She thought of his earlier guarantee of pleasure. He was definitely delivering. And she knew that was the only guarantee she’d get. She could do this, dive headlong into a short-term, sexually charged affair. She could revisit and bring closure to the relationship she and Drew once had. Only this time, she couldn’t fall in love with him.
And with that, she opened the cage door and let her inner wild child free.
He scraped his teeth over her nipple and Natasha shuddered at the intense shaft of desire that speared straight to the folds of her sex. She wanted him so much.
She pulled away briefly to tug at his tie and shove his jacket off his shoulders. But she was in such a rush, she made a mess of it all. He didn’t seem to mind though. With a wink, Drew stood and swiftly stripped down to his silky boxers. Silk? Natasha fingered the fabric.
“You could inspire a line of his and her lingerie,” she joked.
“I’d rather inspire his and her naked bodies,” he replied, drawing her close.
Natasha pulled back and shook her head. “Nope, not fair. You’ve had two chances already to scope out my body and I’ve yet to get a good look at how you’ve aged.”
Not that she had any doubt he’d aged nicely. But it was a good excuse to both catch her breath before they hit the main feature, and to appreciate his oh-so-fine body.
Drew lifted his arms in a ‘what you see is what you get’ gesture. “I don’t know about aging well, but here I am,” he said with a laugh.
He stopped laughing when Natasha drew a delicate pattern over his chest, tracing her fingers over the lightly freckled skin and clearly defined muscles.
“You have the sexiest chest,” she decided. “Hard and muscled, but not bulky and overdone like a body builder’s. Just...” She leaned in to nuzzle the silky soft hair there. “...perfect.” She breathed in Drew’s musky scent and felt her body respond with damp pleasure. He smelled good enough to eat up in tiny, delicious bites. To prove her point, she traced her tongue over the flat nub of his nipple and smiled at his sudden inhalation. Good. She wanted him excited. She wanted to drive him over the edge crazy.
With that in mind, Natasha gripped the corded muscles of his biceps and nuzzled his neck before tracing her tongue along his jaw line. Then she stood back for a delicious eyeful of the rest of him. Long, lean legs were lightly covered in the same auburn dusting of hair as his chest, and the rich purple of his boxers did nothing to hide the generous evidence of his desire.
With a considering little hum, Natasha chewed her bottom lip for a few seconds before giving Drew her most wicked smile and, as gracefully as possible, she sank to her knees in front of him.
“Remember the other night in the hotel room,” she asked, looking up at him. “You’d wished to have me here, on my knees in front of you.”
Drew’s breath shuddered through his glorious chest as he delved his fingers through the untidy wildness of her hair. He gently gripped her scalp and she watched him swallow.
“Yeah, I remember,” was all he managed to say.
“Good. Toss that memory away now, ‘cause no matter how good you imagined it would feel, this will be better.”
With that, she caught the elastic edge of his boxers in her teeth and tugged. But his erection caught the fabric and she had to let go. Natasha pressed her mouth to the silk and breathed a puff of warm breath over his erection as it strained against the barrier. She slid her hands up the back of his legs to briefly squeeze his butt before pushing at the elastic edge of his shorts so they’d drop to the floor.
Natasha leaned back on her heels to appreciate the glory of the sight. Drew, his golden flesh gleaming in the soft light, had one hell of a hot body. She recalled giggling with Lanie over the huge statue of David in the foyer of Caesars Palace, but realized Drew could have easily posed for it. Hard muscles, a long, lean form and a to-die-for smile on his face.
How long would he last? How far could she push him?
Natasha was about to find out. With fingers, lips and tongue, she did her best to drive the man of her ultimate fantasies wild.
Five minutes later Drew groaned and gently pulled her mouth from his body. “Babe, watching you do that makes me realize what heaven must feel like. Glorious pleasure and a silver haired angel driving me crazy.”
She looked up to see Drew’s face pulled tight with desire, his eyes flaming with a passion that called to her. For a second, an infinitesimal second, Natasha felt nervous. Not of the idea of sex with Drew, but of how much she wanted it.
