“You are full of surprises, honey.” He chuckled with delight. A brilliant thought flashed in his mind as he asked, “Do you have one of these trashy books with you?” She looked slightly taken aback by his question. She was fucking adorable.
“Well,…uh,” She coughed to clear her throat. “Actually, yes I do. I like to read before bed. Helps me get to sleep,” she muttered as a deep shade of red crept up her neck and across her cheeks. Why, she was embarrassed!
“Let me check this trash out!” he snickered playfully pushing her from the sofa to go get the book. She resisted as best she could, even laughing at his efforts.
“No, Draegyn, stop! C’mon. You’re embarrassing me.”
“You brought it up!” he barked. Knowing how to get her running for the book, he made to tickle her into compliance, even getting in a few good groping touches, before she gave in with a shout of laughter.
“Enough! I surrender,” she wheezed between giggles. Standing before him in her bare feet with the sweater hanging loosely around her, she impishly wagged her finger in his face threatening him with dire circumstances if he ended up laughing at her.
He couldn’t help but swat her behind when she turned to walk away. “Hurry up!’ he commanded as she stuck her tongue out at him in reply.
Returning less than a minute later, she had two small paperbacks clutched in her hand and a wicked look on her face. “You choose,” she said. “Either the rugged, sexy cowboy or the handsome Viking with the big, uh….sword.”
“Do you have a favorite?” he inquired silkily. “Which hero do you prefer?”
She thought about it for a minute then answered, “Mmmm. I think the cowboy.”
Without another word, he reached up and pulled her onto his lap where she landed with a thud. She might be small but her body colliding with his when she wasn’t expecting it meant she was mostly dead weight.
“Read to me.”
Holy shit, Tori thought as she tried to retain some dignity and not squirm on his lap. The minute she fell onto him, her senses were assailed with the warmth coming off his body. She hadn’t expected to find herself perched on his thighs and struggled to contain her wild excitement at the intimate closeness.
From their position, she was at eye-level with him, breathlessly aware of the arm stretched across her thighs holding her in place and the way his other arm curled around her waist. She couldn’t help but stare at the undone button on his shirt or the skin of his neck. This close, she fell into the glittering blueness of his penetrating gaze. As usual, she lost all coherent thought when her eyes dropped to his mouth. Damn, he had tempting lips.
She felt his fingers brush against her hip then settle on an exposed patch of skin. When he stroked high up on her thigh, she nearly moaned out loud. This is dangerous, she thought. If she had a lick of common sense she would run from the room before their truce turned into something hot and naked. Eh, screw common sense.
“What would you like me to read?” she quizzed in a husky voice.
“How about you just open the book to any page and go from there?” The hoarse sound of Draegyn’s answer let her know she wasn’t alone in the battle for good sense.
Not knowing how to get comfortable without grinding her bottom onto his groin, she tried to sit still and upright. Good luck with that, she thought wryly. Try as she might to appear blasé, the warmth gathering between her legs had to be making an impression on his senses. She might not have all that much experience but she knew a growing erection when she sat on one.
Fanning the pages of the paperback she made a production of randomly picking a page to begin reading. Just her luck that the scene she chose was full of sexual tension and building intimacy. Uh, maybe this really wasn’t a good idea.
He kept his fingers stroking lightly along the skin of her thigh with one hand while the other played with her knees in a way that made it difficult to think. “Read, Victoria,” he murmured.
She cleared her throat and prayed she wasn’t about to make a huge fool of herself. Without thinking what her action would do to the body underneath her, she wiggled her bottom until she found an easy position and began reading quickly.
