Some Like It Geek: A Really Big Set of Romances

by Box Set

  Oh, she liked that. Being irresistible to the sexiest man she’d ever known. She gave a pleased little hum. “I may need to break out all of my more risqué costumes then.”

  He made a choking noise. “How risqué does it get?”

  “You’ll have to wait and find out.” She brushed a kiss over the side of his throat. “Come over tonight and I’ll give you a preview of tomorrow’s ensemble.”

  “Jesus.”

  “Your call, hot stuff.” She maneuvered out of the bench seat, rose, and picked up her empty food containers. “I’m going to grab my friends’ coffee.”

  The way his gaze moved over her was as intimate as a caress. “I’m going to sit here for a sec and watch you walk away.”

  It took effort, but she managed a credibly carefree shrug. “Sure. Whatever floats your boat.”

  “You do, sweetheart. You do.”

  After turning away, she let a wide, wicked grin cross her face. It looked like she’d gone from a one-night stand to a full-blown fling with the man who’d given her the most intense pleasure of her life. She really couldn’t complain about a single thing right now.

  Life was good.

  Catching up with her before she got the coffee, Derek draped his arm around her shoulders. “I have a few minutes left before I have to go back to work. Care to spend them with me?”

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  A blush stole up her cheeks while her eyes darkened with desire, and that juxtaposition of hot and sweet did something to him that he hadn’t experienced in a long time, if ever. He shoved that treacherous, tantalizing thought aside and drew her away from the crowd. After many hours of roaming every corner of the convention center looking for miscreants, as well as briefing various staff members behind the scenes, he had a good idea of what scant few options were available if one wanted some privacy.

  He led her down a hall and through an entrance marked STAFF, made a quick right and pulled her through an unmarked door. He shut and locked it, flipped on a light switch, then backed her up against the wooden surface.

  She tried to glance around him. “Is this a storage closet?”

  “Empty office that everybody leaves crap in. So, yeah, kind of a storage closet.” He pressed himself into her curves, groaning at the feel of her generous breasts against his chest.

  But she wasn’t deterred. She avoided his lips when he tried to kiss her. “How did you even find this place? I thought you were out there pretending to be an attendee.”

  He groaned for a different reason. There were better ways they could be spending this time together, and it included a lot less talking. “I followed people around who looked like they were hiding something, even if they were staff.”

  “And you ended up here?” Her eyebrows lifted.

  Yeah, he wasn’t getting any until her curiosity was satisfied. He sighed and rested his forehead on hers. “One of the janitors uses this room to take extra breaks during his shift. The guy was supposed to be cleaning one of the bathrooms and he went walking off into the staff area, so I checked it out.”

  “Maybe he needed some extra cleaner.”

  “If so, then he’s supposed to radio in to his supervisor. He didn’t.” He shrugged. Call it a hunch, but he could tell something was off, and following up that kind of hunch was what Rob wanted him here for.

  Her lips twisted in a little grin. “You notice some weird stuff.”

  “So? Kiss me.”

  She tilted her face up, and he took the offering with the kind of eagerness that should have alarmed him, but didn’t. He craved her with a hunger that didn’t seem to quit, and that should have alarmed him too, but his brain short-circuited when her hand slid between them and cupped him through his pants. Sweet Jesus. His erection throbbed painfully, and he couldn’t help thrusting into her palm. Her head fell back against the door, and he dipped forward to bite and suck his way down her neck.

  A little whimper slipped from her. “I’ve never made out in a closet before.”

  He ignored that and continued sipping kisses along her collarbone. She smelled like roses—a little spicy, a little sweet. Perfect. He flicked open the belt on her jumpsuit, letting it fall to the floor. Then he focused on working the zipper down, opening a vee from her chest to her navel. He slipped his hand inside her costume, dipped into her panties, and found the soft thatch of curls between her thighs. Her little nub hardened for him as he stroked her sex. Delving deeper, he slipped his fingers into her hot, wet center.

  She shuddered, but didn’t try to push him away. “Someone could come.”

  “Two someones, unless we’re doing this wrong.” He nipped the side of her throat.