Could she keep her heart out of it? Panic rippled through her when Drew lifted her to her feet and ran his hands down her back to gather her close to his straining body. How would she keep that her emotions in line?
Then she looked into his rich brown eyes and realized it didn’t matter. She’d do it, somehow. Forewarned and all that jazz. Because there was no way in hell she was missing the pleasure promised in the depths of those eyes. She could be careful in the morning. Leave the wisdom and caution for the daylight hours. Because as long as it lasted, the nights were gonna be wild.
“Ready to play in paradise with me?” he murmured against her mouth.
Yes. She was ready. Maybe it was crazy, but the door was open and her inner wild child was free. There would be no containing her until she’d had her fling.
Natasha gave herself over to glory of his mouth, his hands, the sensations as he pushed her body to the brink. Higher and higher he took her with just his mouth and sweetly talented fingers. Zero to climax in thirty seconds, Natasha gasped. Then she just let herself feel. She felt Drew’s mouth as it traced a fiery path down the sensitive curve of her throat to nibble at her collarbone, then swoop lower to take the hard tip of her breast in his mouth to suckle. Felt his hands, the magic in his fingers as he slid them into her swollen, wet folds and sent her careening over the edge. Gasping, she clutched his shoulders as she returned to earth.
“That one was mine, too,” he said with a sexy smirk, referring to his vow to claim credit for her orgasms. Natasha couldn’t even take offense at his smug look. After all, it had been one hell of an orgasm.
“That was fine for starters,” she challenged, stepping away from him to push her sticky-wet panties down her hips. “But how will you do with the main course?”
“Babe, you’ll be begging for more,” he vowed.
And she did. When he stripped the bed of all coverings, leaving a wide expanse of white sheet for their playground, then laid her carefully in the center, she only smiled. When he wrapped her hands around the spindled headboard and chided her to be a good girl, she snickered but held on and watched him with amused eyes.
But when he used his mouth, his tongue and his hands to drive her out of her mind, she gasped, but didn’t beg.
Then he dipped lower, his tongue and fingers working in concert on the sensitive flesh of her nether lips. That’s when Natasha begged for release. And when it came in a blinding rush of power, she begged for more.
Drew poised over her body, pausing only for a deep, fervent kiss before he snagged a condom package bearing her company name and sheathed himself.
Then he took her on a wild ride of passion, so fast and furious that Natasha swore she saw stars, before pleasure so intense she couldn’t even gather enough breath to scream her delight ripped through her.
Just as she was floating back to earth, she felt the muscles of Drew’s shoulders tighten beneath her hands. She opened her eyes and delighted in the ecstasy washing over his face as he lost himself in her body, in the deep pleasure of his own climax.
Seeing his pleasure, his shuddering breaths and gasp for air as he arched over her, was almost as intense as feeling the orgasm herself.
Drew opened his sex-glazed eyes to look into hers and grinned. In a swift move, he gave her a light kiss, pulled way to dispose of the condom and flip off the light, then grabbed the puddle of blankets off the floor. He joined her in bed and gave a satisfied sigh before he covered them both.
; “Now that was one helluva main course, you have to admit,” Drew said, pulling her close in his arms.
“Oh yeah,” she breathed in agreement. She smoothed her fingers through the dusting of hair on his chest and gave him a teasing grin. “But what about dessert?”
Chapter Six
Drew woke with a grin and wrapped his arm tighter around Natasha’s shoulder. She mumbled in her sleep and cuddled against his chest and he breathed in the sweet scent of her hair as it tickled his nose.
Never a morning person in the best of circumstances, Drew knew he should still be catching some much-needed rest after the busy night he’d had. But he wasn’t complaining. This was the life. A fun evening gambling and enjoying a top-rated Vegas show, a wild night of the best sex of his life, and waking up with the possibility of going another round before the day kicked off.