“Okay. Well, let’s see. We’re on page ninety-four. Jake, the rugged hero is about to seduce Wendy, our spirited heroine.” She cleared her throat and started reading: “Your shirt’s all wet darlin’. Jake’s voice had gone husky, his gaze fastened on her plump breasts clearly visible beneath the damp cotton. Wendy’s heart thudded in her chest as she watched his tongue touch one of the pebbled nipples she couldn’t disguise. Take it off, she demanded as he peeled the soggy material from her. She felt a slight shudder run through his body as he devoured her naked flesh with his hungry eyes. I’m not very good at this sort of thing, she blurted out. Turning eyes blazing with desire to her shocked ones, he murmured softly, My body thinks you’re better than good at this. She slid her hand inside his open shirt with shy hesitancy and ran questing fingers over his chest, pausing to gently examine his male nipples. More, he groaned as his mouth latched onto her neck with a series of sharp, stinging nips that brought a burning need spreading through her heightened senses. She moaned in helpless delight, not caring if his teeth left marks on her flesh. His calloused cowboy hands cupped her tender, swelling breasts, squeezing the fleshy orbs, until she dug her nails into his skin. Tweaking her tightened nipples, she slid her hands into his hair and groaned. Please, Jake! What baby? He growled. What do you need? Please, she cried again. Take it into your mouth, hurry! She cried. When he did, she arched her back as wave after wave of sexual desire flooded her panties.”
Tori stopped reading to catch her breath. Dammit. A couple of paragraphs about a sexy cowboy and a warm lap with a very big hard-on pressing into her sweet spot had raised her awareness level to near painful heights. She was frantically deciding what to do next, since continuing to read any more of the story was going to make matters worse, when Draegyn reached for the book and took it from her hands. He looked at the cover illustration for a moment and then at her. She found herself helplessly drowning in the smoky eyes of an aroused male. Tossing the book aside, she felt the hand curved around her waist, slowly rise up her back until he reached the hair secured at her nape.
In seconds he had the pins removed and was running his fingers through her locks in a way that got a husky purr from her. She loved the way he took control. It was just what he did. This was the thing about him that turned her on without any effort at all. He commanded every situation he was in and right now, he was most definitely the one in charge.
His fingers tangled in her hair, as Tori rubbed her scalp against his firm touch. It felt like she was free-falling and all he’d done was stroke her head. Needing an anchor in the sensory storm, she laid a hand upon his chest and snaked the other around his neck for good measure. When he pulled her mouth to his, she let him. Gladly.
This was nothing like the flash fire she remembered from their first kiss. No, this one was slower, wetter. He simply joined their mouths and went deep. All she could do was groan and clutch helplessly at his shirt. He accepted the parting of her lips with a slow slide of his tongue that grew steadily fiercer. A sensual shudder of desire ripped through Tori, making her hips roll on his hardness. She arched against his chest asking for a whole lot more. Taking a cue from the story that ignited this quickly escalating bonfire; she made short work of his tie and the buttons on his shirt so she could slide her hand inside the parted material.
Rubbing her fingers along his heated skin was a sensual delight. He was pumped up, hard to the touch yet soft at the same time. Skillfully devouring her mouth with an unhurried rhythm, his breathing turned ragged. With each tongue swipe, she swirled hers around his, eventually whimpering like a hungry child begging for more. While her touch on his chest had been gentle and shy at first, as he deepened the kiss her caresses grew desperate.
Her marauding fingers descended as far as they could as his big solid body shuddered when she traced the
taut skin on his abdomen just above the waistband of his trousers. Wrenching their mouths apart, his head fell onto the sofa back as his chest heaved with the effort to bring oxygen into his lungs. Tori leapt on his exposed neck without hesitation, falling on him while her tongue and lips kissed, licked, and nipped every bare inch. He tasted like a man should. Warmth met her tongue as she slid it against his collarbone until the flames of desire reached into her core, making her clamp down hard on his sensitive skin. She moaned and sucked on his flesh, becoming even bolder when she felt his hand reach into her hair, encouraging the ravishing kisses.
They were both struggling to breathe as Tori squirmed on his lap until he let out a desperate groan. The sound accompanied his fingers sliding up her thigh, under the hem of her dress until he touched the lacey thong that wasn’t doing much to contain the dampness spreading between her thighs. When he ran a single finger under the elastic she started to come undone in his arms.
