Up All Night Long: From Lust to Love (Romance Anthology)

by Ali Parker

  Chapter 12

  Nate

  "Are you okay?" I glanced up as Elizabeth approached. She appeared to be working hard to hide whatever was going on with her, but her face had become pale, and she looked close to tears. Every part of me wanted to get up and pull her into a warm hug, promising her that we would figure it out, whatever it was, but I didn't. She wouldn't appreciate it, and I'd most likely only push her farther away.

  Hell, the woman didn't want to be held after sex. She wasn't like anyone I'd ever met.

  "I'm fine. I'll be leaving in the morning to deal with some personal business back at home, but I'll need you to stay here and wrap things up." She sat down and picked up the wine menu. "Are you good with that?"

  "Of course, but what's going on? Do you need-"

  "I need you to do what I've asked you to do," she snapped at me, her eyebrows pulling tight, and her voice growing sharp. This was the bitch I knew far too well, and yet for the first time in five years, realization dawned on me.

  She wasn't a bitch at all. She was protecting herself.

  "Absolutely." I picked up my menu and turned my eyes from her to the list of appetizers. The server returned, and I ordered a few things, including a stiff drink for her. About the time the drinks showed up, so did our guests.

  I introduced myself, and sat back watching Lizzy as she became a completely different woman. She was sweet and kind, soft spoken and nothing like the woman in the board room earlier that day.

  She was a chameleon. A manipulator of people. Where I wanted to be disgusted or appalled, I couldn't. I understood all too well what she was doing. The only question that continued to run through me was why?

  What would make a beautiful, strong, brilliant woman like her stand behind a million masks? And even more so, what did she look like bare? Naked? Raw? I hated myself for wanting to push her to that state. She wouldn't appreciate it, and I wouldn't survive it. I was falling for her with her being a raging bitch with a power trip. If there was anything beneath the surface that showed insecurity or fault, I was going to tumble into something I couldn't get out of.

  I didn't have the strength to love another woman just yet. Maybe never.

  *

  We finished up dinner and shook hands with the Darringtons before walking to the front and getting back in the Lexus. She handed me the keys and seemed to sink into her seat as I pulled us back out onto the main street. Weariness sat on her shoulders, and it took all I had not to ask again about what was going on. Did she have a kid? A brother who was sick? A mom or dad that had been in an accident?

  If so, why wasn't she getting on a plane now?

  "Thank you for doing such a great job today." Her voice was soft, and it unraveled my thoughts. I didn't care about the details all of a sudden. I cared about her.

  I reached out and took her hand, bringing it to my lips and kissing her fingers softly. "I'll always do a great job for you."

  "I don't know why." She chuckled, but the sound fell flat between us. "You should be in this position, not me."

  "Bullshit. Don't get soft on me." I pressed my teeth into one of her digits as she groaned softly beside me, leaving my cock to grow thick and ready for her attention. "Next thing you know, we'll be snuggling and planning out a vegetable garden."

  She laughed and pulled her hand from me, but didn't return it to her lap as I expected. She ran her nails over my thigh, and chill bumps raced along the surface of my skin, as my pulse spiked. "Lizzy. I know you've got a lot going on. We don't have to do anything you don't want."

  "Oh I want this. Badly." She leaned over farther and cupped my balls, squeezing softly and leaving the air rushing from my lungs. "I want to spend hours figuring out just how physically compatible we are."

  The light in front of us turned red, and I hit the brakes as I let out a low growl and reached over, pulling her toward me, and crushing my lips against hers. She opened up and bled more passion into the kiss than I thought possible. She was a complexity that I wanted to spend the rest of my life figuring out, and yet I knew that my time was limited. The wall was coming down, but it would resurrect the minute we got back to San Francisco.

  "The light is green." She licked at my lips before moving back to her seat.

  I glanced down to make sure my shirt wasn't lifting from the intense pounding of my heart. It felt almost as if it were working to break free from my chest.

  "We can go back to my room. No snuggling or cuddling or anything you don't want." I took her hand again, but held it against my thigh this time, offering her silent support.

