Tell Me You Want Me

by Joya Ryan

  He’d stood in her doorway and knew right then that she was on a mission to experience, among other things, sex. And at least for that list of hers, he wanted to be the guy to give those experiences to her.

  Why? One, because she was hot as hell, and after the other night with her, he still couldn’t get the feel of her out of his mind.

  Two, he’d glimpsed the wounded, vulnerable side of her. And he’d be damned if he let her go off with some stranger who would take advantage of her. Someone who’d hurt her. If she was going to check off all those adventures on her list, at least he could make sure she had fun without getting hurt.

  Besides, he needed his damn hours.

  He could keep their affair casual, and they could both walk away getting what they needed. Didn’t mean he liked the woman. Actually, he hated her kind of people. Wealthy and uptight. Dex got a sick thrill making that sexy mouth of hers beg for him while he issued the commands. She wasn’t so high and mighty when she was under him. Literally.

  He could keep his goal in sight, get his hours, get her list tackled, and be a happy man on his way. Because truth was, deep down, the thought of another man fulfilling that list bothered him. A lot of men would take advantage of what she was offering. Use her up and spit her out. Dex would give her pleasure on her terms, the temporary kind women like her always wanted from him.

  So there it was. For the good of his career, he’d train the sexy vixen that had a secret wild side. Yeah…it was hard being him.

  Tonight was pretty dead, and the curtains over the windows of her boutique were drawn, but a low light glowed behind the shop.

  Dex opened the door. The sign said CLOSED, but the door was unlocked.

  As he opened the door, he saw a few women still inside, making their way to the register.

  He stepped in. It smelled like Michelle. Lilacs and sunshine and femininity. And there was so much stuff. Classy and elegant stuff. Pops of color and clothing against light cream walls with well-organized racks of various fashions of silk and lace and holy shit—he walked farther in toward the back and there was a small circular table full of bras, panties, and so much lacy barely there lingerie that he got hard just thinking of Michelle donning a piece.

  “Typical man,” Michelle said, walking from the back room and into the showroom of fashion and beauty. “Going straight for the panties.”

  Dex shrugged. “I’m a guy. And if you’re offering your panties on a silver table, I’m going to fucking go for them.”

  He winked.

  She blushed.

  It looked like she was trying not to, but he could read her. Knew she was tempted by him. And he was more than tempted by her.

  Tempted didn’t mean they liked each other. But now that she’d agreed to see him, he could get his recertification and enjoy her all in the same six hours. Then they could both move on and have some fun times to look back on.

  “Thank you for coming,” she said and moved toward him. She was in that same tight black skirt she’d had on this morning, along with a form-fitting white top. She was smooth and crisp, with such a fresh face that no one would think she’d been on her feet in those sexy red stilettos all day.

  “Let me finish up with my customers, and then I’ll see to you,” she said with a smile.

  Dex nodded and watched her work. She brought some pink lacy number to a brunette standing near the register and chatted happily with her. The woman looked at Michelle like a beacon of beauty and grace. Because she was. She was personable and obviously knew what her customers wanted, because the brunette took the pink lace and nodded happily before pulling out her wallet.

  Dex watched Michelle check out each woman. She looked them in the eye. Made time for just them. Took a moment to answer any questions, and never once did she look nervous. She was in her element. Dex felt a surge of pride hit him.

  “Have a great evening,” Michelle said to the last woman, walking her to the door. She locked it behind her and made her way through the store and back toward Dex. He’d never taken his eyes off of her. She was confident as she wound through her shop. Clearly she knew each detail of the pieces she carried. This was her wilderness as much as the mountains were his, and she looked strong, sexy and capable as hell in it. He knew she was looking to gain confidence and experiences, and he wanted to be a part of that.

  “And thank you for waiting,” she said, finally closing in on him.