They’d gone from zero to heart-stopping arousal in no time flat. There was no denying that she wanted him in the worst way. Apparently, not being each other’s type hadn’t stopped nature from staking its own claim on the situation. The intoxicating balls-out lust that drove them into each other’s embrace was stronger than anything she’d ever felt before.
They were back to devouring each other’s mouths when an odd sound made its way into the sex-drenched haze that surrounded them. At first, she only noted that there was a sound, not what it meant. Since their incendiary kiss hadn’t lessened at all, she tried to ignore the interruption until finally, they drew apart as the sound became a persistent shrill. It was one of their damn cell phones.
Tori groaned in frustration and slapped her hand against the back of the sofa a second before she scrambled awkwardly off Draegyn’s lap. She surprised them both when a hoarsely muttered, “Fuck,” slid from her throat.
“I couldn’t agree more,” he grumbled, reaching for the offending object and snatching it up without humor. “What?” he barked into the phone as she sank to the cushions in a melted heap of overly sensitized flesh. “This isn’t a good time, man.” She heard him murmur. A few seconds later he said, “No. Victoria is right here. She’s fine. We both are. Why the late call Alex?” He wasn’t even trying to hide the impatience or irritation in his voice.
Pulling herself together so Draegyn could find out what was stuck in Alex’s radar, she stood up and smoothed the material of her outfit over trembling thighs. Somewhere during their heated embrace, she had lost the sweater, leaving her in just the short dress. As she bent to retrieve their wine glasses she caught Draegyn looking at her with undisguised arousal shining in his eyes. She felt like strangling her interrupting boss right then.
Hurrying from the room with the empty glasses and wine bottle in her hands, she managed to stub her toe on an end table, muttering a dramatic, “Ouch!” that left her limping and annoyed as hell. Dropping the glasses and bottle on the counter of the luxurious wet bar, she caught her reflection in the mirrored backsplash and nearly died. She looked like a wild animal had mauled her. Peeking over her shoulder at said wild beast, she had to wonder how far their interlude might have gone if not for the damn inconvenient timing of Alex’s call.
Draegyn stood and moved to the bank of windows that looked out over the city lights as he continued speaking quietly into the phone. She might appear a little worse for wear from their sensual activity but so did he, she thought, taking in the heart-stoppingly gorgeous picture he made standing in the dimly lit corner of the room.
Tori had done quite a number on his shirt, which hung open while one shirttail remained tucked into his pants. Her greedy eyes drank him in, unflinchingly satisfied at the prominent bulge that pressed against the front of his pants. Any lingering self-doubts she carried about not being pretty or sexy enough for a man like him evaporated at the sight of that undeniable proof that he had been as aroused and excited as she had been. Fuck Alex and his shitty timing. God dammit! What did a girl have to do to catch a break?
Mentally conceding the phone call was a surefire buzzkill, she tidied up the mess they made, even stacked the remnants of their meal on the room service trolley, and wheeled it to the door for housekeeping. Not sure what else to do, she lifted her gaze to Draegyn only to find him staring intently at her. She blushed and tried a weak smile.
Twin slashes of color highlighted his cheekbones, a testament to how seriously out-of-control they’d gotten with each other. He didn’t look happy about the interruption, and the tiny shrug and brief grimace that crossed his features effectively brought their relaxed evening of getting to know each other to a screeching halt.
She felt stupid just standing there. It seemed a bit desperate in her mind. Like a puppy waiting for attention. Since it wasn’t very likely that they were going to continue what they’d started, not tonight anyway, Tori decided it was best to retreat. Grasping hold of her confidence with determination, she ambled to where he stood with the phone pressed to his ear, enjoying the way his eyes darkened and mouth grew taut at her approach.