  "Good. I don't want anything more than a night of passion, Nate. One night. That's all I have to offer." She pulled down the mirror above her and tugged her hand from me. "And if that's not enough, then you don't even get that."

  "It's more than enough." I licked at my lips, ignoring how badly her words scored me. I wanted far more than a night, and I was almost positive that she did too, but there would be no convincing her of that where she was emotionally.

  We parked the car and rode the elevator to my room in silence. My heart was still racing inside my chest as we reached the room, and though I know she wanted control, I simply didn't feel like giving it to her.

  The door closed behind me inside the hotel room, and I reached for her, ready to bleed out every wayward emotion raging through me across her tight little body, but she jerked away.

  "No. Strip and sit down... here." She grabbed the chair from the desk at the end of the room and put it between the beds. "Here're the rules. Don't move your hands from the sides of this chair. I don't have a rope to tie you up, but I know you follow directions really well when it benefits you. Don't move your hands or I'm leaving."

  She turned to face me, her eyes having lost all warmth as she reached back and unzipped her dress. I didn't have words for the desire that violated every inch of me as her dress hit the ground. The tiny black bra barely covered her nipples, leaving so much of her creamy white flesh on display. My eyes moved down her tight tummy to the little black triangle that covered her pussy.

  The air became so hard to breathe.

  I wanted her all over me. Tied to a chair, a bed, hanging out of the fucking window. The obsession had started a long time ago, and now it was peaking, and I was fucked by it.

  "Sit." She moved away from the chair and walked toward the window, leaving her beautiful ass on display for me. The G-string disappeared into the curve of her ass, and I couldn't stop thinking about pulling it out with my teeth. Her heels were high, and looked incredible at the end of her long tanned legs.

  "Dammit, Lizzy. You're so fucking hot." I tugged my tie off and stripped out of my shirt before working on my belt like a teenage boy with the promise of his first blow job.

  "I'm all yours tonight, but we're starting with my fantasy first." She turned and leaned toward the window, letting out a weak yelp as she pressed herself against the glass.

  My cock throbbed at the sound of her voice, but the neediness for protection in her crying out drove me toward the edge of orgasm. The woman was too powerful, and honestly, for the first time in my life... it truly scared me.

  I pushed my slacks over my hips and kicked off my shoes before walking to the chair and sitting down. I glanced down my body, proud of my six pack and the size of my cock. It was a rarity to feel anything but forgotten by life, and yet here... with her, I was the center of desire.

  She walked toward me as I gripped the sides of the chair and glanced up at her.

  "You know the rules?" She touched the side of my face, and for a minute I could see something beneath her mask. Loneliness.

  "Yes, but know that I get my turn."

  "Maybe."

  I laughed and licked at my lips as she turned and sat down in my lap, trapping my cock between her thighs and tugging on it as she stood back up. Her ass rubbed up my stomach, and I let out a tight groan, wanting to reach up and grip her hips to force her to sit back down.

  "So big, Nate..." she
whispered and did it again as I locked my jaw and worked on not coming just yet.

  Chapter 13

  Elizabeth

  I sat back down in Nate's lap, my legs in between his, and his thick cock trapped at the top of my thighs. He was magnificent. The sexiest man I'd ever taken to bed with me by far.

  "Take off your panties, Lizzy," he whispered against my back and lifted his hips.

  I reached down and cupped his cock, pressing it tighter against me as I undulated my hips and rubbed my body along his until the friction threw me over the edge. I didn't hold back with my moans as I came.

  "Fuck," he growled and lifted his hips, working against the silkiness of my panties and ramming himself into the tight hold I had him trapped in. "I need inside of you. Move your fucking panties. Now!"

  His voice was deep, commanding, and I jerked them to the side, standing up a little, and impaling myself on him.

  I cried out louder as my legs began to shake. I couldn't fit more than the tip inside of me, though I wanted all of him.

  "Open your legs." He pressed his lips against the side of my neck as I leaned back and rested against his firm chest. "Give me my hands back and open your legs. Spread them wide and let me work my way into you."

