by Jill Monroe
“It would be down here within the hour.”
“You said my reservation is still good?” Owen asked.
“Yes.”
“So that means my key card will work, yes?”
The desk clerk nodded.
“Then we’ll key in, grab the purse and drop off the card on the way out the door,” Owen told him.
But the man behind the desk was already shaking his head.
Owen scrubbed a hand down his face. “Look, it’s been a hell of a day for us.”
“Five minutes,” Stella added.
The desk clerk eyed the clock in a lavish gilt frame. “Cancellation of a stay is required by six. If you’re up and down by that time, fine. Otherwise I’ll have to charge you for the extra night.”
Owen grabbed her hand. “Done.” And they raced for the elevator along the hardwood floors. She resisted the urge to run her fingers through the water of the two-tiered fountain. They had seven minutes.
Mirrors edged the walls of the elevator and she was surrounded by images of Owen as the doors closed. She sucked in a breath and forced herself to think of rational things. “I keep hoping something will trigger my memory of last night,” she said.
He leaned his head against the glass, but his gaze found hers. “I’d give anything to remember.”
The primal part of her, the one she kept hidden and tightly leashed at all times, responded to the huskiness of his voice in the most carnal of ways. Her lips parted, and a shiver ran between her shoulder blades. His gaze drifted to her mouth and then lower when her nipples hardened. From not even a touch. Just a look.
“Do you remember this elevator from last night?” she asked, because the sensations he stirred were just too powerful. Too sensual. Her body had to be responding to the memory of his embrace. His heated caresses. The carnal touch of his breath on her skin.
“No, but I know what I would have done.”
Her breath hitched. Her racing thoughts suddenly stalled. Even her heart seemed to stop beating for a moment. Because this was it—the single tick of time that could alter everything between them.
But, as Stella had learned over the past twenty-four hours, the detached approach wasn’t always the best one. Maybe her drug-induced self had had the right idea.
“What would you have done?” Stella asked, knowing what she was inviting.
He whirled her around so that she was facing the mirror, her back pressed alongside his chest and the hard ridge of his cock nestled against her ass. Their gazes met in the mirror, and she watched as he twined his fingers through hers and lifted her arm. He bent her arm at the elbow, and she cupped the back of his head. Then he brushed down her skin with the backs of his fingers, tingles jetting from wherever he touched.
“This,” he whispered against her neck, then drew his tongue up the column of her throat. She shivered.
His hand stroked down her body, stopping to span her hips, then rising again to cover her breasts. Her nipples hardened to agonizing points of pleasure to meet his touch. With a groan, he caressed her breasts. Her eyes closed, the sensation of it too much.
The elevator dinged and the doors slowly slid open. Owen left her with a gentle kiss right below her ear. She followed him out and the doors closed behind her. The lighting was more discreet in the hallway, nothing harsh or distracting to make a person rethink what they were doing.
Like entering a hotel room with a stranger, as you did the night before.
The thick carpet masked her footsteps, and when Owen reached the door to their hotel room, he turned slowly, as if he almost expected she wouldn’t be there.
That sexy half smile of his was her reward, and he reached for the leather holder containing the key card. His hand paused over the swiper. “You can stay out here,” he told her. “I’ll go in, grab your purse and then take you home.”
“Is that what you want?”
“Hell no.”
She lifted his chin with her finger and then looped her arms behind his neck. “Me, either.”
Stella raised her lips, and he wrapped his arms around her back and drew her flush against the hardness of his chest with a groan. Oh, what that groan did to her.
“Open the door, Owen,” she whispered against his lips.
His arm dropped, and she smiled as he swiped the card too fast for the light to flash red. “Damn.” He swiped again and she sighed in relief when the lock flashed green and snicked open.
She was in his arms and up against the wall before the door even closed. His mouth was on hers and his tongue slid inside in one breath-stealing kiss. Stella palmed his biceps and back, feeling the strength in his coiled muscles. Balancing on one foot, Stella hooked her leg around his hips, positioning his cock at the cleft between her legs. She breathed in his scent on a moan, reveled in the heightened heat of his body. “Mmmmm.”