With that in mind, he ignored the option of falling back to sleep and, instead, ran his hand over the lush curves of Natasha’s hip, relishing the stirring of his body in reaction to her naked warmth. He’d almost have expected to be worn out after the night they’d had, but nope. His body was raring to go.
He pressed a kiss into Natasha’s soft hair and with one last squeeze, his hand left her hip to cup the weight of her breast. A flick of his thumb brought her nipple to life. She was so sweetly responsive to him.
Then Tasha stirred in his arms. His body responded instantly and Drew had to remind himself that what came next didn’t mean it would last forever. Just for the next little while. There would be no promises. With that, Drew forced himself to chill and focus on turning Tasha on for some early morning delight.
Awake now, she pulled back enough to look up into his face and give a soft, sleep blurred smile. Then, like a flash of lightening, her smile slipped away and her eyes sharpened.
“Drew?” She looked from him to the clock, then back to him. There was a struggle going on in her gray eyes, taking them from placid to stormy.
“Morning, babe,” he said with a soft kiss, hoping to charm her into a cozy mood.
Her body was clearly willing as it melted against his. But she apparently had some mental override system, since her eyes didn’t clear and she was biting her lip in contemplation.
Then, quick as a snap, she gave him an easy—if impersonal- smile and untangled herself from his arms. Apparently deciding modesty was more important than panache, she gracefully slid from the bed at the same time she managed to wrap the bulky bedspread around her like an ugly floral toga.
“I’d love to, um, play, this morning,” she said, her eyes flitting around the room but never quite meeting his. “But, well, I have to be at the convention soon so I should grab a shower and get ready.”
“The convention doesn’t start till nine. It’s only six,” Drew stated, resting on one elbow as he tried to figure out what the hell had happened.
“Why are you awake?” she asked, finally meeting his gaze and frowning at him. “You’re not a morning person. Go back to sleep.”
“I’m all for mornings when I wake up with a gorgeous woman in my arms. So come back here and help me make this morning rock.”
“If I do that, I might be late. Today is important. I have to be at the convention hall a little early to set up my bra display. It’s my special design and I want to be sure it’s perfect.”
“What’s the deal, Tasha? Do you regret last night?”
“What?” She was either one hell of an actress or she really was surprised. “No. Of course I don’t regret it.”
“Then what’s going on?” He was thoroughly aggravated now, and his natural morning surliness started setting in. Especially since it was pretty damned obvious he wasn’t getting any.
“Don’t be silly. I’m not denying that last night was wonderful. I’m simply trying to keep things in perspective,” she explained, trying to sound calm while tugging the bedspread higher on her chest.
“What’s so hard to figure out? Last night we slept together and had a helluva great time. This morning you’re acting like I’d taken you at gunpoint.”
“That’s not how it was,” she protested. Then, seeing his expression, she touched her fingers to his face. He could tell she was at ease though because she didn’t reach for her sagging bedspread. “I just need to keep my focus, you know? I need to leave Las Vegas with at least one solid account. I need to make sure Sensual Supports and Aunt Sharon are taken care of.”
“Well, yeah. I know that. What does it have to do with us?”
“Drew, I need to keep this balanced. During the day, I have to think about Sensual Supports, about doing whatever I can to make the most of this convention. I can’t do that if my head is in the clouds reliving our nights together, or if I’m late to set up because we were getting nasty in my hotel room.”
“How about in the elevator?”
“What?” she exclaimed, her face blank with shock.
“Kidding.” Sorta. “I get what you mean. You want to keep sex and business separate.”
He understood. He just didn’t like it. Still, it was her business so, for now, it was her call. “No problem.”
“You sure you’re okay with this?” She looked like she wanted to believe him, but didn’t quite trust him not to throw a fit.
“Are you saying we’re done with sex?”
“No way.” He was gratified by her adamant tone. “Just... you know, after hours.”
“I’m cool with that.” But if he wasn’t going to have the pleasure of tasting the ample display of cleavage in front of him, he figured he might as well go back to sleep. “Go ahead and take that shower. I’m gonna catch some more z’s.”
