by Kendall Ryan
I opened my mouth to answer and then closed it. Why did it feel like everything out of this guy’s mouth was just some method to get me to admit that I wanted him, rough and ready, from the second I’d laid eyes on him?
And, more importantly, why did I like that about him?
What was happening to me? Where was homebody, keep-to-herself Piper?
“You’re not the usual kind of guy I see,” I confessed, hoping he wouldn’t notice my sudden change of subject.
“No?” he asked. “How is that?”
“You’re just different.”
“I got that.” The slight smile returned, and I took another sip of my drink to steady myself.
“Do you always dress like this?” I pointed to his suit.
“Duty calls. I work a lot.”
“Yeah, I was getting that vibe,” I said.
“And what other vibe are you getting?”
That you want me to slide off my panties and give them to you as a trophy?
“That you’re used to getting what you want,” I said, compromising. That was true too and a little safer.
“I am.” This time the smile was a full-on grin, like a wolf who’d just spotted a tasty-looking sheep.
My heart thudded a little faster in my chest, and I gripped my drink, swirling it nervously.
It was safe to say this was the most intense—and somehow terrifying—conversation I’d ever had with a man, but I still couldn’t work up the courage to get up and go.
And more than that?
I didn’t want to. Not even a little bit. My blood was singing as my brain tried to imagine what would happen from here.
Something about this guy—whether it was his dark stare or the way he smiled like he hadn’t had much practice at it—intrigued me. Attracted me. Just looking at his rugged square jaw made me need to squeeze my thighs together to quell the ache rising there.
He was the most handsome man I’d ever set eyes on, and there was no doubt what he wanted from me…and what I wanted to give him in return.
Swallowing hard, I forced myself to press on, if only to avoid being swallowed up by his gaze.
“Actually, uh”—I cleared my throat—“I didn’t see your profile. My sister just sort of picked you for me.”
“And you’re starting to wonder what it says about me? Since I’m so different than the guys you normally hook up with and all?” He raised his eyebrows, his lips tilting into a slight smirk.
“Sort of.” If he only knew.
“I can tell you in a nutshell.” He took a sip of his drink. “The picture of me is from a magazine article I was in a few years back.”
“Magazine?”
He nodded. “I don’t actually like the picture, but it was handy.”
“Apparently it was enough to impress my sister,” I said.
“And is she less discerning than you? Is that why I’m so different from your usual dates?”
I smiled, starting to relax into our banter for a brief second. “That’s not what I said.”
“But is it what you meant?”
I glanced away and swirled my drink, thinking hard. “I’m just…a low-key kind of girl. I’m betting that magazine was, what…forty under forty successful bachelors?”
“Close. Thirty under thirty. It was a few years ago.” He tipped his glass toward me in silent cheers for the guess.
“See? Yeah, I’ve never been out with a guy like you.”
“Until now.”
“Until now,” I agreed.
“And what do you think so far?” he asked, his gaze appraising me.
That I’m in way over my head…
That you’re out of my league…
“That…” I weighed a few more answers but couldn’t escape the truth. “That I have no idea what I’m doing with someone like you.”
“Do you want to know a secret?” he asked, momentarily catching me off guard.
“Sure.”
“I’m just like every other man you’ve ever met. When I look at you, I see a beautiful woman who I’d very much like to take back to my place and undress, one piece of clothing at a time.”
“That wouldn’t be very hard since I’m only wearing a dress.” I let out a nervous laugh and ignored the urge to slap my forehead and curse my own stupidity.
“Don’t think that hasn’t occurred to me.” His voice was low and husky, and followed by a predator’s grin.
I swallowed hard. “I’m betting you’re not the kind of guy who wants to chat over breakfast tomorrow morning.”
“You’d be a winner if you made that bet. I think you like that about me.” He snubbed a hand over his jaw and then moved closer, tucking an errant strand of hair behind my ear as he leaned in closer.
“I can tell you what I want from you down to the very last detail, but it can’t be here,” he whispered, his warm breath sending an involuntary shudder through me.
“Why not?” I breathed, captivated.
My heart thrummed in my chest, in my ears, in my lips, and I closed my eyes, savoring the sweet smell of his aftershave as he inched still closer to me—so close that I could feel the heat radiating from his body.
“Because when I tell you what I need from you, we’re going to be in private. And I’m guessing you’ll give me everything I ask for.”
It wasn’t a question. It was a demand. There would be no courtship here. No shy undressing and awkward first time. No giggling as he fumbled with the hook of my bra and pressed chaste kisses along the column of my throat.
Whatever happened between us, it was going to be rough and needy and passionate. But more than that, it was going to be exactly the way he wanted it.
And my curiosity about what that entailed was getting the better of me.
“So where do you suggest we go, then?” I asked.
He smiled wide, flashing a dimple I hadn’t yet seen. “I have just the place.”
I took one last sip of my drink, knowing I’d need a little liquid courage, and offered him my hand.
Jackson set some money on the bar and whisked me out onto the street.