Owen jutted his hips into hers, and she moaned again at the exquisite pleasure of the thrust against her clit. “I so wish I could remember last night.”
He dropped a kiss on the corner of her mouth. “There’s nothing that says we can’t.”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you remember this?” he asked and rubbed her bottom lip gently with the calloused pad of his thumb.
She shook her head. “But do it again.”
“How about this?” He ran his tongue along her bottom lip instead.
She darted out her tongue to touch his, but he ducked away from her. “I gotta make a call,” he said.
“Now?” She slumped against the wall, feeling confused and a tiny bit vulnerable.
He lifted the receiver and pushed only one button. His dark hazel eyes never left hers. “We’re keeping the room.”
Her purse waited for her on the intimate dining table, but Stella couldn’t have cared less. Right now, she planned to finally get naked in bed with this unbelievable man.
“Damn you’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen. What is it about you?” he asked after he dropped the phone into the cradle and crossed to where she leaned against the wall.
“It’s nature’s little trick to make sure we keep going.”
“Mmm, that makes sense. But why, when we all were sitting around the table at lunch, could I only think of kissing you?”
Stella drew a lazy path down his chest with her finger. “It’s your testosterone. You’re aroused and when you kiss me, you pass that testosterone on to me, making me more aroused, too.”
“Like this?” he asked, and lowered his lips to hers. She lifted her open mouth and her tongue twined with his. It was the kind of intense kiss that slowed time and dragged want and need from every hidden place. Their shared lip-lock left her breathless and hungry.
“Do you remember kissing me like this last night?”
She shook her head. “But I’m game to figure out what we don’t remember. You have a hundred more nerve endings in your lips.” She lifted her mouth and rubbed her mouth against his. “Plus kisses elevate your heart rate and get the blood flowing so it’s easier to reach orgasm.”
He chuckled deep in his throat and her body reacted with a shiver. “This science talk of yours, Doc, is kind of sexy. Never would have thought it.” He rubbed his lips against hers. “Now tell me why I want to look into your eyes. I’ve never seen such amazing brown eyes.”
Owen locked his gaze with her own and Stella had to remind herself to breathe. “Survival. Most of our communication is done without words.” Stella glanced toward the floor. “If I don’t meet your gaze, maybe I have something to hide, and you’ll know not to trust me.” Then she stared into his eyes. “But if I meet your gaze, you can see how much I want your mouth on mine and your hands on my body. It’s a chemical. Phenylethylamine.”
Owen cupped her breasts. His thumbs stroked her nipples through her shirt.
“What’s the scientific reason I get so much pleasure from stroking your breasts? Why do I ache to hear your breath catch—yes, just like that—when my touch pleases you?”
His head swooped down and she lifted on her toes and met his kiss. He palmed her breasts until her nipples turned into tight points that rubbed inside the soft fabric of her bra. She had to get out of her clothes.
Stella flattened her palms against his chest and shoved him back. Then she reached for the buttons of her blouse. His heavy-lidded gaze lowered, watching as she worked her way down her shirt. “Do you remember this from last night?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No, I probably would have wanted to take that flimsy thing off you myself.”
“Do you want me to stop?” she teased.
“Hell, no. I could watch this show all night.”
“Good, because I plan to keep you occupied for the rest of the evening.”
“We should continue. In the interest of science.”
Her shirt dropped at her feet. “In the interest of science.” She hooked her finger around the strap of her bra, tugging down the left then the right. Next Stella reached for the hooks, and in a moment her bra fell at her feet silently.
Her nipples puckered at the change in air temperature and from the heavy weight of Owen’s gaze. “Better than I could have imagined.” He toyed with her nipple, watching it react to his touch. “I’m kind of glad I don’t remember last night.”