  “Of course. I’m glad you’re giving me your time. I have a few things that I can teach you,” he started. There was a lot he wanted to teach her, but in the spirit of staying professional, sort of, he had some GPS training, survival, compass, and other skills he could begin with. He could check off a few things from his list, then he’d check off a few things from hers. “First thing tomorrow, we can start.”

  “I was thinking we’d start now,” she said with a smile.

  All right, he could be down for that. Except… “I didn’t bring my GPS,” he said, and part of him felt like a loser.

  “You won’t need your GPS,” she said.

  He frowned. “That’s kind of important for what I have in mind.”

  “Yes, but not for what I have in mind.”

  He liked where this was going. He took a step toward her and grinned. “Oh, I see. Luring me here after hours. Playing innocent. Why ma’am, are you trying to seduce me?” he teased.

  She took her own confident step toward him, coming so close he could smell her. He’d taken a shower since he’d seen her last but didn’t bother shaving. Clean T-shirt and jeans was as far as he went, but she was looking at him as if he were in some tux on the runway. It was nice when a woman looked at him like that. When she looked at him like that.

  “Maybe I am,” she whispered, and when her finger barely tapped his belt clasp, he stifled a breath. For an innocent, upper-class woman, she had a commanding presence. “And I want to start with…” those lips came closer… “the light fixtures.”

  She stepped away just as he leaned in, causing him to barely miss her lips.

  “These two in here—” she pointed above her head at the lights “—need to go. I have the replacements in the back. So if you could change those out for me, that’d be great.”

  “Hold up,” he said, half shocked and half pissed that he’d been so close to her mouth, yet she’d denied him. “I’m not changing the lighting in here, princess. I’m not a damn handyman at your beck and call.”

  “Oh? I’m so sorry!” she said with mock southern charm obviously put on just for him, because this woman was from the East Coast. Likely New York. “I thought you came to me demanding my time. Well, this is the time I can give you, and I’m a busy woman. So you can either help me and I’ll trade my time for yours, or you can let yourself out.”

  He looked her over. She was a wily one. Stubborn. And didn’t give up. Something he should have known from last night.

  “Changing your light fixtures isn’t survival or wilderness training.”

  She shrugged. “Well, it’s not skydiving, either. But it’s an hour, which is what you need, right? While you change the light, you can tell me about bear safety or something.”

  He laughed. She was good, but he was better. “All right, princess, I’ll play. Because yes, I need the hours. But when I’m done with the lights, I get to train you in survivor awareness.”

  “I’m not going back out to the woods tonight.”

  “I’ll train you right here. In your shop.”

  She frowned, thinking over his offer, so he sweetened the deal. “My time for yours, right? It’s only fair.” Not to mention that list of hers, but he wouldn’t bring that up now.

  With a roll of her eyes, she said, “Fine.”

  Adrenaline rushed through him at her agreement.

  When she stomped back to get the fixtures and small toolbox, he smiled to himself and set to his task. One hour was enough time to teach her a thing or two. And he knew exactly where to start.

  Chapter Six

&n
bsp; Michelle was pretty proud of herself. She sat behind the small counter and filed receipts while Dex was up on a step stool, putting in the last screw of the light fixture. She was all about independence, but she’d tried changing the light fixture herself last week and wasn’t tall enough to maneuver all the parts. She’d called for a contractor, but it would take another week to get someone there.

  Dex was perfect. And in this case, delegating was a part of independence, so it all worked out. He fixed her light, and she got to catalog her paperwork. Win, win.

  Her pulse raced just from looking at him. Man, he was attractive. When he’d come in earlier and she’d seen him looking at her lingerie designs, her heart had leapt into her throat. She was self-conscious about her designs. She’d been making them for a while, but she’d just put a few samples out on the floor to see the reaction of the customers. While Dex wasn’t exactly a customer, he seemed to like them. Not that she would ever tell him, or anyone else, she’d made them. She was still working on confidence in that department.

