Resist

by Lilly Avalon

“I listen to a lot of stuff.”

  His gaze travels from me to the band in the opposite corner of the room then back to me again. “Stuff like this?” He gestures toward the band.

  “Sometimes.” They’ve been playing a variety tonight from classical to smooth jazz. Something about it brings back nostalgic memories from childhood.

  “Do you like to dance?”

  “Yes,” I say slowly.

  “Because I like to dance.”

  I open my mouth to speak when he holds up a finger, gets up, and walks toward the band. What the hell is he doing? He gestures to the guitarist and whispers something. I attempt to resist the urge to stare at Devlin, yet my eyes can’t look away. He’s just as sexy as he was a year ago, if not more. The well-defined chin and jawline, the luscious lips, and the way he carries himself—that confidence that just bleeds through, forcing you to take notice. I’m curious what he’s asking them to play, but I can’t stop the drifting of my thoughts. Would one night be such a bad idea?

  Devlin shakes hands with the guitarist and comes back to me. When he takes my hand in his, the band begins to play. I raise my eyebrows at him. “Salsa?”

  “You know your Latin music?” He leads me across the room until we’re in an open area near the band.

  I shrug and let go of his hand. “Some.”

  “The real question is, can you dance?”

  “You tell me.” I place one hand around his shoulder and take his hand with the other. He places his hand on that sweet spot between my waist and bottom. It’s in this moment, with our bodies this close, that I realize I’m a goner. Devlin knows what he’s doing with the seductive music that requires such physical intimacy. It’s going to take everything to hold myself together.

  We take the first steps tentatively, but once he realizes I know what I’m doing, everything shifts between us. The dance is passionate. We move in tempo, our bodies entangled in an embrace while our legs guide us across the floor. I lose myself in the music, giving myself freely to it. My body surrenders to him, fingers skimming over his shoulder and down his back as I draw him closer. His hands trace to the center of my back in response. It’s like no dance I’ve ever experienced before. The fluidity of motion. The heat of our bodies practically glued together.

  It’s intimate, much more intimate than anything I’ve experienced in my life. It’s intimidating—scary, even—to be doing this. I want to break the eye contact we’ve had since the dance started, but I’m mesmerized. I can’t take my hands away from him; I’m drawn in more.

  Shifting as we dance, my arm goes around his shoulder, my hand now on his neck, fingers grazing his hair. My breasts are brushing against his chest, and a feeling of desire swells up inside of me. With the way our bodies are fitting together just right, it feels as though we’re in bed. Under the sheets. Writhing horizontally as he sucks on my nipple and my back arches as we…

  I become aware of a familiar ache down below that I haven’t felt in over a year. Honestly, it’s been longer, because it felt like longer since I’ve experienced a sexual high. It’s not enough, though. I want more, and I want it to be Devlin to give it to me. I want him so badly. Oh, so badly. God, I want it even though I shouldn’t.

  Something changes in his breathing suddenly and he has that look in his eyes.

  Oh no.

  He abruptly yanks me from the open floor and off to the side behind a booth, where nobody can see us. He hauls my body to his and I gasp. His palms rest on my backside as he buries his face in the crook of my neck, pressing tiny kisses there.

  I let out a shuddering breath. “I thought you were just going to kiss me once.”

  “All you have to do is tell me to stop and I’ll stop,” he says against my skin. He’s giving me an out, a chance to leave or tell him I don’t want this. I should tell him to stop; I should walk away right now. But I can’t; I’m powerless to his touch. I only really ever imagined how it would feel. I never knew how much I truly craved it. How much I crave him at this moment.

  His hands move to my waist and travel up, sliding along the bottom of my ribcage and stopping just below my breasts. I should push his roaming hands away. It’s a precursor and I’m just enabling him. I grip his shirt near the waist, holding him close enough to feel his hard length press against my stomach. A yearning sound comes out of my mouth before I can prevent it. He lets out a harsh breath and starts to nip at my ears, tugging them lightly between his teeth. Moving up, he presses a kiss to my temple, then my forehead, his hand cupping my face.