  Giggling, she arched into his hand, pushing his fingers deeper inside her.

  Continuing to toy with her sex, he moved his other hand up to cup her breast, twisting and teasing her nipples one at a time. She moaned, writhing against him. Her hand tightened on his shaft, and he sucked in a sharp breath as the need to come whipped through him. “I’ve been with servicewomen before, but I have to admit I’ve never nailed a general.”

  She snickered. “Do you want me to order you around? Will that make it feel more authentic for you?”

  If anything, that thought made his desire burn even hotter. He didn’t normally play the submissive in bed, preferring to take command, but with Katie? He’d give it a try. “Sure. What can I do to please you, ma’am?”

  “Put your mouth to better use, for starters.” She tried to make her words sound forceful, but the husky tone just told him how turned on she was.

  Pushing the shoulders of her jumpsuit off, her vest fluttered to the ground and her suit bunched around her waist. She pulled her arm out of the sleeves, and went back to sliding her fingers over every inch of him she could reach. Which just made him want her naked now. Her boots would be a pain to remove, so it was time to get creative. He pulled her away from the door, leading her over to the empty desk in the middle of the room. “Lean forward…ma’am.”

  She did as he bid, and he tugged her jumpsuit and underwear down to her knees, leaving her slick sex bare. The bent position left her open for all manner of exploration. He knelt behind her, and the scent of her desire filled his nose. Nice. He leaned in and flicked his tongue over her nub, making her whimper. Smiling, he settled in to feast. She’d asked for it, and she was going to get it.

  He used his thumbs to part her lips and hold her open, then he licked and sucked and bit, lapping up every drop of her wetness. She gasped and pleaded, sobbing his name as her legs began to shake. She was close, and he wanted to push her over the edge. But pushing her meant pushing himself because the sounds she made drove him crazy. His tormented body screamed for release, his erection chafing painfully against his fly. He formed his lips around her nub and sucked hard.

  “Derek!” she cried, quivering as she came for him.

  Shoving to his feet, he had the condom out of his wallet in record time. He wrenched open his pants, donned the rubber, and pressed the tip of his shaft to her opening. Thrusting to the hilt in one swift plunge, he made both of them groan as her channel closed around his shaft. Christ, that was good. Perfect. He wasn’t sure anything had ever felt this outstanding in his entire life. But need slashed through him with vicious claws, demanding that he move, take, claim. The pace he set was punishing, his pelvis slapping against her buttocks. Her back bowed, and she arched into his thrusts, moving with him, giving as good as she got. She made hot little mewling noises and he watched her dig her nails into the top of the desk.

  Drawing back his hand, he swatted her backside and made her jolt. “Derek!”

  “Yes?” He slammed deep, grinding himself into her sex.

  “Oooh.” She shuddered and her nails scraped over the surface of the desk.

  He tsked. “I thought you were going to order me around, General.”

  “Oh, my God, seriously?” She glanced over her shoulder, her look incredulous. “I’m so close.”

  He grin
ned, unrepentant, and stilled his movements completely, ignoring his body’s protest. “What’s your command, sweetheart?”

  “I want you to keep going,” she ordered. “Right now. Now, now, now!”

  He chuckled and gave her what she wanted. Okay, so maybe he’d never be the submissive in bed, but he didn’t think she had any complaints about what they had going on. He knew he didn’t. He resumed his swift tempo, fitting his hands over her hips so he could pound even deeper inside her. Their breathing was ragged, and he could hear the thud of his heartbeat in his ears. Her channel contracted around him, once, and she moaned each time he entered her. Thank God, because he didn’t know how much longer he could hold off.

  “Make me come,” she gasped. “Hard.”

  He ground himself against her with every downward thrust, and she sobbed as she climaxed. Her inner muscles spasmed around his shaft, milking him in rhythmic pulses. It was more than enough. He jetted into her, groaning as ecstasy ripped through his system, taking him higher than he’d ever been before. His fingers bit into her flesh as he rode her through his orgasm, wringing every ounce of pleasure from the moment.

