was told from the time I hit puberty that I had to wear one until I had a steady girlfriend.”
“Did you ever?”
“No.” He ran his hand over the delicious curve of her backside. “But I was the heir to the Dalton fortune, and that made me an extremely eligible bachelor, or maybe just a baby-daddy candidate with money to shower on a pregnant girlfriend. So I played it safe and wore condoms rather than risk accidentally fathering a kid.”
“You’re a very responsible man, Luke Dalton.”
“Raised that way.”
“I apologize for carrying on about the sheets. I should have figured it out. My brother was raised to shoulder the responsibility in my family, and so he blew off steam playing practical jokes.”
“And taking off for Vegas.” Knowing that he and Giselle’s brother had much in common made him curious. “You said it was a bunch of things piling up that made him bolt, but usually there’s one straw that breaks the camel’s back.”
“I’m sure that’s true, and I think I know the straw, but he didn’t confide in me before he left.”
“What do you think it was?”
“He’d chosen a mate…I mean, a marriage partner.”
“Mate isn’t such a bad word to use.” He brushed a lock of hair away from her cheek. “Sort of old-fashioned, but I like it. It implies more permanence. Like the term soul mate.” And when he said that, the most amazing thing happened. Her green eyes became almost luminescent, as if he’d touched a chord in her. “Do you believe in soul mates?” he asked softly. Until this very moment, he hadn’t given the matter much thought.
“I…suppose I do.”
“How do you think it works, this soul mate thing? Do you just meet someone and know right away?”
“Maybe.” Her gaze searched his. “Or maybe it takes time to figure it out.”
“Since you’re single, I have to assume you haven’t met yours.” He was more interested in her answer than he wanted to admit.
“No, I haven’t.”
The certainty in her voice bothered him. Now that the subject had come up, he had to wonder if their instant attraction was a sign that they were meant for each other. He was willing to entertain the possibility. But apparently she wasn’t thinking that way. That was kind of depressing.
Maybe he’d better get back to discussing her brother and stop imagining that she viewed their attraction with the same starstruck wonder that he did. “Has your brother found his? Because if he has, I hope he didn’t run out on her.”
Giselle sighed. “That’s why I’m a little confused on the soul mate issue. I thought he and Miranda were soul mates. He acted as if they were. But then it became all about the ceremony, and the two mothers started pushing for dates and details. I think that’s why Bryce took off. It turned into this whole big thing—the joining of the two families, the expectation of children, what house they would buy—and he just blew.”
The expectation of children. Was that why she couldn’t take over as CEO? Did her family have some traditional idea that the head of the business had to procreate, and she was unable to have kids? If so, that was bullshit. He longed to ask her more about that, but now wasn’t the time.
His dad had expected him to marry and have kids, preferably a son who could be trained to take over from Luke the way Luke had been raised to take over from Angus. Angus Dalton hadn’t been very evolved in that respect. If Giselle thought Luke was a throwback, she should have met his dad.
“So your brother dumped Miranda, who may or may not have been his soul mate.” Luke was relieved that Cynthia hadn’t decided Bryce was her soul mate. He wanted her to have more time to explore all sorts of possibilities before committing herself to one man.
“He dumped her,” Giselle said. “And she’s done with him.”
“Don’t blame her.”
“Me either.” She grimaced, and he could tell the conversation had broken the mood for her. “We should probably each check our phones and see if they’ve texted us.”
“And what if they have? What if Cynthia’s sent me another riddle? Are we going to get dressed and tear around Vegas in the wee small hours of the morning so that your brother can find another way to douse me with water?”
“I see your point. That is getting old.”
“Personally, I’d rather choose my own method of getting wet.”
She smiled. “I checked out your shower before you came back up here.”
“Then you’re aware that I have multiple jets in there.”
Her smile widened. “I am.”
“Do you like the idea of multiple jets?”
“I love it.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” He climbed out of their chocolate-smeared bed and held out his hand to help her.
Giselle was one hell of a playmate. The more he thought about taking her into that shower, the more he liked the concept. He’d fantasized about having shower sex with a woman, but other than doing it orally, he’d never been able to because of the need for the damned condoms.
But now, for as long as she was willing to hang around, he had Giselle, a woman who didn’t need no stinkin’ condoms. He would be a fool if he didn’t find all sorts of creative ways to enjoy that freedom. Once she was gone, and it sounded as if she would go, he’d be back to the little raincoats.
