Indecent Exposure

by Faye Avalon

  Gina shuffled until she lay back on the bed. He returned her smile, then lowered himself over her, anchoring himself on one elbow. “Maybe I should have asked this before. Is there anyone?”

  “No.” Not since Costas had done the dirty on her. When he only frowned at her, she raised her eyebrows. “What?”

  Considering, he pursed his lips. “Not sure. There’s something in your eyes I can’t quite fathom.”

  She wriggled against him, wanting to steer the conversation very far away from where he was pushing it. “Perhaps you’re looking too closely. And the something you see may well be a woman enjoying the after effects of a man going down on her, and of her returning the favor.”

  He brushed his fingers against her ribcage just below her breasts and slid them lightly along the length from one side of her body to the other. It made her wriggle some more.

  “What about you?” She wasn’t really sure why she asked, seeing as this dalliance between them wasn’t going anywhere as soon as she got what she came for. But he was still looking at her as if she was a mystery he was determined to solve. “That woman last night seemed pretty keen.”

  “We’re not exclusive.”

  She tried to push away the thought that the woman he’d been with last night, although not exclusive, was in fact a lover. And while there was no point questioning the whip of resentment toward the unsuspecting female, she still couldn’t stop the words escaping her mouth. “So you banged her last night?”

  “Delicately put,” he said and tweaked her nose. “But no, I didn’t bang her last night.”

  She shrugged, ridiculously pleased that he hadn’t. Not that she wanted him to know that. “I was just thinking that would explain it.”

  “Explain what?”

  “Why you haven’t banged me.”

  He grinned. “Yet.”

  She grinned back and took care to let her breasts brush his chest as she shifted against him. She had a feeling his “no fuck” resolve was diminishing fast. “How long does it usually take for things to get back to normal, so to speak?”

  His hand slid down her body until he cupped her mound. “Things get back to normal pretty fast.”

  Reaching down, she wrapped her hand around his hardening length. “So I see.”

  He shifted his hips away from her. “Foreplay, remember?”

  The escalating hope that things might indeed be resolved that night deflated with his words. Which meant another approach might be required. “I’d think there was something wrong with you, but seeing as I definitely know otherwise, I’m starting to think there may be something wrong with me.”

  When he jerked back and frowned at her, she tried hard not to smile. Bull’s eye. Right on the nose.

  “There’s nothing wrong with you.”

  “But why else would you not want to take things to their natural conclusion? It must be me. You don’t want to be inside me. Is that it?”

  She pasted on a hurt, dejected look. Seconds later he laughed, a deep chuckle that reverberated around the room. “You’re good. I’ll give you that. But it won’t wash.” Shifting, he moved over her. “There’s nothing wrong with you. You want to know why I won’t fuck you?”

  She nodded.

  “Truth is, I want to take this slow.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’ve waited twelve damn years for this. There’s no way one night is going to do it for me.”

  He wanted this to continue? Panic shimmered through her. She hadn’t really given much thought to this taking longer than one night to achieve, and she wanted it over and done with. No way did she want to prolong it.

  Costas had given her two days, but what concerned her was being with Mitch longer than she needed. Aside from the fact he’d cottoned on to her hiding something, she wasn’t sure seeing him again was such a good idea. The same threat that haunted her in college was alive and kicking. He was exciting in a way that no other man she’d gotten involved with had been. But with that excitement came a deep knowledge that he was the type of adrenaline rush she wouldn’t get over easily. His type of danger was more potent than any she’d sought with any number of bad boy types. He’d eat into her being, push into her soul, into her heart. She couldn’t afford to get involved with a man like him.

  With that knowledge uppermost in her mind, she brought her focus back to the reason she was here in the first place. “When do I get my bag back?”

  “Do you need it?”

  She shrugged and tried not to seem too desperate. “A woman needs certain things.”

  “Like what?”

  “Secret things. None of a man’s business kind of things.”

  “All you need right now,” he said, pulling her up with him, “is me.”

  He knelt up and pulled her against his chest with her back to him. He cupped her breasts and kissed her neck. Tiny kisses, slow and so damn easy it made her breath catch. He licked his fingers, then rolled her nipples between his thumb and forefinger. The sensual combination of his damp fingertips and the steady kneading motion sent her arching back against him. His knee came between her legs, forcing them apart. As soon as he had her where he wanted her, he slipped one hand down over her waist, across her stomach, then cupped her pussy.

  The heel of his hand pressed hard against her pubic bone, and he dipped his fingers into her heat. She pushed into his hand and reached back to grab his hips. She tried to gyrate her pelvis to get more friction, but he held her too tightly against his body. When she felt him grow hard, his cock pressing into the crease of her backside, she gyrated even more.

  He groaned, releasing the pressure a little, which gave her the opportunity to turn in his arms and face him. He made to grab her ass, but she wrapped her hands around his now fully hard erection and began to stroke him.

  He closed his eyes, and she pushed him until he was flat on his back. Straddling him, she rubbed her pussy against his hard length and anchored herself with her hands either side of his head. She rocked, slowly at first, then increasing in speed and pressure. His jaw tightened and his breath came in sharp bursts.