  She collapsed against the desk, turning her head so her cheek rested on the top. He braced his palm beside her torso so she didn’t have to bear his weight. His legs were trembling in the sweet, sweet aftermath, and sweat ran in rivulets down his temples. He dropped a kiss between her shoulder blades. “That was amazing.”

  “Oh, yeah,” she sighed, a satisfied smile on her lips.

  After a few minutes, he straightened away from her and found a box of tissues for them to clean up as best they could. “All right. Let’s hit the nearest head. I think we need to stop there before we fetch the overdue coffee.”

  “Staff bathrooms…uh, heads?” She smoothed the wrinkles on her costume.

  He tucked a stray wisp of hair behind her ear. “Sorry, General, those are right next to the breakroom. Unless you’re hoping we get caught?”

  “No, thank you.” She shook her head. “I’ll take my chances with the skiffy fangirls.”

  “Skiffy?” He was almost afraid to ask, after being enlightened on slash fiction.

  She picked up her abandoned belt and vest and slipped them on. “It’s a joking way of mispronouncing sci-fi. Well, sometimes it’s a joke—sometimes it’s a way of deriding the science fiction community.”

  He unlocked the door, did a quick check of the hallway, and then ushered her out of the office. “Shall we?”

  They made it to the closest bathrooms without being spotted by anyone, though of course the security cameras would have caught their comings and goings. He wasn’t going to mention that to Katie. If Rob found out, Derek would deal with it. He pressed a quick kiss to her temple before giving her a gentle push towards the ladies’ room. “Take as much time as you need. At this point, we’re late enough that a few extra minutes won’t matter.”

  “Okay.” She wiggled her fingers in a wave and walked away. There was an extra swing in her hips that made him stop and admire the view until she disappeared. He liked to think he helped put that swagger of confidence in her stride, and hoped that she kept it after the costumes came off, the convention was over, and they were over.

  But what kind of thinking was that? He hadn’t given much consideration to what women did after his affairs with them were over since…his best friend died. The reminder of Pete was a punch in the gut, and some of his post-coital buzz faded. Turning, Derek went to take care of business in the men’s room, doing a more thorough job of removing the evidence of what he’d just been up to.

  Jesus, he had no idea what the hell he was doing. But that was nothing new, was it? He hadn’t had a clue in over a year. Not since Pete had died in Derek’s place, in a stinking hole in the desert, on some mission no one would ever know about. Though that last part had been standard operating procedure.

  Derek splashed water on his face before looking at himself in the men’s room mirror. He didn’t look troubled. No, the man looking back at him appeared almost…peaceful. Wasn’t that a change? He hadn’t had a nightmare last night. That was a first in a very long time. A deep, dreamless night after several rounds of explosive sex with his good girl neighbor. He didn’t even want to examine what that meant—he just knew he wanted more, at least for a little while.

  He braced his hands on the edge of the sink and bowed his head. After a year, he was starting to doubt he had the ability left to commit to much of anything long-term. Not a job, and certainly not a woman. But he wasn’t ready to give Katie up. Not yet, not after the night they’d shared. Unlike with most of the women he’d slept with—especially lately—he didn’t want to end it after a single encounter. However, he wasn’t willing to pretend that he could give her more than a temporary affair. The five days of the con were all he’d allow himself. To be fair, that was all she’d asked for. He should be grateful, and he should glut himself on her sweetness while he had the chance.

  Grabbing a few paper towels, he dried his face. Time to get back to work. He blew out a breath, reminded himself he wasn’t at this convention to examine his personal life, and headed for the exit. He stepped out of the bathroom door and froze in place. There was a short wall that blocked the view of the door from the hallway beyond, but he heard Nick Cochrane’s voice clearly enough. The way the volume of his words rose and fell told Derek that Nick was pacing the hallway just outside the restrooms. A few seconds of listening made two things clear: Nick was on the phone and he was extremely pissed off. Well, this one was of the more remote bathrooms in the convention center—not private, but not buzzing with con goers—so it made sense that Nick might seek it out if he didn’t want to be overheard. Derek stayed where he was to avoid being noticed. He’d rather not deal with the man, since anything that came out of DoucheNick’s mouth tended to make Derek want to get violent. He could only hope the man left before Katie finished up.