  "No," I whispered pressing down farther, determined to do things my way.

  "So much pleasure, Lizzy. It's going to feel so good to have this big cock inside of you. You're denying only yourself, baby. I'm already in heaven. Open your legs. Don't make me ask you again."

  Even in the midst of minding my rules, he was commanding me to do what he wanted, and fuck if I didn't want to. I opened my legs wide and draped them across his as I pressed myself against his cock again and forced my way down. Pleasure ripped through me, and I cried out as he lifted his ass off the chair and rolled his hips, driving me forward.

  I gripped his thighs and pushed back, moaning over and over like a whore in the midst of an orgy.

  "Give me my hands. You want this, Liz. I know you do." He lifted his hips, and I realized how much I wanted it. "Let me touch you everywhere."

  "Yes. Touch me," I whimpered as he gripped my hips and pulled me back to rest against him again. His strong hand gripped my breasts as the other ran down my stomach and opened me up. I lifted my hips and cried out again.

  "Such a good girl." He licked just under my ear as he softly rolled my nipple between his fingers and tugged on it teasingly. "You're about halfway there. Relax and let me tuck this monster inside of you."

  I nodded, half lost to the pleasure that pulled me under a thick blanket of depravity.

  "Whimper for me, Elizabeth." He thrusted from underneath me, wedging more of himself into me as I bucked against him. His fingers pressed against my clit, rubbing slow circles as I let out a long shaky whimper.

  Never in a million years had I imagined anyone capable of shutting me down within minutes. It was terrifying.

  "Oh God," I groaned and rocked against him as he pulled out a little and pushed back in, deeper this time.

  "Yeah, it's all good, baby. Just come for me a few times, and then I'll get a condom." He sucked my ear into his mouth as he flicked his finger over my clit and rammed into me again, fucking me so good, and yet I knew it was only going to get better.

  "I want more. All of it." I turned my face a little, which was a mistake. The lust in his voice wasn't at all what I saw on his face.

  Love. Protection. Promise.

  "Good. Go get on the bed and lift your ass in the air for me." He nipped at my lips before wrapping his hand around my neck and forcing me to contort a little more so he could make love to my mouth.

  I arched my back hard, working my way down his cock as he licked and sucked at my tongue and lips. There was only one way I was getting more of him... by listening to his commands.

  "No," I whispered and nipped at him before getting off of him and walking to the bed. "You lay down. I want on top."

  He chuckled and stood up, his dick wet and proud as he moved toward me. "You had your turn, and you know it. Don't be a greedy bitch. She's expected in the office tomorrow. Let her rest up."

  I started to respond, but he grabbed my hips and spun me around, popping my ass and pushing at the back of my shoulder.

  "Get on all fours and let me fuck you. You want it. Stop trying to deny me and do what I said. It's only going to end with you a wet, sloppy mess. Let me prove it to you."

  I crawled up on the bed slowly, not quite sure I liked how much he was soon to own me.

  His strong hands ran up my thighs before he jerked my panties hard, snapping the thin material and leaving me bare. "So hot. So much woman, Lizzy."

  "Shut up and fuck me," I whispered as he lapped at my wetness twice before crawling up on the bed behind me.

  "Yeah, I plan to." He gripped my hips and pulled me back, finding his place inside of me as I groaned and pressed my face to the bed.

  I hadn't been with a man as thick as him, but I wasn't sure I was ever going to come back from it. I would crave the feeling of being forced open for the rest of my life after tonight. I had no doubt.

  His thumb brushed over my ass, pressing in a little as I stiffened. "Ever let a man in here?"

  "No," I moaned and pressed back on his thumb as electricity lit up my insides.

  "I plan on being first." He leaned over and licked at my back as he rocked against me. "Let's get this pussy to open up fully and then we'll work on the rest of you."

  I gripped the sheets and trapped the needy screams behind clenched teeth as he moved back up and started to fuck me slowly, and then faster... harder. Pleasure ripped through me, and I exhaled deeply, relaxing as he pressed in the last few inches.