  The moment she reached down for him, he opened his eyes. Beneath her, she felt him shift and knew if she didn’t act fast, he would reverse their positions and control what happened next.

  She wasn’t about to let that happen. “There’s taking it slow and there’s taking it slow. I swear, if you make me wait one more minute I’m going to scream so loud the whole building will come running.”

  Before he could answer, she reached out to the side of the cabinet where she’d placed the condom earlier. His eyes followed the movement. She’d expected him to stop her, but he let her roll on the condom. Deliberately, she took her time, feeling him jerk as she sheathed him.

  “Well, who would have guessed?” She grinned. “Looks like it will fit. And here I was thinking you’re so big and hard that I’d need an extra large size.”

  He narrowed his eyes to slits. “Just get the damn thing on.”

  She bit down on her bottom lip as she worked, enjoying the way his chest expanded, his stomach muscles tensed, and the hard set of his jaw as he gritted his teeth.

  No sooner had she finished sheathing him that he turned her so fast her breath came out on a whoosh. He moved over her and shoved one of her knees up to her chest. His cock pushed against her opening and he drove into her.

  She gasped at his length and girth, trying to lower her knee to ease the pressure. But he held it there. With him inside her, she raised her other knee, desperate to get her legs around him and pull him deeper. He pumped into her, and the build to her orgasm was swift and exquisite. When she shattered, he did too, leaving her with a feeling of completion that seemed to rock her very soul.

  Chapter Seven

  Mitch wanted to be annoyed with her, but as he watched the coffee filter, he was simply too satiated to f
eel anything but grateful.

  Despite her protests and excuses, he’d persuaded Gina to stay the night, arguing that she was closer to her studio at his place anyway. They hadn’t gotten much sleep, but he felt buzzed and ready to go.

  Shit. He should be annoyed. He’d been determined to make her wait, to keep the control in the relationship dynamic. He wasn’t entirely sure why that mattered so much, but it did. Now that they’d had full out sex, she could easily go on her merry way and leave him wanting more.

  Even after a night of heavy and explosive sex, he wasn’t finished with her. Not by a long shot. A twelve year itch didn’t get scratched in one measly night. It wasn’t even going to dent the surface.

  Shirtless, he tugged at his unfastened jeans as memories of what they’d indulged in last night went straight to his cock. No. One fucking night just wasn’t going to do it.

  The bathroom door closed, announcing Gina was up. He glanced at the clock and noted it was a little after six. Surprising. He thought she’d be the type of woman who’d need some coaxing and prodding to get her out of bed in the morning. It was, it seemed, just one more in the list of continual surprises she offered him.

  A couple minutes later, she strolled into the kitchen wearing his discarded shirt from the night before. “Can I have my things now?”

  Mitch bit back a smile. “Good morning to you too.”

  She almost snarled as she walked over to him, grabbed the coffee out of his hand, and gulped down a healthy swig. She thrust it back at him. “I want my stuff.”

  “You’re quite the ray of sunshine in the morning.”

  “I don’t appreciate being held captive and having my bag and clothes locked away. If that makes me a little grumpy, I think I’m entitled.”

  He put down his cup, leaned back against the counter, then pulled her up close to him. The tension in her muscles came as a surprise. After all the hot, sweaty sex they’d enjoyed, he felt positively loose. He kissed her pouting lips. “How about some breakfast?”

  “I don’t have time,” she said almost as stiffly as she held her body against him. “I’ve got a studio to open.”

  “It’s barely six. Plenty of time for breakfast.” He’d been hoping to get her back in the sack for one last memorable session to hold him until he could see her again.

  “I get to the studio at seven.” She reached around him and grabbed his cup again. “By the time I’ve showered and you deign to give me back my possessions, I’m going to be late as it is.”

  He watched her as she took another few swigs of coffee. He still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. He’d never yet had a woman greet him in the morning who wasn’t as loose and eager as he was for another round of hot, sweaty sex.

  “How about we make a deal?”

  She glowered at him over the rim of the coffee cup. “What sort of deal?”

  “I’ll let you skip breakfast if you agree to meet me for lunch.”

  “I don’t normally eat lunch. Besides, I have classes today.”

  Easy does it, he thought. Instinct warned him if he pushed, he knew she’d clam right up and he’d be left watching her back as she disappeared out of his life. Aside from that, if she really was naturally this grumpy in the mornings, it wasn’t the best time to negotiate with her.

  “Dinner, then.”

  She kept a stranglehold on the mug. “I’ve got classes tonight too.”

  “What time do you finish?”

  “Not until after nine.”

  “I’ll come by and pick you up. You’ll be needing some nourishment after such a long day.”

  When he grinned, she glowered at him some more. “By nourishment I assume you mean sex.”

  “That can be a part of it.”

  He watched her eyes, noting the way they flitted from side to side as if she was working it all out. When they landed on him, he felt the punch of her brown gaze all the way down to his toes. “Will you make me a promise?”

  “If I can.”

  “If we do this again, will you promise not to hold me hostage and lock away my things?”