  She glanced up for the millionth time that hour and watched Dex work. His shirt was riding up as he reached, giving sight to some seriously impressive abs. His jeans hung low¸ and that black leather belt weighted them down a bit more, enough for her to see the deep V of his hips…and it didn’t appear that he was wearing any underwear.

  She licked her lips.

  “Staring at the help, princess?” he called, not taking his eyes from his task. He caught her looking, and she averted her eyes quickly. The low chuckle coming from his chest was becoming familiar to her, and she wanted to reach out and feel that hum against her skin.

  He was so casual. So easy. So laid back.

  “Just wondering when you were going to be finished,” she said in her best bored tone. Truth was, she wasn’t bored at all. For almost an hour, she’d looked up and down the sexy man she’d fantasized about the other night. How he moved. Her only wish was that she’d seen more of him. They both had the majority of their clothes on and based on the glimpses she was getting, it was shame because Dex was a work of chiseled art.

  “Maybe it’s your turn to thank me?” she added. “I’m giving you the hours you want, so this is a success for both of us.”

  He stepped down off the stool, stuffed the screwdriver in his back pocket, and dusted his hands.

  “It won’t be a success until I get what I want,” he said. While a small grin accompanied his statement, he was serious, and she found herself taking a deep breath before he reached the counter. She had to stay strong. Play this game and keep focus. Especially since he made her life hell when she was in his outdoor realm.

  She walked around the counter to face him.

  “Well, we’re in my wilderness now.” She looked around and smiled. “Finding an item to use as a weapon is tough, isn’t it?”

  He lifted a brow and glanced around quickly. “Not really,” he said.

  Before she could blink, he snatched a black garter belt from the nearby display and had her wrists bound behind her back in two seconds flat.

  “What the hell?!” she said. He just moved against her until her hands and ass were pressed against the edge of the counter behind her.

  “It’s all about taking in your surroundings and using them to your advantage.”

  She wiggled her hands, but there was nowhere for her to go. A very hard, tall man was in front of her and giving zero space.

  “How is this helpful to me?”

  “It’s not,” he said. “Tying you up is to my advantage. Like you said, I’m in your wilderness now. And I’m not just about surviving, princess. I want to thrive.”

  His voice was deep and sexy, and she wanted to get lost in it. With a firm grasp on her waist, he lifted her to sit on the counter and kept his body between her spread legs. But to accommodate him, he pulled her skirt up, and his jeans scratched against her inner thighs as he nestled between them.

  “By the way, I saw number twelve on your list of fantasies.”

  Her eyes widened. She’d known he’d gotten a glimpse, but number twelve was…

  “Being tied up,” she breathed.

  He just smiled, and with his grip and command, she knew he was content to keep her still. It drove her crazy. In a lot of good ways.

  “Now let’s see here,” he said casually, keeping her pinned while he looked over the various items on the counter. They were the small splurge items she always kept near the register. “Since we’re officially on my time now, I will train you. In the spirit of teaching you how to properly use your surroundings, why don’t we start with hydration?”

  She frowned. “Hydration?”

  He grinned and picked up a small bottle of lilac lotion. It was her favorite. She couldn’t move if she wanted to, and at the moment she didn’t. She sat there, a hard man between her legs, wrists bound behind her back, while she got schooled in her own kind of wilderness with the search and rescuer dishing out the rules of survival. Only she was pretty sure her skin would burn up before this “training” was over.

  “It’s important to stay hydrated,” he said and untwisted the cap off the lotion. “That goes for your skin, too. You never know how long you could be out somewhere, and keeping moisture in your body is always a good thing.”

  He squeezed lotion into his hand, then cupped her calf and slowly rubbed up and down. Wow, that felt good. Using both hands, he encompassed her whole ankle and slid up to her knee, then back down again. Up and down.

  Her head threatened to loll, but he moved to the next leg. His rough hands were so big on her that he covered the entire surface area of her leg just with his hands.

  “That feels so good,” she whispered, then realized she’d said so out loud.