  “Allegra,” he says softly against my cheek. My breath catches as my mind wraps around the fact that he’s closing in on my lips to steal a kiss. Is it stealing a kiss when you want it? No. But…it’s all too much. I’m lusting for Devlin of all people. It’s a precarious road I’m heading down, the same one I stepped onto last year when I first fell for him. I want to surrender to him—surrender my body to him—and yet, I’m holding back.

  I know that if I let him kiss me once, I’ll be done for, unable to resist kissing him back. I won’t be able to resist his touches. I want to give in, but I’m afraid of what it’ll mean tomorrow. He’s right—it may not be smart to have a one-night stand with a stranger, but at least with a stranger I won’t have to face him again. With a stranger, there’s no emotional connection. Somehow it feels like there’s a chance for one with him.

  He said he wouldn’t kiss me right away, but he’s too far gone and so am I. His face comes in closer and closer. His lips are a breath away, about to claim the kiss I promised him earlier. I can’t let him because I know what will happen when he does.

  Just when Devlin’s lips are about to meet mine, I wrench my body away from him. He blinks rapidly, his gaze unfocused. “Allegra?”

  I open my mouth, then close it, incapable of forming the words sitting there on the tip of my tongue. I mumble, “Excuse me.”

  He stares blankly at me, his eyes still hazy from the moment we just shared.

  I run to the bar, snagging my clutch as I escape toward the elevator. Once I get to the elevator and press the button, I cross my fingers that it will open and let me in before Devlin catches up. “Come on, come on,” I mumble as I roughly press the button three more times. There’s something happening to my heart and I don’t like it. Come on, brain. Why won’t you keep me grounded? I don’t care about the endorphins my body keeps sending you. Do your job and stop leaving the thinking to my vagina!

  When the doors open, I feel the flood of relief wash over me as I hop inside and press the button. Leaning against the back of the elevator, I bury my face in my hands and take a deep breath as I listen to the sound of the doors closing. Wait, that’s not the sound of elevator doors closing.

  That’s when I peek through my fingers to find Devlin Pierce holding those doors open.

  Chapter Eight

  “Where the hell do you think you’re going?” he says angrily. He steps inside and presses the button to close the doors.

  My eyes widen and I gesture to the closed doors. “What the hell is your problem?”

  He gapes at me. “Me? How about you? You made a promise.”

  “I know,” I admit.

  “You’re afraid.”

  I twitch at his speculation, because I know he’s right. “I’m not afraid.”

  “Bullshit.” He pulls the emergency stop and moves in closer, almost cornering me. I suck in a breath. His nearness and the scent of him washing over me in the confined space is eliciting a reaction from my body. I want his lips on my neck again, pouring kisses like rain that slowly spread over every inch of my skin. He tilts my chin up so that my eyes can’t avoid his. “You’re afraid of my kiss.”

  “No.”

  “Yes, you are. Why would you be afraid of it?” He places a hand on the elevator wall behind my head. The fingers of his other hand trail along the edge of my jaw. “It couldn’t be because you’re worried you’re going to feel something, is it?”

  I shake my head, but his light tou
ch is tantalizing. I fear I may accidentally admit how I really feel if I answer him out loud. His fingers caress the column of my neck and my breath catches in my throat. It’s all I can do to keep my knees from buckling beneath me as I stand before him. My chest is moving up and down with my heavy breathing. There’s a thump on the elevator floor, and I jump. Glancing down, I realize I accidentally dropped my clutch.

  He leans in and whispers in my ear, “If this is how you react to me barely touching you, imagine how it would feel to have my cock buried deep inside of you.”

  I shiver and, closing my eyes, beg my body to resist him, but I know that resistance is futile when it comes to Devlin Pierce.

  “Are you going to say anything?” he asks me. “If not, I have another way to put those pretty lips to use.” He dips his head and his lips brush across mine. “Is that what you want, Allegra?”

  I yell in my head, Yes, damn it! Kiss me! However, I say nothing.

