by Arden, Susan
His fingers moved down from her face and settled on her shoulders. His blue eyes met hers. “Let’s find someplace private. Baby, I want you, but I’m not into on-the-spot sex. I’ve been there and done that, and I’m not about to make that mistake with you.”
Sam nodded in agreement. Of course they weren’t going to find a place and climb into bed just hours after meeting. Were they?
“How about lunch? I’ve got an apartment not far from here.”
“Give me the address.” His voice sounded strained.
She took the GPS from his hand. “Off South Olive Avenue,” she said and noticed his expression, “and Seventh Street.”
“Nice digs,” he commented.
“Oh, really it’s an investment…my father’s idea.”
“I live on the beach. I don’t think I’d live anywhere else. We’ve got that in common.”
He pulled away from the curb, tires screeching, and she side-glanced him, only to receive a wicked wink in return. She focused on his mouth, the seductive curl at the corners of his lips, along with his fingers dancing at her wrist. She pressed her feet into the floorboards. Rob, the total package, had her squirming in her seat.
Buildings flashed by as he handled his car expertly, speeding down the road. She dug inside her case removing her magnetic garage card. She pointed. “Up ahead. The beige building. The garage is right through there. Here’s my card.”
They entered the private underground parking garage. This was the first time she’d had a man over. He parked and as she reached for the door handle, he touched her arm. “Sit tight. Let me get that for you.”
They headed over to the elevator, where she pulled out her magnetic security card.
“Your own elevator?” he asked, smiling.
“The elevator is private. A security feature or selling point.”
But yes, it took them directly her condo, and before today, she didn’t really think much on it. Inside the foyer, she tossed the card on the table and turned to him. “Would you like something to eat or drink?”
“Sure. What have you got?” he asked, peering down into her face.
She longed for him to kiss her again, deeper this time, for him to touch her body and push her up against the wall. This was all so new, yet she was ready to cut the wires that kept her prisoner. With a man as experienced as Rob, her body responded to him rapaciously.
In only the short time they’d known each other, he’d unlocked a hidden nature in her, one she’d kept under lock and key. The smell of his cologne and the way his body filled out his clothes made her all the more edgy.
“Come with me. The kitchen’s right through here.” She kicked off her shoes and tiptoed over the cool tiled floor.
The condo was on the seventeenth floor and overlooked the ocean. It was her own place, given to her as part of her trust account and inheritance when she’d turned twenty-one. Of course, it was tied to her employment contract; if and when she left her father’s employment, her apartment would be forfeited until she turned thirty. Should she ask him to take a photograph so that she might remember having at least one nice memory here? She didn’t visit the place often enough, since she stayed with her parents and had ever since she’d returned from school to find her mother at the end of a long battle with cancer. Sam didn’t want her mother to suffer or to be lonely in her final days, so when she wasn’t working, she tried to spend as much time as possible in her mother’s rooms at home. Sam kept her mom company and sometimes read her writings to her. Her father, on the other hand, preferred to spend more time on the golf course than at home.
“Drink? Wine or beer?” Sam opened the refrigerator that was stocked and maintained by the housekeeper who’d been hired and was paid through her father’s accountant’s office. Sam knew that failing to learn to manage her own finances had been mistake number one. History had repeated itself; first her mother, and now she had fallen into the same trap.
“A beer would be fine,” Rob answered, standing next to her.
His whole body cast off a magnetic pull that she wanted to crash against. If she wasn’t careful, she’d be tearing his clothes off, and they hadn’t even enjoyed happy hour yet.
She grabbed two bottles and handed one to him. “How about a burger to go with it? We can grill them outside. I never get to eat a juicy one.”
“Juicy burgers and cold beer? Yeah. My kind of lunch.” He smiled lazily over at her, his eyes traveling down her legs.
“Bottom’s up then.” She tapped her bottle against his and sipped her beer. He brushed back a lock of her hair, running his knuckles over her cheek.
Sam shuddered, leaning into his touch. Please.
Her body had a mind of its own. Desire spiked in her blood. His heated glance confirmed that he was on the same plane. So far, he’d given her the power to say when. She took another sip of beer.
Rob gazed back at her, tilting his head. “Don’t be nervous.”
“No?” She took another long sip. “Mind if I sauté some accoutrements?”
“Whatever you’ve got, I’d love to taste it.”
She nearly choked and asked, “Do you like garlic?”
“Absolutely. Love the smell of sautéed garlic. And onion.”
“Whets the appetite.” Her face rioted in fire.
Sam pulled out mushrooms, an onion, lettuce, pickles, Gouda cheese, and a variety of sauces. Then she took out a skillet and coated the bottom with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
“Let me help.” His voice slipped under her skin.
Standing in the small space, their bodies touching, and all she could think about was how serious he was about tonight. How crazy was crazy in his book? Drinking, sure but she wanted more—and she wanted it with him.
“Thanks. Here.” She handed him a knife and the onion. “I hope you don’t end up crying.”
He held her hand with the onion between them.