Chapter Four
Jackson
The property was just around the corner, so we didn’t have far to walk. It was also on the edge of the industrial part of the city, and it looked every bit the remnant of a time long past. The walls were a dusty gray, and the steel framework surrounding the factory-like architecture was less than inviting.
For a moment, her sure grip slackened in my hand, and I squeezed her palm, reassuring her.
“We’re here,” I said.
“Which is where?” she asked hesitantly.
“It was a lightbulb factory,” I said as I motioned to the dark exterior. “Can’t really tell that now.”
“And you brought me here because…?” She raised her eyebrows.
“Because I have something I want to show you. You’ve just got to trust me.” I pulled out my phone and entered the code for the Bluetooth lock, opening the creaky, rusted gate, and then motioned for her to join me.
“Look, as much as I love following strangers from the internet into abandoned warehouses, I’m going to have to take a hard pass here.”
I grinned, not for the first time tonight, and handed her my phone. Sexy and funny. It was a heady combination and one I hadn’t seen in a very long time.
“Here. You can hold on to this if it makes you feel better. You can even get 9-1-1 cued up and ready to go. And, by the way, there’s a GPS tracker for blind dates on the dating app we used to meet, you know.”
Some of the apprehension cleared from her pretty face, and her expressive sapphire eyes filled with relief. “Clever.”
She held on to the phone, though, as she followed me into the massive hallway, our footsteps echoing off the walls as we made our way to the elevator.
“How do you know about this place?” she asked.
“My company owns it. We just bought it, actually. I was here a few days ago, but nobody in to
wn will see us. They all think the place is haunted.”
“I can’t see why,” she said with an eye roll.
She followed me into the lift and waited as it groaned to life. After a long pause, we began our slow ascent. I looked at her from the corner of my eye.
She really was gorgeous. In fact, she was likely the hottest woman I’d been out with in ages but totally different at the same time. She didn’t have the same cool, almost chilly exterior I was used to, and despite her even features, wide eyes, full lips, and ridiculous curves, she seemed wholly unaware of the package she created. She was comfortable in her skin, I could tell that much, but she wasn’t cocky about her looks either. I was guessing she wasn’t at all interested in Botoxing and manicuring herself to the last degree. Somehow I liked that.
The elevator stalled and then yawned open, the grated doors sliding apart. Above us, the warm spring day was cooling into night and the clear, blue sky was fading into violet and maroon.
“You brought me to the roof,” she said, but then she turned around to face me. “How does a place like this have this kind of roof?”
I offered her half a smile. I’d known that it would impress her. If it hadn’t, I never would have brought her here to begin with.
Since when did you feel the need to impress a one-night stand? a little voice piped in. But I quieted it with a mental smackdown. All that mattered was that we had all the makings of a hot night in front of us.
The cement tile of the roof had been converted into an urban garden, complete with flower beds and a twinkle-lit grotto with cushy casual seating and a fire pit. Vines climbed up every wall, and the curved opening to the grotto invited us with a soft gust of wind.
Walking toward it, I pressed a button to light the fireplace and then flicked on the sea of miniature lights, watching as Piper’s eyes widened in surprise.
“We’re converting the factory into high-end apartments. This will be a community area. We wanted the whole place to be green and organic to fit a certain type of buyer. The interior designer needed to do it first so the plants had time to grow and flourish here. What do you think?”
“I think…this place is incredible.” She settled onto the plush red sofa beneath the concave glass ceiling of the grotto, the twinkling lights shining in her eyes.
“The soft light suits you. It brings out the color in your eyes,” I said.
Her smile faltered for a moment as my gaze met hers, and that familiar, curious glow overtook her cheeks.
“What’s on your mind?” I asked.
She blushed a deeper crimson. “Nothing.”
I took a seat beside her, leaned close, and cupped her chin, forcing her to meet my gaze. “Come on, tell me.”
Her eyes blazed with something unreadable, and then she wet her lips. “Well, we’re in private now. So I was thinking of what you said before…about how you were going to tell me what you want.”
Her words hit me straight below the belt, and my cock went instantly stiff. Brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear, I moved closer still, my warm breath against the shell of her ear. “First, I want to kiss you.”
And then I did. Just a brush of lips over those full trembling lips of hers. She shivered at my touch, and I cupped the nape of her neck, holding her closer to me. “Then I want to watch you undress for me.”
“But…” Her voice was nothing more than a whisper.
“No buts,” I murmured. “I want to see you. All of you.”
Again there was another flicker of hesitation, so long this time that I wondered if she might duck out altogether. Instead, though, she slid away from me and stood just beside the fire, the light flickering on her creamy skin.
Slowly, carefully, she reached behind her and unfastened the buttons of her dress. Then, gripping the hem of the fabric, she pulled it over her head and allowed her hair to brush down against her naked collarbone.
Beneath the dress, she wore nothing but sheer white panties and a matching bra that highlighted the long, smooth plane of her stomach and the curve of her full breasts. She shifted slightly as I drank in her toned, shapely legs. My throat was dry as fuck now, but I managed to grit out another command.
“Everything,” I muttered, pointing to the scrap of lace covering her. “Off. I want to see you.”