  He looks into my half-closed eyes. “Haven’t you heard? Eyes are the window to your soul.” He takes my upper lip between his and sucks gently. A shaky breath comes from me just before his lips close around mine. He kisses me thoroughly and deeply. At first, it feels as though he’s only seducing, but then, it feels like more—like he’s worshiping me. He stops, his forehead pressed to mine, and says, “I’ve had dreams about your lips, but none of them were close to the real thing.”

  His scent fills my nostrils, intoxicating me. We’re not even touching, except for our foreheads, but everything feels electric. The hair on my arms is standing on end. His moves were unflinching and deliberate. Everything about that kiss has me reeling. He was right—one kiss is all a girl needs to know that Devlin Pierce means business. If I had my doubts before, I don’t anymore. He’s irresistible. A hidden sensation below the surface emerges, catching me off guard with its power. That’s all it takes for me to cave.

  My hands grip his jacket, hauling him to me as I press my lips back to his. He freezes briefly in shock, then moans at the realization that I’m giving in, his arms encircling me. His tongue teases my bottom lip, and my mouth opens to let him in. Our tongues tango in a dance as sensual as our literal one only moments ago. He explores my mouth, delving in to taste me repeatedly. My worst fear has been realized: I can’t get enough of his kiss. My body is no longer held captive by the reasonings of my mind. It has taken over, collaborating with my heart to overthrow any remaining logic in my brain.

  I let go of his jacket, yank his shirt out of his pants, and run my hands over his muscular abdomen. He tears his lips away from mine, his arms still holding me in place, and says, “God, I want you so badly.”

  “I can tell.” I skim my hands down until they brush over his erection.

  He releases a shuddering breath. “And what do you want?” he asks in a low voice, lips hovering over mine.

  If he could feel how damp my panties have gotten since I first laid eyes on him tonight, he would know. “What do you think?” I ask as I reach around, squeezing his ass.

  He growls and laughs at the same time. “Oh, what you do to me.” He pushes me back against the wall and starts kissing down my neck to the swell of my cleavage. My eyes flutter closed and my fingers tangle into his hair. He groans when his trail of kisses on my skin meets the fabric of my dress. “This is in my way,” he says, palming my breast. My nipple pebbles under the fabric separating his skin from my skin.

  “If you even think of suggesting ripping this dress off me, I’ll flog you.”

  “Do people still do that?” His hand travels down my stomach to my waist, then my thighs. “I love your legs.”

  I feel myself flush. “They’re too big.”

  He shakes his head as he kisses my neck. “They’re perfect. Just the right size for what I want to do to you.” He holds on to both of my legs, pressing his body into mine, giving me a taste of what is to come. My whole body lights up in anticipation. He’s teasing me—no, taunting me—with every drawn out move he makes. It’s almost as if he’s trying to slow things down. That’s not what I want, though.

  I hitch up my dress and hop into his arms. He presses me back into the wall, sitting me on the railing, his hard length now at my center. I bite my lip as I feel my arousal building to greater heights. His hands feel their way up my leg and he lets out a growl. He mutters against my lips, “Thigh highs…”

  I grin, loosening his tie enough to get access to his collar, then unbuttoning the top button. “Thought you’d like that.”

  “I don’t like it.”

  I frown. “What?”

  “I love it.” His palms smooth over the exposed skin on my leg. It’s going to be nearly impossible to take our time when he touches me like that. I shudder and, being incapable of taking my time unbuttoning each individual button on his shirt, quickly rip it open. The buttons fly, a few clinking as they hit the metal wall before landing on the carpeted floor. He stares at me, eyes wide, right before he swoops down to kiss me deeply, his tongue invading my mouth with purpose. I wrap both arms around him tightly under his shirt as he rubs against me; his erection pushes insistently against my core, causing an aching pulse of absolute want.

  “Damn it,” I whisper against his lips, unhooking my legs from him to stand again. I rip off his belt, then swiftly unbutton and unzip his pants. My fingers wrap around him through his boxers.

  “Shit,” he mumbles, cupping my cheek. “You’re going to be the death of me.”