She smiled and jumped from the bed, throwing over her shoulder on her way to the bathroom, “I’m so glad you’re okay with this.”
“Hey, I’m a big boy. No worries.”
But, he admitted to himself when the bathroom door closed, he was lying. He wasn’t okay with the way things were. And he didn’t have a clue why not.
* * *
Natasha wanted to scream. And not from pleasure this time.
She paced her hotel room, not sure she could ever remember being this upset.
“Aunt Sharon, please just consider my ideas,” Natasha protested into the phone. She avoided looking at the bed, figuring the last thing she needed during this conversation was to be distracted. And anything that reminded her of Drew Walker was a guaranteed distraction.
She’d scurried out of the room that morning, leaving him sleeping there, naked, the white sheet barely covering his gorgeous body. It had taken every ounce of strength she had.
She’d had to go down to the convention hall, though, to setup her bra display. Still, she’d been fighting with the temptation to sneak back up to her room all morning. As it was, she seriously hoped he’d still be here sleeping when she came up for her lunch break.
Unable to stop herself, she glanced at the bed and sighed. It was empty, but for the incredible memories.
“Sorry, what?” she asked her aunt, realizing she’d missed everything the woman had just said.
“I said that ten years ago, I’d be on board with your ideas, Natasha. I love your list of alternate accounts and all of your ideas on how to expand my options. But things are different now. I need an account like Perfect Passion.”
“But you stand to make a lot more money and have so many more options if you diversify your focus,” Natasha argued. And she’d never have to talk to creepy Ruf again. She wasn’t telling her aunt that, though. She was here to help the woman, not stress her out.
“I want something simple and easy, with the least amount of work possible,” Sharon said with a sigh that tore at Natasha’s heart. “I just don’t have the spunk to juggle it all anymore.”
“Don’t say that,” Natasha argued. “You’ve as much spunk as anyone.”
“Once upon a time, maybe. But we all run out eventually. To be honest, Tasha, I’m going to need whatever spunk I’ve got left to fight for my health. My
life.” Sharon’s voice trailed off in a defeated sigh.
It was unlike Sharon to sound so down. Usually the woman was so upbeat, it grated on your nerves. She was everything Natasha wished she could be, only better. Sharon didn’t care what others thought. She’d thumbed her nose at the family wish for decorum.
What was going on? Natasha dropped to the bed as her stomach sank. “Aunt Sharon, has your prognosis changed? Are you okay?”
“No, no, sweetie,” Sharon reassured. “I’m fine. Nothing has changed. I just need to eliminate as much stress as I can, that’s all.”
“All right,” Natasha said slowly. Then why did Sharon sound so depressed? Was it money?
“You know—” Natasha offered slowly. “—if you wanted, I could keep helping out after I go back to work. Keep the books, do some more designing, that kind of thing. Actually, I have a lot of new ideas already.”
She glanced at the three notebooks she’d filled with sketches. Sure, some were too over the top for her aunt’s tastes, but Las Vegas seemed to inspire Natasha’s naughty side. Maybe if she was willing to shoulder some of the work, Aunt Sharon might eventually expand her collection to include a few racier lingerie designs.
“Honey, I know I asked a lot of you when I got sick. You jumped right in too. Took over designing, handled the store, even jumped in to work up that business plan for me. But I’m thinking it’s all too ambitious. It’s ludicrous to think I can keep my business and deal with this illness too.”
“Ludicrous?” Natasha squinted at the phone, her mind racing. “Aunt Sharon, have you been talking to my parents?”
“Susan called,” Sharon acknowledged.
“And what? Delivered a sermon?”
“She’s just concerned.”
Concerned, the Stover code word for disapproving.
God only knew the list of what was unacceptable in the Stover clan was so narrow, Natasha usually felt like she was walking a tightrope. But Aunt Sharon had never cared what others thought. Which was one of the reasons Natasha adored her.
“Susan might be a stuffy know-it-all, but she did have a couple of good points,” Sharon said. “I have to admit, I don’t know how can I keep healthy and deal with this business at the same time.”
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