“And what about you?” she asked, though it didn’t stop her from unfastening the clasp of her bra.
“In time. But I’ve been imagining what you look like under that dress all night.”
She let the bra fall to the floor, and my gaze raked over her tight, pink nipples. They were straining peaks waiting for me to suck and tease, and if it hadn’t been for the fact that she was already reaching for her panties, I might have closed the distance between us and forgotten my earlier demands.
As it was, though, she stepped from her underwear and showed me the trimmed patch of hair leading to the spot I wanted to lap with my tongue and tease until my name on her lips was the only sound filling the night air.
Blood rushed to my ears as I held back a groan, suddenly feeling every single second of the past couple of celibate weeks in full force.
“Now get on that sofa, spread your legs, and touch yourself.”
“But you—” she started.
“I’m used to getting what I want,” I finished for her.
She closed her mouth and followed my command, her fingers drifting gently to her folds and teasing the space there in rhythmic little circles.
Goddamn, that was sexy. Watching her, I loosened my tie and slid it off, and then started on the buttons of my shirt.
As I went, I watched her, and her gaze never left mine.
“You want to know what I want?” I said. “I want to watch you play with yourself until you’re nice and wet for me. Then, when you’re so ready for me you want to scream, I’m going to get on my knees in front of you and lick that pretty pink space between your legs until you come with my name on your lips.”
Her breath hitched, and I tossed aside my shirt, making way for my pants.
“Then, when you’ve come so hard you’re not sure you can ever come again, I’m going to show you what it’s really like to have a man inside you. I’m going to make you claw my back and beg for release.”
“And then what?” Her voice was needy, breathy, and she moved her hand faster with every word, delicate little strokes that made my blood hot and my hands quake with the need to touch her.
“Then maybe I’ll let you come while I’m inside you. Maybe.” I stepped from my pants and pulled off my socks. Then, in nothing but my boxers, I took another step toward her. “Now tell me, do you want me to kiss you, Piper?”
She gave me a quick, needy nod, and I sank to my knees in front of her, kissing my way up her thigh until I found the place where her fingers still lingered. Then, taking each finger in turn, I kissed the tips and pushed them aside to see her slick pink clit.
“Fuck,” I growled, feeling almost light-headed with the weight of my need for her.
“I’m close,” she warned with a stunned little laugh. “Like, so close.”
“I know,” I said, and then I circled the tight bundle of nerves with the tip of my tongue before dipping lower, laving her slick folds and teasing her sweet pink center. Delicious. Hot silk drenched in honey. All rational thought collapsed as I delved deeper, stroking now, faster…harder.
“Jackson,” she hummed, her fingers driving into my hair, anchoring me closer.
“Yeah, that’s it,” I murmured against her, the scent of her driving me wild, making my heart pump double-time. “Say it. Say my name.”
She obliged, the hum turning into a low chant as I worked her plump, swollen flesh. She trembled, and I gripped her hip with one hand as I slid the other between her satin thighs. Higher and higher until I felt it. That wet, needy heat.
She held her breath, freezing below me as I pushed a finger inside her tight channel.
My cock gave a needy throb as her tight grip closed ar
ound my finger, hugging me in a carnal embrace.
“Ah, Jackson!”
I could feel it in her every move, hear it in her voice. She was going to come, and I couldn’t fucking wait for it.
I nudged that tight bundle of nerves again in the lightest of caresses and felt her walls break apart at my touch. She shuddered, writhing into my mouth with quick, frenzied jerks of her hips. Her fingers weaved tighter through my hair, burying my face against her, willing me to consume her…work her through until the very last tremor subsided.
And I did. All the while, I listened as she called my name like a prayer, twitching and flexing, milking every last drop of pleasure from her climax. When it was finally over, she fell back onto her elbows, gasping.
“That was…wow.” She shook her head, face glowing as she smiled down at me. “That has never happened so fast.”
I heard her words, but they were far away, obliterated by the blood that still pounded in my ears like a heartbeat. I wasn’t done. Not even close.
“We’re just getting started,” I ground out, pressing one last long, sucking kiss to that sweet, soft flesh before pulling away and withdrawing my finger with not a little regret. She was hot. Like fire. So responsive and sensual, but I could already feel the droplets of come weeping from the slit of my manhood, and my balls were aching. She’d come again. I’d make sure of it. But she was going to come wrapped around my shaft so I could feel it.
I got back to my feet, paced to my slacks, and grabbed the condom I kept there for just these sorts of occasions. Ripping the foil carefully, I stepped out of my boxers and then slid the latex over my aching length.
I gripped myself, hoping to quell the now-painful need surging inside me, but when her gaze fell on my member, her eyes widened and she gave me yet another slight shake of the head.
“Jackson, I…”
This wasn’t the first time I’d seen that expression. She was nervous, and seeing exactly how hard I was, I couldn’t blame her. She was a tight little thing, and I had been blessed in the size department. What could I say?
“Tell me you don’t want me,” I murmured, stroking up and down, a bolt of satisfaction rushing through me as her gaze followed my motions and she wet her lips.