  The world lit on fire.

  I bounced backward on his cock, rolling my hips and reveling in how good it was to be completely consumed by lust. Never in a million years had I expected to feel so overwhelmed.

  He fucked me through three more orgasms, pumping his thick thumb into my ass and ramming himself deep and hard into my body expertly. He had to have been with more than just one woman. How in the world would he know just where to touch, just how to fuck me to violate me in ways I didn't think possible.

  "I'm getting a condom. I need to come and then we can go again." He moved off the bed, and I started to turn over onto my back, but I stopped myself.

  I couldn't have him pressed against the front of me, his arms wrapped around me, my arms around him. It would be too much. I would need those arms again... and far too soon.

  Standing up, I walked to the window and glanced out, letting the city lights take my attention for a moment.

  "What are you thinking, Lizzy?" His voice was gruff. It was far beyond his turn to come.

  "That I want you to fuck me against this window." I glanced back over my shoulder.

  "Good. I'll fuck you anywhere you want me to. Anytime." He walked toward me and slid his arms around me, trapping me to him as he bent down and pressed back into me.

  I cried out and gripped his thighs as I leaned against the cold glass. I couldn't help but focus on the beautiful expression on his face in the window's reflection. His body tightened against mine, muscles locking as his orgasm started.

  "Oh fuck. I need you so bad." He pressed his face against my hair and lifted me off the ground with the power of his thrusts.

  I wanted to open up to him like he was willing to do to me. To be real. To tell him that I needed him too, but I couldn't get a word to leave my tightened throat. Pushing backward, I worked him hard and fast as he stood still, groaning in deep, yummy waves while he emptied himself into me.

  His fingers clamped down on my hips. "Enough. Shit."

  A smile lifted my lips. "I thought you said it would never be enough."

  He moved back and we both exhaled as he pulled from me. "It isn't, but for a few minutes... it's more than enough."

  I walked toward my clothes and gathered them, putting my dress back on and grabbing my purse.

  "I'll see you
in the office tomorrow if I make it in. Have a safe flight."

  "What? Elizabeth." He turned to glance up at me as he worked the condom off his swollen shaft. "Don't go yet. Shit... we just finished." He chuckled to hide the neediness in his voice.

  "I realize that, but we laid down the law before starting. Best fuck I've had in a while." I reached for the door, hating myself to the point of wanting to throw up.

  "That's it? Nice fuck?" His brow pulled tight as I glanced back.

  "You knew what you were getting into, Nate. Good night."

  "Lizzy. I want more." He took a few steps toward me, but I held up my hand.

  "I understand, and this is me nicely saying no. I'm a woman who gives some, but more? Never."

  I turned and walked out as a sob lodged in my throat. It was for the better. I couldn't survive a man like him, nor was I willing to try.

  Chapter 14

  Nate

  I had no words for her dismissal, even though I understood it. It stung like a bitch nevertheless. My wife didn't want me anymore, and Elizabeth, who did, wasn’t willing to give me an inch.

  Fine. I'd fucking take it then.

  After driving into the client’s office that morning, I grabbed an empty conference room and unloaded my laptop, working quickly to see who we were scheduled to visit before I could get on a plane and get back home. Being away from the kids too long left me itchy and feeling a tad bit depressed.

  The door opened behind me, and the older gentleman from the day before stuck his head in and nodded. "Nathaniel, right?"

  "Yes, Sir." I stood up and turned to face him.

  "You can come this way, if you like. We're going to have a quick pow-wow in the conference room instead of dragging you and Elizabeth through meeting after meeting. The woman was right yesterday, time is money." He chuckled and opened the door before looking down the hall. "Where is she, by the way?"

  "Something personal came up at home, and she had to fly out this morning. She was extremely disappointed in not being able to come in and sell you guys on the package once more. I'll try and fill her shoes, but I can tell you after five years of working for her, it’s damn near impossible." I smirked and grabbed my stuff to follow the guy out into the hallway.