  Nick swore ripely. “No, I’m not going to court. That’s ridiculous.”

  He paused, clearly listening to someone on the other end of the line. “For speeding? Seriously? You’re my lawyer, so this is your problem, not mine. Do your job, or I’ll find someone else who will.”

  Another pause. “Yeah, I’m not going to pay for that. We’re done now. Goodbye.”

  He slammed a palm against the other side of the wall where Derek stood. He stepped out into the hallway, but Nick was already stalking off, outrage in every line of his being, and never looked back at the spot where Derek stood.

  Well. It looked like Nick had some legal troubles over speeding tickets. While there was some schadenfreude in knowing that, it was nothing that could get the man tossed out of the convention.

  Which was a damn shame, really.

  “Hey.”

  The word drew his gaze back to Katie, who’d just exited the women’s room.

  “Hi, there.”

  “Were you just arguing with someone?” Her brows scrunched. “Actually, it sounded like my ex. He gets this whine to his voice when he’s mad.”

  “It was him, but not me he was talking to.” He slipped his hands into his pockets. “He was arguing with someone on the phone. Something about speeding tickets, I think.”

  “Unsurprising.” She patted her hair, which now looked perfectly coifed again. “He was always a bad driver. Scared me to death when I rode in the car with him. After a while, I insisted on driving any time we were together.”

  “Douchebag.” And that was the kindest word he could think of. He set a hand on the small of her back and escorted her to the food trucks to get coffee and deliver it to her friends.

  He flashed a parting smile and strode off, getting back to the business he’d been hired to do. Standing in lines, wandering around, and pretending to be a fanboy. The day looked as if it was going to be another bust, but then his gaze caught on a few people cosplaying as Guardians of the Galaxy, letting people take pictures with them. The woman dressed as Gamora was smoking hot, and she smiled lavis
hly on every geek guy in the vicinity, who quickly lined up to get a photo with her. Taking pictures with attendees in great costumes was nothing new, until he saw the woman slip a guy’s wallet out of his jacket. Derek had to admit she was smooth.

  A pair of security guards walked right past the group, only giving them a cursory look. Jesus. Derek stepped out of the line his was in, caught one guard’s eye, and tipped his head toward a corner away from the group. The man grabbed his partner’s sleeve and followed Derek without hesitation. He quickly briefed them when they were around the corner and out of sight of the cosplayers. “The woman dressed as Gamora just picked a guy’s pocket. She handed the wallet off to the person in the Groot costume.”

  The taller guard’s eyes widened. “Thank you, sir. We’ll take care of it.”

  “I’ll leave you to it, then.” He slapped the guy on the shoulder, but stuck around to make sure they didn’t need help detaining the group. He’d drop his attendee guise if he had to, but knew Rob would prefer he didn’t.

  Groot and Gamora went along quietly enough, but Derek tailed them at a discreet distance until they’d made it to the staff area where other security personnel would be on hand to keep the thieves from doing anything stupid.

  Checking his cell phone, Derek found he had an hour left before he could cut out for the evening. Sixty minutes and then he’d have Katie to himself. All night long. Oh, yeah. He had plans for her, and they didn’t include getting much sleep.

  Chapter Five

  Two days later, Derek was following Katie home again. As he had every night of the convention. He’d been bristling with overprotectiveness when he’d walked to her car this time. Nick had stopped by her booth to bug her, though not about rekindling their failed relationship. Instead, she got the impression he’d wanted to hit her up for money. That was a first. Derek’s spidey sense had apparently gone off because he’d appeared out of nowhere again to scare Nick off.

  Katie sighed and flipped on her blinker to turn into the condo complex. She had a bad feeling that she was going to become addicted to Derek Forrester. She shouldn’t have been surprised, but the real man was so much better than her fantasy of him. He had more depth and more kindness than he allowed himself to believe, and was more troubled than she’d ever guessed. He didn’t talk about it, but whatever had driven him from the SEALs had been traumatic, and she sensed he’d never move on with his life until he stopped running away from it.