by Lisa Plumley
Mindlessly, Shane complied. He loved the feel of her breasts in his hands, of her pearled nipples on his tongue, of her sweet breath rasping across his naked shoulders. Gabby clutched him, squeezing her outflung knees against his hips, and again he couldn’t help thinking about another, even more intimate scenario. He wanted to be inside her. He wanted to know how she felt when she came, how she sounded, how she reacted when that utter defenselessness washed over her.
Probably bossily, a part of him whispered, and he grinned.
Dreamily, Gabby looked at him. “What’s so funny?”
“I think I love everything about you,” Shane said. “Even the bossy parts. That wasn’t what I expected tonight.”
“Especially the bossy parts, you mean.” Her grin matched his. Again, that sense of synchronicity struck him. She yanked at his belt buckle, then frowned. “What is this, Fort Knox?”
“You’ve got to protect the valuables.”
“You’ve got to free the valuables.” She nodded. “Open up.”
“My fly?” It was too hard to think with her bare breasts in his hands and her warm skin against his. “Open up my fly?”
“Open sesame,” Gabby tried, hilariously. “Abracadabra.”
“If that worked, I’d be in a world of trouble just going about my daily business.”
“Yeah. I saw all those women ogling you at the brewpub.”
Shane didn’t care about that. “I didn’t. I was ogling you.”
I was falling for you, hard, like a hammer on a nail.
No, he had to say it. He had to do the spontaneous stuff. All of it. Tonight. So it would be exorcized tomorrow.
“I was falling for you,” Shane amended in a husky tone. “Falling for you hard. Like a hammer on a nail.”
Gabby gawked at him, then laughed. “It’s a good thing you look so cute when saying schmaltzy stuff like that. Otherwise, I’d have to start having second thoughts about coming here.”
“Oh yeah?” Meeting her challenge with one of his own, Shane slid his palm higher up her thigh. Those were barely there black panties she had on. He touched their silky softness, and was almost undone by the feel of her beneath. “How about now?”
“Now?” She gasped and clutched his shoulder, melting against him as his fingers stroked between her thighs. “Uh …”
“Can’t think?” Wickedly, Shane kept on stroking. She felt remarkable—and he knew how to make that sensation even better for her. Indulging himself with another lingering sweep of his tongue against her budded nipple, he stroked her again. “Can’t remember what you were talking about a second ago?”
He knew damn well she couldn’t. Her next moan confirmed it. So did the flexing of her thighs, the grasping of her hands, the slow, helpless tip of her head. All the same, Gabby tried.
Shane admired her for that. She was quite a woman.
“Take … off … your … pants,” she managed to pant, sticking to her earlier demand. She shuddered against him. “Do it.”
“Do it?” Playfully, Shane raised his eyebrows. “Like this?”
“Ah.” Gabby dug her fingers in his shoulder, her body slick against him. “Yes. Like that. Just like that. Oh, God. I—”
“Mmm.” He absorbed her cries in a kiss. “Go ahead. Tell me.”
“I—wait! Not yet.” With an obvious effort, Gabby opened her eyes. She stared at him, panting. “This is too fast! Too soon.”
“Too soon for what?” Delicately, Shane pressed onward. At her helpless response, a burst of tenderness filled him. He wanted … everything for Gabby. Every pleasure. Every goodness.
“I’m going to—” She panted again, then gave a frantic gesture toward his dining table. “Here, on your table! You—”
“It seats twelve. We’ll use the other end.”
“What?” Her gaze, hazy and desire filled, met his. “You—”
“I’m kidding.” He kissed her. “And you talk too much.”
“No, I don’t,” Gabby managed. With evident effort, she moved her hand lower. She stroked his fly. “I feel, too.”
God. Shane knew it. Beneath his jeans, his cock felt huge. He needed this, needed her … needed her to quit making him crazy. What was she doing? Trying to make him burst through denim?
“You’re competing with me,” he marveled, realizing it at last. “You’re competing to see who can make who come first.”
Her blush told him he was right. So did her renewed efforts to unzip his fly, this time bypassing his belt altogether.