  The edge of vulnerability in both her eyes and her tone caught him unawares, and he thought for the first time that maybe it had been wrong of him to lock her things away from her. He’d meant it as a kind of joke. A sort of tit for tat for when she’d stolen his pants.

  “Okay.” When she relaxed, he took the cup away and drew her close against him again to kiss her lightly. Her mouth went soft beneath his and he deepened the kiss.

  “I suppose I get why you did it.” She slipped her arms around his neck. “It was payback, wasn’t it? For what I did to you back in college?”

  “It was juvenile of me.” But he grinned anyway.

  “I’m sorry I took your clothes and made you a laughing stock with your friends.”

  When her mouth flickered, he narrowed his eyes at her. “No you’re not.”

  She full out smiled. “You’re right. I’m not.”

  He drew her even closer. “Since we’re now even, how about that dinner?”

  She glanced down and he felt her fingers tense slightly against his bare shoulders. When she looked up at him, her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Okay.”

  Maybe he was pushing his luck now, but he ran his hands down and cupped her ass. He tilted her hips so she could feel his erection, not entirely surprised, if desperately disappointed, when she eased back.

  “I have to go.”

  He could have pushed, but since she’d agreed to dinner, he didn’t want to blow it. Strange. He hadn’t expected having to take a soft and slow approach with Gina McKenzie.

  He kept his hands loosely on her hips. “Take that shower. I’ll get your clothes, then fix you some eggs and toast.”

  “Just toast would be great.”

  He watched her saunter out, her backside swaying beneath his shirt. He’d managed to push her to the back of his mind in the years since college, but it hadn’t been easy. Now one look at her, one touch, one taste, and everything he’d craved came shuddering back as if it had lain dormant someplace, only to erupt when the time was right. Maybe a woman like that haunted a man. Maybe he was never quite able to fully eradicate the craving for her.

  While that sobering thought bounced in his mind, he busied himself by making breakfast. Was he the worst kind of fool? The kind who let his dick rule his head? Now that he’d had her, balanced the score with the damn clothes thing, he’d be wise to put it all behind him and move on. They’d had their night, enjoyed the reunion—now it was time to let it all go. Let her go.

  No way in fucking hell.

  Oh yeah, Mitch thought, cracking eggs into a bowl. He was most definitely the worst type of fool.

  The morning passed in a blur of activity. Gina had taught two classes; one Pilates class of her own, the other covering for her newly pregnant yoga instructor who had a doctor’s appointment. Thankfully, the business of the studio took up most of her thinking time and she’d been able to put the night with Mitch out of her mind. Mostly. Partly.

  Liar.

  She’d blown a great opportunity to get the job finished, but then she hadn’t exactly had that much chance seeing as Mitch had stolen her bag and she couldn’t get to her phone.

  She thought of how he’d made her breakfast and how he’d refused to let her leave without at least taking a forkful of egg and a couple of bites of toast. How he’d kissed her thoroughly as he’d dropped her off at the studio before heading to his own office. And how she was looking forward to dinner and seeing him again.

  Damn. Of course she was looking forward to dinner and it had nothing at all to do with seeing Mitch again. Tonight, when they went back to his place, he wouldn’t take her bag. Then she could get the photo.

  Mitch was a deep sleeper. Or at least he seemed to be, considering they hadn’t caugh
t more than a couple of hours’ sleep the whole night. But when she’d slipped out of bed to visit the bathroom, he hadn’t so much as stirred, which bode very well for tonight.

  Her body shivered as she thought about Mitch’s determined hands on her, about the way he felt when he’d pulled her up tight to him after they’d had sex, about the way he stroked her, kissed her. The feel of him penetrating her, his scent washing over her.

  It had never been like that with Costas. It had never been like that with any other man. Not that she’d had that many, despite the impression people had of her. But then, she only had herself to blame for that. It was a reputation she’d fostered over the years, her purpose being to drive away the settling down kind of men. The ones who wanted marriage, kids, the whole deal.

  Those sort of men made a woman lose control. Made her want things that were dangerous and unpredictable. She wasn’t going to slip into a relationship, fall in love, and risk that the man would up and leave her. She wasn’t going to be like her mother. She wasn’t going to risk her heart only to have it broken.

  Regardless of how Costas had treated her, regardless of what he’d done, at least her heart was safe. She had never given that to him.

  Yet he’d managed to hurt her anyway by betraying her trust, humiliating her. She only prayed she could go through with his demands and spare her mother from being betrayed and humiliated too. She wasn’t sure how her mother would react if the video got out. Gina knew she would love her, stand by her, despite what she’d gotten herself into. At the very least she would be shocked, desperately disappointed and furious. Her reputation and political standing would suffer badly. She might even drop out of the running for mayor. Her heart—the one that had taken years to mend after Gina’s father had walked out—would be shattered again if the man she was currently dating dumped her, unwilling to have his name and own reputation smeared with the shameful and seedy wrongdoing of his lover’s wayward daughter.

  Gina wasn’t prepared to even chance that would happen. Which meant tonight was the night. No excuses, no delays. Time was running out. She had to get that photo of Mitch.