He needed to honestly evaluate if that bareback option, which had given him considerable pleasure, had fooled him into thinking that Giselle was the one for him. After all, he hadn’t known her very long, and a guy could be convinced of many things that weren’t true when his cock was happy.
Giselle s
tarted to put her foot on the white carpet but drew back with a squeal.
“What? A bug? A mouse?”
“No, silly. I’m not that kind of girly girl. But I almost stepped on the white carpet, and I’ll bet you didn’t get all the chocolate off my toes. I was willing to mess up the sheet and the pillowcases, but once you get chocolate on this carpet, you’ll have a real problem.”
“Then I have the perfect solution.” Leaning down, he slipped one arm under her knees and the other under her shoulder blades. “Put your arms around my neck.”
“Oh, wow. I haven’t been carried anywhere for ages.”
“Well, you have good abs for holding cake, and I have good biceps for holding you.” He lifted her and blessed all the hours he’d spent in the gym. Although she wasn’t a small woman, he didn’t even groan when he picked her up, and he didn’t stagger when he walked toward the bathroom with her in his arms.
“This is cool, Luke. Thanks. But we’re here, so you can put me down now.”
“Where should I put you?” He glanced around as he reminded himself that creativity was the watchword tonight. The marble counter wrapped around two sides of the bathroom. And so did the mirror. “I think I’ll put you on the counter.”
“On the counter? I thought we were going into the shower.”
“We will.” He settled her naked tush into the corner section of the broad expanse of marble and checked for sight lines. Very nice. “We’ll get to the shower. Eventually.”
Chapter Fifteen
Human males, Giselle concluded, or at least this particular human male, seemed to enjoy the element of surprise when it came to sex. She’d never been plopped down on a counter and told to watch in the mirror while her partner did her. She had to admit it added quite a bit to the experience.
It became especially erotic when he hooked his arms under her knees to lift and spread her thighs. Arms braced behind her, she could glance to the side for a full view of his cock sliding back and forth in long, measured strokes. She could admire the way his tight buns flexed with each thrust.
He watched, too, and met her gaze in the mirror. “Beautiful,” he murmured. “I love how smoothly we come together. No rush. Just an easy rhythm.”
“But my heart’s going like a bongo.”
“Mine too. But let’s see how long we can keep it slow, build up to it.”
She swallowed. “All right.” But she didn’t think she’d last much longer. Every time he pushed home, she felt a zing. It got stronger with every forward motion of his hips. “But I should warn you that I’m…” She moaned as he rocked into her and made direct contact with her clit.
“Ah, hell. Forget slow. I want it too much.” He pumped faster. “That’s good. Open a little more. Like that. Oh, yeah. Come for me, Giselle. I want to watch you come.”
She gasped as the first wave hit. Abandoning the mirror, she arched forward as he pounded into her and took her up, up, and even higher. With a cry, she came apart.
He rode her climax to his own, his body shuddering as he drove home. His breathing ragged, he lowered her legs to the counter and placed a soft kiss on her mouth. Then he closed his eyes and bowed his head. “Thank you. Thank you for indulging me.”
She smiled at the sweetness of that comment. He really was a nice guy. Sexy, too. “Oh, you’re welcome. Anytime.”
His head came up, and his blue eyes shone with an emotion that struck fear into her heart. “Careful. I might take you up on that.”
She considered explaining that it was only an expression, an offhand remark that didn’t mean quite what it sounded like. But then she’d spoil the moment, and she couldn’t bear to do that. He couldn’t be blamed for thinking what they’d found together could go on.
No, she was the one with all the info on that, and she felt guilty as hell. What if he fell in love with her? Or thought he had? She’d have to leave him, and without a decent explanation, too. What if she broke his heart?
She cupped his face in both hands. His chin was slightly prickly where his beard had started to grow. “I really have to go back to San Francisco when this is over.”
“I understand. You’re an important part of the Landry operation. I’m an important part of the Dalton operation. But this is the twenty-first century. We have such things as telecommuting and direct flights from here to there. Geography isn’t the barrier it used to be. And for what it’s worth, I don’t give a damn if you can have kids or not.”
Her heart wept. Sure enough, he’d been building castles in the air. She searched for an argument that would make sense, because she certainly couldn’t tell him the truth.
Learning that he’d been having cozy sex with a werewolf would likely send him screaming in the other direction. Although that would accomplish what she needed, he’d be a pack security risk. He’d be monitored twenty-four-seven, no matter how fervently he promised not to expose their secret. Life as he knew it would be forever altered.