She stopped inches away from his body, reaching out to run her hand flat down the front of his chest. His nostrils flared at her brazen touch. Leaning in she breathed, “G’night,” close to his mouth. He took the invitation and closed the distance between their lips for a swift, hard kiss filled with the frustration and regret they both were feeling. He mouthed goodnight and before she did something she shouldn’t, like let her hand drift over the front of his pants, she spun and walked toward her bedroom. Turning to him one last time, she flashed him a sultry smile that left no doubt how disappointed she was. As she slowly swung the door closed, he met her look, expression for expression. She was sure her heavy sigh hung in the air long after the door clicked shut.
Well, this sucks, Drae groused silently. One minute he had a sexy and very turned on waif writhing in his arms while they engaged in the hottest, wettest kiss he’d ever experienced and the next, he was immersed in a cock-blocking phone call that doused their sensual fire quicker than a tsunami of cold water. If it weren’t for the fact that something serious was being brought to his attention, he would have been sorely tempted not to strangle Alex.
Remembering the hot passage that Victoria read aloud from her romance paperback, Drae knew it was going to take a hell of a lot more than a phone call to ease the throbbing hard-on he was experiencing. It had been a day of surprises where that little lady was concerned. As if his reaction to her makeover hadn’t been enough, discovering that she liked her reading materials spicy with a double dose of naughty had been a huge turn on. He had little doubt that if their interlude hadn’t been so rudely interrupted, his questing fingers would have ended up delving deep into her damp folds instead of stopping at the skimpy silk panties.
Her passion hadn’t surprised him, not after the way she had come alive in his arms that night at her apartment when she’d been crying. No, tonight’s surprise had unfolded slowly, like their kiss. It was her untutored response to him that shook his world. There was absolutely nothing about Victoria that was fake or contrived. When she shook in his arms, it wasn’t part of an act meant to enslave his senses. It was one hundred percent pure response and as a result, he’d never felt so primal or more male, in his entire life.
Maybe it was a good thing that they’d been interrupted. After all, he already admitted he really like her. Very much. If they’d gone on much longer, they would have indulged in a one-way journey to pound-town even though that wasn’t what he wanted from her. No, a good fuck, no matter how erotically charged, was something he had little trouble finding. Victoria, however, wasn’t in that category. When he did finally have a chance to take her to bed, it wasn’t going to be a randy plowing for the sake of relieving a basic need.
Her hot kisses and the way she clung to him made him want to explore the unexpected and unfamiliar depth of feelings he was experiencing. He might very well be losing his fucking mind, but the way he felt when she wrapped her arms aroun
d him, or the little sounds she made while her tongue dueled so sweetly with his made Drae want to strip her naked, as slowly as possible and avail himself of every centimeter of her delicious body. He wanted to make love to her for hours, watch her writhe in his arms as he sank into her wet depths until they couldn’t take it anymore. And he especially wanted to lose himself in her gorgeous brown eyes as she came around him while his cock was buried balls deep.
Just thinking about being inside her made his heart thump wildly. The only thing stopping him from kicking down her door so he could plunge into her silky wetness were the very thoughts he’d just had. He wanted more from her. Victoria Bennett wasn’t anything like the jaundiced first impressions he had of her. There was something special, unique, and sweet about her that made him feel protective as well as aroused. She’d blown apart the lifetime of distrust he’d been nursing where women were concerned with her smart-ass mouth and adorably prickly assertiveness. He’d never wanted a woman the way he wanted her and especially had never craved a connection the way he did where she was concerned.
Aww shit. While he was lost in his private thoughts, Alex had been nattering on, and he hadn’t caught but a word of what had been said. Eyeing Victoria’s closed bedroom door with regret, he sighed and tried to concentrate on the situation at hand. Tomorrow would be soon enough to see where all this was heading. He owed it to everyone involved, and that included the agency, to keep his wits about him and not do anything that would cause problems down the road.
“Yeah, I’m still here, bro. Just thinking, that’s all,” he murmured into the phone. “Let’s rework the problem and come up with an alternate plan, okay?” It would be almost an hour more before the call would wrap-up and by then he was more than ready to fall facedown onto a soft bed.
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