  “It’ll be an enjoyable death,” I counter as I pull his hard, thick length out. He’s certainly blessed beyond any woman’s fantasy. It’s all I can do not to drop to my knees and take him all the way down my throat, but there is no way I can stop the overpowering urge to have him buried deep inside me. It’s not as if I couldn’t later tonight, right?

  He sucks in a breath, his muscles tightening with restraint. “I’m going to fuck you in this elevator if you don’t stop.”

  “I don’t want to stop,” I tell him as I gently bite his lip.

  A low moan comes from his throat and he reaches between my legs. Pushing aside my underwear, his fingers delve into my folds. “My God, you’re so wet.” He begins to rub a slow circle over my nub while he presses open-mouthed kisses on my neck and jaw. I stroke up his length, causing him to lose his momentum, but he recovers a second later.

  The unhurried speed of his finger is killing me; I need him to go faster…I need… “Inside…I need you inside me,” I say breathlessly, pulling his hand away to take off my panties.

  “I can’t argue with that.” He lifts me back up and I guide his hard length to where it needs to go. As I line him up with my entrance, I have to admit it seems fitting that our first time would be in an elevator. In fact, it’s fucking perfect.

  Just as he’s about to push inside me, static breaks through the air from the intercom. A scratchy voice says, “Is everyone all right in there?”

  The two of us freeze in place, the head of his cock stopping its approach. Our eyes meet in an intense gaze. Neither of us speaks or moves. For a second, I almost expect him to press inside me. I mean, I want him to. With all the buildup to this moment, I can’t imagine stopping now.

  Despite the conflict in his eyes, Devlin clears his throat and says over his shoulder, “Yes, we’re fine. Everything’s fine.” I loosen my grip on him and he lowers me to the floor. “Shit,” he mutters under his breath.

  “What?”

  “I don’t have a condom,” he says.

  It didn’t even hit me until now that if we hadn’t been interrupted, we would have been having unprotected sex. I’m on birth control, but still. “You don’t have a condom in your pocket?”

  “I expected you to want to go to my room, not stop a damn elevator.”

  I shrug with a smirk. “I’m never what anyone expects.”

  “Amen to that.”

  I straighten up, adjusting my clothing while Devlin does the same. He releases the emergency stop and I reach down to get my clutch. Right when I�
��m about to grab my panties, Devlin snags them and shoves them in his pocket. He doesn’t bother picking up the stray buttons on the floor. I’d reach down for them myself, but I can’t move.

  The numbers light up one by one, and second by second, we’re getting closer to my floor. Despite not having a single part of our bodies touching, the sexual tension crackles in the air surrounding us. The thought of him touching me again creates a throbbing down below. I unconsciously bite my lip as I turn to Devlin.

  His eyes are already on me, that intense gaze overwhelming my senses. As soon as I look at him, he reaches out and pulls me into his arms, his mouth on mine. My body tingles at the warmth of him against me, his lips hot with passion. He whispers, “Spend the night with me, Allegra.”

  I answer him the only way I can: “Yes.”

  Chapter Nine

  We go up another couple of floors to his room. He holds my hand as we walk down the hall. Quickly swiping his key card, he pulls us both into the room. It may not be the penthouse suite, but it’s certainly larger than the room I have, plus it has a kitchen. Unlike the first floor and the hallways, his room is encased in royal blue and silver accents. The curtains are drawn, but I can see a sliver of the buildings at the edge and wonder how his view compares to mine.

  Before I can even take in anything more about the room, he throws his belt to the floor and presses me against the wall, his lips finding mine. When he starts mouthing from my neck to my collarbone, I breathe, “Oh, Devlin,” before I can stop myself.

  His hands grip my waist, and he stops what he’s doing to look me in the eyes. “Did you just say my name?”

  I swallow hard and nod.

  A low groan comes from his throat and he presses our bodies together. “Don’t stop saying my name, Allegra.”

  I shiver. “Only if you don’t stop saying mine…Devlin.” I touch a finger to his chin as I say his name.

  He closes his eyes and lets out a long breath. “Maybe you shouldn’t say my name.”

  My attempt to hide my delight in the effect I have over his body fails. I smirk and ask, “Why not?”