This was why she’d stayed away from having sex with a human male. The potential problems weren’t worth the risk. She took a deep breath. “Luke, I—”
“You know what? Forget all that. Don’t mind me. I’m letting good sex convince me we’ve found this grand passion. I’m overreacting.”
She hoped he was right about that. It would make the rest of her time with him much easier. “Even so, maybe we shouldn’t keep having sex. I didn’t realize it would be such an unusual treat for you.” And that was another mistake she’d made. She should have let him wear a condom. She’d assumed he’d experienced that before in a long-term relationship and hadn’t realized it would be such a big deal.
In the heat of the moment, she’d spoken without thinking, rejecting the use of something that was so foreign to her concept of sex. But hindsight told her that had been a tactical error.
“No, please. Don’t let my idiotic thoughts louse up a good thing. Just forget what I said.”
She gazed into his beautiful blue eyes. Maybe she’d break her own heart in the process of breaking his. “I don’t know if I can forget it.”
“Bet I can make you.” He gave her a crooked grin. “Come into my shower, little girl. By the time I’m through with you, you won’t even remember your own name.”
“That’s tempting, but I still think—”
“I need you to help me figure out what’s going on with Cynthia. And you need me, because once we get Cynthia to the bargaining table, you can have a heart-to-heart with your brother.”
“That’s true.”
“So we’re going to be hanging out with each other anyway, and after the incredible sex we’ve had so far, I don’t think we can dial it back to platonic, do you?”
“Maybe not.” Much as she thought that would be for the best, she couldn’t picture it. They’d crossed the line, and there was no going back.
“We agreed to a temporary situation, and I’m the one who screwed up by suggesting something different. So erase that from your mind. I’m all about temporary. I promise.”
She was caught in a trap of her own making. He might be able to keep his heart out of it now that he’d declared their relationship strictly sexual. She wouldn’t bet on it. She wouldn’t bet on her ability to do that, either.
But if she rejected the olive branch and insisted on keeping him at arm’s length until this episode was over, that would be torture of a different kind. She wasn’t convinced either of them could maintain their distance from each other.
“What do you say, Landry? Ready to hit the showers?”
She leaned forward and kissed him. “Yeah,” she murmured. “Show me your jets.”
* * *
He’d damn near blown it, but maybe he’d managed a last-minute save. Painful though it was to think about, she might not be into him the way he was into her.
After lifting her off the counter, he took her hand and led her toward the large walk-in shower. “Wait here. Let me get the temperature right. How do you like your jets?”
She laughed. “Rhythmic.”
“I’ll set it for that, but I meant the temp.”
“Warm, not hot. Don’t want to scald anything important.”
“Right.” He was encouraged by the way she’d entered into the spirit of the shower experience. Maybe he hadn’t ruined everything, after all. Yeah, he wished she’d responded differently to his suggestion they could take this to the next level.
But she hadn’t. He needed to accept that and move on. He’d been granted a reprieve, because she could just as easily have decided to sleep in the guest bedroom and let him go hang. She obviously didn’t want a pushy guy with hopes for the future.
So he wouldn’t be that guy. As he stuck his hand under the closest jet to test the temperature, he mapped out his game plan. He would enjoy the gift of Giselle to the fullest. And he would give as good as he got.
She probably wouldn’t change her mind about him, and he wouldn’t expect that. He wasn’t campaigning to win her hand, for God’s sake. He had some pride. But if, at the end of their time together, she had weakened on her stated position, he’d be there.
Because he didn’t think it was the bareback sex or the unusual nature of their meeting that had created this spark between them. Whether she acknowledged it or not, he believed they had something special going on here. He wouldn’t mention it again—God, no—but he would watch, and wait, and hope that eventually she’d see that they were meant to be.
In the meantime, though, he had a killer shower and she was going to leave it totally wrung out, or his name wasn’t Luke Dalton. The counter sex had sidelined him for a while, but the jets could fill in for him until he was ready to rock and roll.
Females were amazing creatures, and he envied them their multiorgasmic capabilities. He had to pace himself, but they didn’t. Oh, sooner or later they’d call a halt, but their staying capacity was way beyond his. When he was looking at a limited time with a hot woman, he regretted his longer recovery time.
“It’s ready.” He glanced over at her. “Are you?”
Werewolf in Las Vegas: Wild About You Page 14