“I don’t think it’s the onion that’s gonna bring me to my knees tonight.” His mouth curled seductively, and he released her hand, moving away to where the cutting glass was positioned on the counter.
The skin on her body pulsed where he’d touched her. Watching Rob’s muscles bunch at his shoulders when he began cutting was a mouthwatering experience. She bit down into her lip to stop from moaning out loud.
She pounded a clove under her bottle, cracking the tough outer skin, and then sliced it. She tossed the fresh garlic into the pan filled with heated oil. The sizzling garlic released a pungent scent, filling the kitchen. Hunger pangs needled her belly, and for the first time in a long time, if ever, she was starving.
Sam turned down the flame and pulled the frozen patties out of the freezer. She stared back at him, wanting to feel his mouth devour hers. Her body tingled each time she neared him, leaving her dizzy.
If she didn’t clear her head she was going to hurl herself against Rob. “Want to see the view from the terrace? I need to start up the grill.”
He nodded. “Sure. You all sure have an eye for property.”
“C’mon…and bring your beer.”
In moving, their bodies bumped against each other making her ache even more for him. The hunger twisted inside her, and she yearned to be more than a drinking buddy.
Rob opened the French doors that led outside. “Man, what a view. Incredible.” He leaned against the balcony railing, sipping his beer.
Slowly, she made her way toward him. He kept his eyes trained on her, and the effect made her body clench. What it would be like to be under such a powerful man, sprawled out on her new king-sized bed?
Sam inhaled the scent of saltwater off the ocean breeze before she refocused on the man beside her. She imagined him naked, and immediately another heat wave tore across her body. She sipped her beer, peeled off the label, and didn’t fight the yearning that spread inside. Vacillating between the longing for one crazy night and the need to serve their lunch, she just wanted to be free—of everything. He leaned over, their shoulders touching,
and it was so simple. She longed for him, without all the outer trappings or expectations. Alone with him for a few hours.
“Do you want to take a swim?” she asked, jutting her chin toward an azure blue pool that was off to one side. “It’s private. But not from others residents’ view.”
“Before we eat?” Rob tipped his beer and downed the last swig. “Would you come for a dip with me?”
“Of course. There are swimming trunks in the cabana if you want to change, or you can swim in your birthday suit.” She walked over to the grill and lifted the lid, then pressed the start button, unfurling blue-orange flames. Rob’s expression was hotter than the fire, blazing.
“It would please me to see you in your birthday suit.” His breath was warmer than a summer breeze caressing her face. The heat roiled from his body, and her skin pebbled in response. She stopped stifling her desire and moaned aloud. When she turned, he cupped her face between his palms. He held her cheeks and pressed his hot mouth against hers; the sweep of his tongue was masculine and commanding. His hands moved down her body, and she melded along his. It wasn’t merely a kiss; it was a doorway—one she eagerly burst through.
Sam opened her mouth, tasting him, giving into his demands. He kissed her deeper and held her closer, his tongue thrusting past her lips, and plunged into her mouth hungrily. She used her tongue, stroking against his. She sucked and bit his lips. He moved her back against the railing, positioning her body so his erection pushed into her, against the space that throbbed almost unbearably.
“What are you hungry for?” he asked, reaching down her body.
She pushed her palms up against his chest; a brick wall couldn’t have been any stronger or harder. Muscles rippled and flexed as her hands moved over his body. “You,” she groaned. “I’m hungry for you, Rob.”
“Let’s go inside,” he growled, rubbing his hands over her bottom, stopping to squeeze her ass cheeks. “Damn, the things I want to do to you.”
Her heartbeat accelerated. It was take this step across a threshold, or stop the whole journey. It wouldn’t do to go inside and then rethink if she was ready to give herself to him. His hot breath on her face and neck. His hard body bending over her. She was on the head of pin, and all she had to do was leap.
The feel of his grooved muscles under her hands, and his mouth sliding across her jaw were all the answers she required. Today, her desire to undress and give herself overpowered all fear. He was perfect as the first step in freeing herself. He gave her hope that a new life existed, one devoid of conferences, gone would be planning and objectives, done away with were business memos with bottom lines to consider.
She wanted to feel something, to feel…anything. Like what she felt right now. With a man who wanted her; made her feel for the moment that she was worth his attention. She threw away all expectations. Nothing would stand in her way from leaping into life.
“Let me turn off the grill,” she whispered.
He effortlessly reached out a hand and turned off the grill. “There. Next?”
She let go a shaky breath. “Better put these up for later.”
Rob let her go. She put the burgers inside the terrace refrigerator.
“Which way is your bedroom?” He wrapped her in his arms. “Better tell me fast, or your neighbors may get more than an eyeful.”
This time, their hunger exploded. The bumping of their bodies together, his erection grazing her hip, and the smile he flashed at her before kissing her convinced her that everything she wanted was right there. He moved her inside, keeping his hold on her, crushing her body into his.
“This way,” she said as though coming up for air.
He tugged her back toward her open bedroom doorway. “This room is what I imagined a woman like you would have as a boudoir.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Elegant and understated, classy. Reminds me of the new modern in vogue. With a Japanese or New York flair. And yet there’s some vintage undertone.”