“Why?”
“Because now I get to have two first times with you.” Owen closed his eyes and began to chuckle.
“What?” she asked.
“That might be the corniest thing I’ve ever said. In my life.”
She grabbed his hands and placed them on her breasts. “Maybe I won’t remember tonight, either.”
He began to fondle and stroke her breasts. “Oh, you’ll remember,” he promised.
Stella gripped the bottom of his shirt and pulled it from his jeans. Once it was over his head, she finally got to revel in the work of art that was Owen’s chest. Chiseled from hard work and roped with muscle. A scar slashed across his ribcage and she traced the marred skin.
“You were burned?” she asked, knowing the telltale signs.
“It happens. I was being stupid.” He shrugged.
There was more to the story, but he wasn’t ready to talk about it. That was okay. Owen was allowed his secrets. It wasn’t as if she needed to solve all the mysteries of a man she wouldn’t be seeing after this weekend.
Stella dropped to her knees and traced the puckered skin with her tongue.
“Oh, so worth it,” he hissed through clenched teeth.
“You know what else I can take care of while I’m down here?”
“My every fantasy?”
“If by fantasy you mean unbuckling your belt, then yes.”
She slid the leather through the buckle and unbuttoned his jeans. He groaned as she stood. “Ahh, you were thinking something else?”
“Have to admit I was hoping. You’re a tease, woman,” he said, his smile tender. He gripped her by the hips, his cock hard and ready. Heat flooded between her legs. He dragged his lips along her collarbone. “I really wanted to take this slow and build you up, but darlin’, I want you so bad.” She heard a hint of Texan in his voice and thrilled at the need lacing his words.
“You can go slow later. I’m already built up.”
“Damn, I left my duffel bag in the truck. My protection is in there.”
Being a medical volunteer meant Owen had a clean bill of health, but she always carried protection even when she never planned on getting lucky. “I should have something for us to use in my purse.”
The two of them rushed toward the tiny dinette. She snapped her purse open and out fell her car keys. That was one concern resolved. She felt around inside her bag until she found not only her phone but also several square packages. Stella grabbed them all.
She crossed toward the bedroom, but stopped when she noticed Owen hadn’t followed. “Change your mind?” she asked.
“Do you remember the bed from last night?”
She shook her head. “Not remembering hasn’t stopped us yet.”
“What I do remember was waking up in the bathtub with the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever met.”
“So let’s hop in and see if it triggers anything.”
They dashed to the bathroom hand in hand, but Stella stopped at the threshold. “Wow. Just wow. When you pick a hotel, you know how to pick one.”
“This hotel certainly has a thing for mirrors.” Reflective glass stretched from the floor to the ceiling of the bathroom. Blue candles the color of Texas bluebonnets lined the tub along with an assortment of bath gels and organic soap. Fluffy towels were stacked in a basket at the foot of the tub, and with a push of a button, a fire would roar to life in the fireplace.
“Why have a fireplace in a bathroom?” he asked.
“So I won’t be cold when I do this,” she said, and slid her leggings down to her ankles. She kicked them, along with her shoes, to the side.
“Love fireplaces in bathrooms.”
Stella stood before him in nothing but her favorite pair of black panties made of delicate scalloped lace, surrounded by dozens of images of her nearly naked self. “You have too many clothes on,” she instructed.
She reached for the spigot to adjust the temperature and fill the tub. Something flirty and sensual awakened inside her when she heard his jeans hit the tiled floor. Then Owen was behind her, his cock against her leg. Their gazes met in the mirrored wall.
“Watch me touch you.” He caressed and stroked her breasts, over her ribcage and down her stomach. Her knees weakened when she both saw and felt his fingers steal beneath the fabric of her panties. “Watch me,” he urged when her eyes fluttered.
He grazed the tip of her clit and she moaned. “Do you remember this from last night?” he asked, his voice raw and husky.
She shook her head. “All I care about is now.”