“I’m going to win, too.” To prove it, Gabby stuck her hand inside his pants. She touched him. They both shuddered.
“I definitely love you,” Shane said on a moan.
“I’ll love you after you give in to me,” Gabby returned.
He couldn’t help it. Her bossiness, so a part of her, made him feel hotter than ever. He needed someone like her, Shane thought. Someone who wouldn’t quaver, wouldn’t back down …
… wouldn’t be able to help rhythmically pushing herself against his stroking hand, making herself quake even harder.
Gabby was about to come undone. Shane knew it. She didn’t.
That explained the surprise on her face as the first tremors struck. With potent satisfaction, Shane felt her rock against him, and knew that if nothing else happened tonight, he’d be happy to have shared this with her—to have glimpsed her beautiful face aglow with pleasure and full of affection.
The affection he hadn’t earned. Not yet. But the pleasure …
Well, Gabby’s gasped exclamation said it all. “Oh my God! That was so …” Limply, she sagged against him. “… so fast!”
“Sorry.” He wasn’t. “I’ll try to go slower next time.”
Smartly, she jabbed his shoulder. “I wanted to win!”
“Maybe next time.”
“So there’ll be a next time?”
“I hope there’ll be a continuation of this time.”
Pointedly, Shane glanced down at himself. In her frenzy, Gabby had managed to get his belt totally crooked. She’d gotten his zipper all the way down. She’d made him as hard as granite.
She followed his gaze to the bulge in his jeans. Her eyes widened. “I thought feeling you was good. But seeing you, too …”
“Is good?”
Gabby scoffed. “You know it’s excellent.” Her attention shifted to his face. A saucy smile came next. “It’s about to get even better, too, once I get you naked.”
Then she lunged for him and knocked him down to the rug.
The rug wasn’t the most romantic place to seduce a man, Gabriella figured as she pushed Shane onto the floor. But it was expedient. And impulsive. And it suited her current mood, too.
Which was, to put it plainly, desperate for him.
Besides, so far tonight, impulsivity and bravado had served her well. Since the rules in her life had otherwise broken down … why not demolish a few more restrictions with Shane?
She could always go back to being born-again responsible tomorrow.
Decisively, Gabriella reached underneath her dress. An instant later, she dropped her black bikini panties onto the floor. She followed up that move by shimmying out of her dress.
In for a penny, in for a pound, she reasoned. She was here now. Naked and proud—and still feeling seriously weak-kneed after the orgasm she’d experienced—Gabriella looked at Shane.
He made quite a sight, sprawled there on what looked like a very luxurious and pricey rug. His muscular torso was bare, his sinewy arms were flung to the sides, and his eyes sparkled at her. His mouth looked sensual. His body looked perfect. And as for his smile … well, his smile invited her to do what she wanted.
So, gleefully, Gabriella straddled him. With both hands on Shane’s strong chest, she lowered herself to kiss him. Nothing could have outstripped the passion between them; nothing could have disguised the desire Shane felt. The impressive bulge in his jeans was proof of that. Exercising remarkable restraint—given the circumstances—
he brought up his hand to cradle the back of her head, ruffling her already messy sex-me-up hair.
They must have made quite a sight, Gabriella knew. Her, naked atop him and kissing him like there was no tomorrow. Him, sporting a massive erection, a pair of too constricting jeans, and a demeanor that made everything between them feel…
Perfect. Right. Almost inevitable. It was … remarkable.
Struck by a feeling of inexplicable fondness for a man she’d only just met, Gabriella kissed him again. She cradled Shane’s face, loving every sharp-angled contour, every stubbled inch of skin, every quirk of his assertive nose that landed him just on the right side of looking too handsome. She loved the way he looked, the way he felt, the way he made her feel.
Getting crazy with him had definitely been a good decision.
So, it suddenly felt, was going to work on that belt buckle of his again. Because Gabriella was renewed by their closeness, enlivened by their synchronicity, awed by their sameness.
You’re competing to see who can make who come first.
Guilty, Gabriella knew as she finally whipped a hank of expensive leather through Shane’s belt buckle. But she hadn’t expected Shane to call her on it—or to be the one who won.