  He smiled. “All about moisture, princess,” he said, and when his hands got a little higher, his fingers skimmed along her panties. She jolted when he pressed against her silk-covered clit. “I see you’re wet. That’s good,” he growled low.

  She wanted more contact, but he removed his hands, leaving her skin tingling and dying for more.

  “Sustenance is another thing you need to keep in mind,” he said, that gravelly voice washing over her as he glanced around the small items on the counter again. Finally picking up decadent little chocolates she’d just had imported from France. They were individually wrapped and the best thing on the planet.

  “You need to keep your strength up when you’re in the wilderness, right, princess?”

  She nodded, keeping his gaze ensnared as he unwrapped the chocolate. He trailed it along her lips, and she opened for him. He placed the small treat on her tongue, and she let the warm chocolate melt in her mouth while he watched her enjoy it.

  “You may be all right with a short burst of sugar, but a man like me needs more to satisfy him.”

  She glanced over his hard body, and yes, a man like him would need more to keep him energized. Staying between her legs, he knelt down and moved her panties to the side, exposing her sensitive flesh. She felt his breath against her, felt his eyes drinking her in.

  “Mmmm, I could just take you along with me everywhere as my own personal snack.”

  He leaned in and ran his tongue along her folds.

  She gasped and wiggled.

  “Easy,” he said. “I let you enjoy your treat; now let me enjoy mine.”

  She nodded, and those searing green eyes of his looked up at her while he leaned in again and licked her entire sex.

  He delved deep. Sheathed his tongue inside of her and nibbled the sensitive bundle of nerves with his upper lip.

  Eating her.

  Devouring her.

  Every nerve ending she had was bursting with hot pleasure.

  He hummed, and that vibration sent chills racing from her core to her spine. Good lord, the man’s mouth was magic. He was enjoying her, and in that moment, she did feel like a treat.

  “I may have to visit you here more often,” he rasped against her heat, then dove in to lick and sample her a
gain. “Or you can be my terrain partner. Every time I get hungry…we can stop so I can feast on you.” He flicked his tongue over and over every inch of her flesh, and with every lash, heat built inside her, and the searing orgasm she was trying to hold on threatened to explode.

  “I must warn you,” he said, diving back inside deep, then pulling out. “I get hungry often.” He thrust hard again, then rained down wet flicks over her clit until she couldn’t see anything but a white light dance over her eyes.

  “Oh God…Dex…” With his name on her lips, she fell over the brink and gave herself to the sexy, strong man who was indeed snacking on her. Pleasure shot from her toes to her scalp, and she twisted in the binds on her wrists and let the sparks take over.

  He kissed her thighs, then took a big bite. It didn’t hurt. It stung in a good way and made the pleasure heighten.

  He rose to face her.

  “Funny thing about sweet treats.” He leaned in and kissed her quick on the lips. “They become addicting.”

  She nodded, words proving to be difficult at the moment. All she wanted to do was taste him.

  She reached out to grab his mouth with hers and kiss him deep. She tasted sweetness. Herself and the chocolate he’d given her. It was all wrapped into a delicious treat far better than the chocolate alone. Sex and sugar and raw wild man was what she tasted, and it was truly addicting.

  She kissed him hard, wanting to reach out, but her hands were tied tight. He’d used her own supplies against her, and now she wanted to reach out and cling to him. Wanted more.

  He kissed her back, one hand trailing down her top, unbuttoning as he went. Once the front button was unfastened and her blouse gaped open, he reached in behind her to unfasten her bra. With her arms tied, she couldn’t help him remove her shirt or her bra. But that didn’t seem to matter to him.

  He spread her shirt wide and slid her bra down until her breasts were exposed. That was all he needed. Her clothes were a tangled mess around her, but she didn’t care. He was a force of nature, and she was exposed to him. This was her opportunity to prove that she could survive. He fastened that wicked mouth onto one nipple, and it was all she needed to arch and gasp for more.