Owen stroked the sensitive bud of nerves again while his other hand cupped her breast, steadying her to his chest. His fingers searched lower. “You’re so wet.” He slid his hand from her clit to where she craved his body over and over, cupping her in slow, agonizing caresses.
Just when she thought she would come from watching him touch her alone, he stopped. He slipped his hand out from her panties and hooked his thumbs around the narrow straps of black lace, gliding the fabric down her legs.
He tapped her thighs, urging them apart. Cool air brushed along her newly exposed skin, tickling her already throbbing clit. He cupped between her legs again and then slipped a finger inside her. Her knees did buckle then, but he took her weight, kissing her temple. He glided another finger inside her and stroked her inside and out.
“Are you ready for me, Stella?”
She wanted to shout yes, a thousand times, yes, but managed to sigh out only one yes.
He led her to the large soaker tub, which was only partially full. She stepped into the water. It was a little cool against her heated skin, but she had the warmth from the fire on one side and the heat of Owen’s solid body on the other. He poured bath gel into his hand and then began to smooth it on her skin in gentle little circles.
A light honeysuckle scent filled her nose. She held out her hands to him, and Owen squeezed gel onto her palms. Then she began to rub and work the gel into his chest. She’d never realized how erotic it would be to touch a man like this. They squeezed out more, until every part of them was slick with the gel and bubbles floated in the air. But she was done with just touching him. She needed him inside her.
Stella gripped him by the shoulders and pushed him against the back of the tub. After drying her hands on a towel, she reached for the condom wrapper and ripped it apart with her teeth. Owen lifted his hips from the shallow water and she slid the condom in place, loving the strength of his hard penis. She straddled him then, teased herself and him for a moment, and then sank down.
“Stella. How could I have forgotten this? You feel amazing. You
are amazing.”
She silenced him with her lips, loving the way her slick breasts slid along his chest as his tongue plunged past her lips. Stella moved along the shaft of his cock until she found a rhythm that forced moans from both of them. His hands settled along her ass and helped to guide her up and down.
Pleasure rocked through her core and her muscles began to clamp around him. Her movements grew more frantic as she tried to reach the peak. She felt the unexpected glide of his fingers between them. He stroked at her clit, demanding a response from her. “Don’t stop, Owen.”
He bucked his hips, driving his cock deeper and she went over the edge into ultimate pleasure. He rocked inside her, once, twice and then he groaned his satisfaction as he held her tight against his chest.
After a few moments their breathing steadied and the hiss and crackle of the fire and the drip of water from the faucet replaced the sounds of his guttural moans and her ecstatic sighs. He tucked her head against the crook of his neck as the water cooled around them. “That, I will never forget.”
* * *
SOFT SHAFTS OF light woke Owen the next morning. He rolled over in the bed to bury his nose in Stella’s hair. The scent of her drove him crazy. A good kind of crazy. But his hand found only cold, empty sheets. He sat up, rubbing his eyes.
“Stella?” he called.
No answer.
He flung the sheets back and knocked on the bathroom door. The door creaked open behind his knuckles, but the light was off and no one was inside. The door between the bedroom and the living area remained closed. Maybe she’d needed some coffee and didn’t want to wake him. He imagined the lovely doc sitting on the couch wrapped in nothing but a blanket. Or better yet, completely naked. Owen circled to the living area and twisted the knob, but that room was empty, too.
His gaze swung to the tiny table where she’d left her purse the night before. Gone. So were her shirt and sexy little red bra they’d dropped next to the front door. He knew without looking that her pants and shoes had vanished along with the woman who’d rocked his night. Stella had ditched him.
After retrieving his duffel bag from the truck, Owen hit the shower. Alone. Not what he’d planned for this morning. Last night, Stella had wrapped herself around his body and used his chest for a pillow, her hand just inches from his cock. As sleep finally took over his exhausted body, he’d imagined leading Stella into the shower in the morning and figuring out more ways to get clean. And dirty.