Yes, she was competitive. But only he seemed to appreciate that fundamental fact about her. She almost loved him for it.
Except that was preposterous, wasn’t it? All they were having was a onetime fling. All she needed was him. Now.
“Go ahead,” Shane dared her, his eyes glimmering in the subdued light. With his hair thrown back and his face exposed, he seemed newly vulnerable. “Make things get even better.”
His reference to her earlier boast only goaded her onward. Gabriella thrust her hand in his loosened fly, reacquainting herself with the length and breadth and heft of him beneath.
“Go ahead,” Shane repeated. He swallowed hard, then momentarily closed his eyes as she stroked him. He trembled. Hard. “See if you can stick to your guns while I’m doing this.”
With obvious effort and eagerness, he cupped her breasts. His thumbs stroked over her nipples, reminding her of the way his mouth had felt earlier—and stoking even more desire in her.
“You’re silly.” Affectionately, Gabriella kissed him. “Doing that only makes me want to feel you inside me even more.”
Hoarsely, Shane groaned. “Ah. I want that, too.”
“You’re going to get it,” she promised, feeling full of audacity and fondness and irresistible curiosity. “Just wait.”
“There’s more waiting? I can’t stand it.”
Shane’s strangled groan made her laugh—but the feel of him, surging nakedly into her palm as she finally freed him, made everything else fall away. He felt hard and thick and beyond ready for her, and Gabriella couldn’t remember what she’d been saying—only that it involved her, and him, and had felt perfect.
“Waiting? Only if you don’t have a condom,” she told him.
After a hasty search, Shane came up with the goods. Looking endearingly almost shy, he brandished a supersize condom.
“Hmm.” Gabriella observed it. “I can’t believe I’ve met a man who can whip out one of those and not be bluffing.”
“Oh,” Shane assured her confidently, “I’m not bluffing.”
There was a crinkle, a metallic tear, and then …
“I’ll do that.” Eagerly, Gabriella got him ready. She eyed her handiwork with satisfaction. “You’re right. A perfect fit.”
“We can’t know that yet, can we?”
His words echoed her statement earlier, about them being a perfect match. But despite Gabriella’s skepticism, then and now, something about Shane’s expression made her a believer. He looked certain and awestruck and immeasurably passionate, all at the same time. Mixed up in his brashness and his ability to get things done, Gabriella detected an openness that surprised her. It unbolted every door she would otherwise have kept locked shut against just the kind of feelings she felt for him then.
Because she kind of, improbably, really truly liked him.
“We can if we try,” Gabriella said, keeping up her end of their conversation. Laughingly, she kissed him. “Let’s try.”
Shane’s groan as she straddled him again confirmed their pact. The soft denim of his jeans touched her thighs; the hard grasp of his hands on her hips helped her get situated. Meeting his gaze directly, Gabriella lowered herself onto him, feeling herself expand with indescribable bliss as he filled her.
Gasping, she closed her eyes. There had never been anything as good as this. There had never been anything more pleasurable, more mind-blowing, more sensual than this … until Shane tightened his hold on her hips and gave a final slow, grinding thrust.
“Oh!” Helplessly, Gabriella flung open her eyes. Beneath her, Shane met her gaze with an equal measure of awe. “Wow.”
He nodded, then began moving. Faster and faster, they moved together, and Gabriella felt determined to do her part. She couldn’t not meet Shane thrust for thrust. Digging her knees into the cushy rug for purchase, she flung her arms in the air and just kept going. If their first kiss had been electric, then this was … indescribable. Gliding, merging, pushing, striving, they both came together in a search for something that felt just out of reach. Gabriella couldn’t wait for a better time, a better place, a better rhythm. All she could do was feel.
What she felt was another orgasm rushing headlong toward her. It built with ridiculous intensity, coming nearer. Faster.
“Oh no you don’t!” she panted ludicrously, splaying her palms against Shane’s chest. “You’re making me come again.”
His nod confirmed it. But he was close, too. He swallowed hard, his fingers clenching against her derrière now, and as Shane closed his eyes, Gabriella felt herself begin to convulse.
She didn’t want to lose. As always, she wanted to win.