She ran her fingers over a small table. “I prefer clean lines. But I do enjoy collecting a few antiques. Some of these are from my mother’s family. The truth is I’ve never really lived here. This will be one of the few nights I’ve stayed in this bedroom.”
Was she talking too much? She was ready to implode and had no idea what she should do first? Did people simply take off their clothes together? In the movies, there was some sort of sequence. Fine time to need a manual.
His voice broke her stream of fear. “This bed hasn’t seen much action is what you’re saying.”
“Zero. I’ve never brought another man here. This has been my refuge.”
He silently approached her and pulled her to him. “Then let’s not waste another minute. We’ll christen your room this afternoon.” His fingers curled around either side of her waist. His mouth sought hers, and he kissed her deeper than before, with an urgency, an intensity driving his tongue into her mouth. He pulled back, teasing her, nipping at the corner of her mouth before he held her head and devoured her, tasting her and driving her wild.
His body pressed against her, and his hands moved down to her hips. He pulled her up against him, wrapping his arm around her waist, and ground his hardness into her. She wanted to feel his warm skin brushing against her body.
She whimpered against his mouth, and he lifted his head. “Mmm, you taste so sweet. Is this how you taste all over?” His hand moved down over the space where her thighs met her body. He pressed against her, but her tight skirt hardly gave way.
Sam arched her back and silently cursed her skirt, hungry to stop the teasing.
“Please,” she whimpered, giving into the need to feel his hardness between her legs. Standing next to him, inhaling his scent, she pushed her hands up under his shirt. The feel of his supple skin under her fingertips captivated her. Sam ran her hands up and over the muscles covering his chest, wanting to explore every inch of his body.
Rob groaned her name. His smooth muscular body bent over her further. “Baby, give yourself to me.”
His words had her drowning in a pool of desire, lust, and ache. Finally, he’d quench her thirst that had built up since the moment she’d seen him standing in the lobby.
“Do you want me, Sam?” he asked.
“God, yes,” she panted. “I’ve never wanted anything so bad.”
“Then let me undress you.”
“Really?” She inhaled before nodding. “No one has…I-I’ve never been undressed before.”
“Yes, really.” The corners of his mouth kicked up, and he swiped a thumb across the bottom of her lip. “Jesus, you can’t begin to imagine the things I want to do to you.”
His voice dug in deep within her, turning her body into liquid fire. Oh, she had an inkling of what he desired—if his hunger were anything like what she craved.
She hovered, unsure. “What should I do?”
“All you have to do is let yourself go and enjoy this. Tell me what you like.” He spun her around and his fingers pulled down the zipper of her skirt. He tugged it down to her knees, and let the material fall to the floor. “Jesus Christ, you’re beautiful.”
He brushed his fingers across her panties, bringing a full shudder to her body. His eyes watched her face. Again, he rubbed his finger across her intimately, and a tiny jolt grew and grew. She was instantly wet and swollen.
“I think I’ve found something you like. Very much.” He chuckled, and continued teasing her with the swipe of his finger back and forth across her panties.
“Dear God.” She bowed, curving against his hand, and rubbed herself without shame over his fingers. “More, please.”
He laughed. “You’re very sensitive. I bet it would drive you wild to come against my tongue. God, I want to lick your pussy.” His hand pressed against her harder. So commanding, his voice and hands held her.
The breath slipped from her mouth, a soft whimper, as she closed her eyes, giving in to all he had to offer. Sam clung to his arms. “Rob,” she moa
ned.
He pressed his crotch into her bottom. “That’s it. Give in to me, baby.”
His fingers moved across her skin, casting a swarm of warm tingles in all directions. He cupped her breasts, squeezing and kneading her firmly into the realm of pleasure. She swayed, moving her body wantonly against him. Her sex throbbed, her panties were drenched, and she was ready to do whatever he suggested. Her muscles clenched and unclenched; she ached for him to fill her.
He moved around to stand directly in front of her. “I’ve admired your breasts for hours, and I want to see them without your blouse. Shall we undress you further?”
“Only me?” she asked, unable to fathom anything other than his hands on her body. Her voice hiked up. “What about you?”
“Soon. I’d much rather concentrate on you,” he said, tracing the row of buttons up her shirt.
A shiver rose from deep inside, and she fought to control her body. The more she tried, the further undone she became. She trembled under his caress, giving into the maddening jolts that crossed her nerve endings.
“You are so very responsive to touch. Aren’t you?” He popped open a button.
Entranced, Sam stared at his hands, biting back a groan. Her nipples pebbled. “Rob?”
“Look at me. I want to see your expression.”
She did as she was told, meeting his eyes.
“Good girl.” He held her gaze, and his pupils dilated into a wicked, magnetic force. “Did you want to ask me something?”
There was no possible way to tell him that this was truly novel. She had no experience whatsoever. The proper words didn’t materialize. Not when his strong fingers continued working the delicate buttons of her shirt one by one, until the last one stood in his way. He pushed the shirt from her shoulders, and it fell down to her elbows.