But so did Shane. His compulsion for victory, so like hers, clearly drove him onward. It had driven him to stroke her earlier, leisurely, as though his fancy twelve-person table had been built to be a pleasure dome. It had driven him to make love to her without even bothering to get undressed. It had driven him now to hold back, to wait, even as Gabriella cried out.
“Ah.” At last, his guttural groan matched hers. Wide-eyed, Shane clutched her again, driving hard. “Yes, Gabby. Yes.”
Vaguely, from very far away, she wondered why she’d told him her name was Gabby. No one else had ever called her that. She’d never had a pet name. She’d always been too strong and too insistent on having her own way to put up with nicknames.
But with Shane … with him, Gabriella wanted to be trusting. At least for one night, she wanted to be unguarded. Completely.
She glanced down at Shane. Both of them were panting. Both of them were slicked with sweat, pulsing with the aftermath of everything they’d just shared. He’d climaxed once; she’d gone twice. Technically, they were done. Heart pounding, Gabriella considered protecting herself with a casual dismissal.
Thanks, she could say, blithely jumping up to get dressed as if this had been routine for her instead of earth-shattering. That was loads of fun, here on your rug. See you never! Later!
Imagining herself carelessly leaving Shane behind, Gabriella expected to feel strong. Reassured. In control.
Instead, at the thought, all she felt was regretful.
Somberly, she gazed at him. “That was better than anything I’ve ever experienced.” On a rug. No, that wasn’t true. “Ever.”
Her honesty didn’t seem to faze him. “Me, too.”
Shane said it as if the connection they’d shared were commonplace—as if people found themselves in perfect harmony every day. Gabriella knew that wasn’t true. Not for her.
She didn’t want to go back to being in control, in charge, and on the spot. Not yet. Not when the whole rest of the night stretched before them, full of possibilities and promises.
But first … “I’m starving! Have you got any food in this pla
ce?” Gabriella looked around, noticing for the first time exactly how luxurious Shane’s apartment was. Through the nearly floor-to-ceiling windows surrounding them, Portland’s city lights gleamed. “I need to keep up my strength, you know.”
Gently, Shane stroked her back. The long, slow glide of his palms across her naked skin made her have second thoughts about the necessity of food. Or water. Or sunlight. Or tomorrows.
“I don’t have much here,” he admitted. “But I have an idea.” His gaze swept lingeringly over her unclothed body. He gave her an unabashed smile—one that pleased her too much. “I also have a memory like an elephant. It’s a good thing, too. Because I want to remember you for a long, long time to come.”
“Just try to forget.” Feeling jubilant, Gabriella eased herself upward. With Shane’s help, she collapsed in a jelly-legged, breathless heap on the rug beside him. “I’m memorable.”
“From the moment I met you.” He lolled his head to the side, meeting her forehead to forehead in a gesture that felt impossibly intimate. He caressed her cheek, his fingers moving in a way that made Gabriella feel treasured. “Also … 34B.”
It took her a minute to realize he’d guessed her bra size.
Laughing, Gabriella swatted him. Then, saucily, she cast her gaze downward. “Eight,” she estimated, “and a quarter.”
“Inches?” Shane guffawed. “You’re too generous.”
“But I’m not wrong,” she felt compelled to point out.
“Probably not.” With no modesty at all, he stood. He extended his hand to her. He was … remarkable. “Come on. Let’s beat this night into the ground and get the most out of it.”
This time, Gabriella didn’t even hesitate. “You’re on.”
Sitting at a picnic table in the brisk postmidnight air, unwrapping food from one of Portland’s signature food carts, Shane couldn’t escape from a new and unfamiliar feeling.
It seemed like … contentment. He couldn’t be sure.
What he could be sure of was Gabby, and how much he liked being with her. She was witty, demanding, and unafraid. She was beautiful, vivacious, and authoritarian. She was unlike anyone he’d ever met—much less anyone he’d ever experienced stupefying sex with—and he couldn’t get enough of her. He’d been uncharacteristically reluctant to let her unstraddle him, to get them both up off the rug, to segue into a steamy shower for two. He’d been reluctant to let the magic between them slip away.