by Jamie Beck
He scowled, wondering what other witchy spells she would cast on him before their little tryst ended.
Chapter Five
“Can you keep a secret?” Kelsey asked Maura the minute Bill took Fee outside on a nature walk.
“You know I can.” Maura closed the dishwasher door and tossed her dishtowel on the spigot. “Guess now I know why you’ve been so fidgety for the past thirty minutes. Spill it.”
Kelsey extended her pinky finger, waiting for her sister’s pinky to latch on. “I mean it, Maura. I’ve just made a deal with the devil and I need to tell someone, but no one else—and I mean no one—can ever know. Not even Bill.”
Maura pinky-shook and stepped back. “With that intro, I’ll admit, I’m a little worried. Are you in some kind of trouble with the law?”
“What?” Kelsey set one fist on her hip. “Why would you ask something that ridiculous?”
“You’re the one making this such a big deal. What am I supposed to think?”
“Certainly not that I’m some kind of criminal.” Kelsey sipped her Diet Coke. “However, you might want to sit down.”
Maura sighed, pulled out a kitchen chair, sat beside the round oak table, and cut herself another slice of banana bread. “This reminds me of when you lost Mom’s pearl necklace and wanted to blame it on cousin Sarah.”
“If anything goes wrong with this plan, I’ll take all the blame.” An attack of nerves caused Kelsey to rapidly tap the toe of her red shoe against the linoleum flooring.
“Okay.” Maura placed her palms on the table. “Lay it on me.”
Kelsey went still and drew a deep breath before spilling her guts.
“I’ve agreed to engage in a purely sexual fling with Trip Lexington.” As soon as she said the words aloud, she covered her mouth with her hand, half stunned, half giggling.
Maura’s eyes widened as she dropped the final bite of bread onto her napkin. “Why in the world would you agree to something so . . . so risqué?”
Kelsey twisted her hair in her hand before letting it fall around her shoulders. She then began ticking off her fingers as she spoke. “A, he’s hot. Hotter than hot. Trip Lexington may be the hottest guy I’ve ever seen in my entire life, including celebrities.”
Maura shook her head in disbelief, which made Kelsey eager to persuade her she’d made a good decision. “B, I haven’t had sex in almost a year. Given a choice between sex with Trip or a battery-operated toy, there really is no choice.”
“TMI!” Maura sank her head into her hands for a moment. When she looked up, she pressed her palms to her flushed cheeks. “Okay, recovered. Continue.”
Kelsey rolled her eyes before she resumed her argument. “C, it’s actually kinda freeing. Think about it. I’ve carried so many expectations into all my other sexual experiences. This will be completely different. I have no expectations or hopes. It’s purely for fun, so I can live out some kinky fantasies without worrying about any repercussions.”
“Again, TMI!” Maura’s fingers drummed the tabletop. “I mean, really, Kelsey. You’re not going all fifty shades on me, are you?”
“No.” Kelsey’s hand found her hip again, her brow lowering. “But stop being such a prude.” Then she waved off the remark. “I’m serious, though. This will probably be the only time in my life that I can enjoy myself in bed without worrying about how it might affect the relationship . . .”
Maura’s eyes grew as wide and round as golf balls. “Are you actually listening to the words coming out of your mouth, or do you think you’re making sense just because you’re talking fast?”
Kelsey waved her hand in the air. “I haven’t even told you the best part yet. Trip’s going to help me reel in the next guy I’m interested in dating.”
“Stop.” Maura raised one hand. “He’s going to help get you together with some other guy? Honestly, that’s not the best part. It’s the dumbest point on your list.”
Kelsey sank onto a kitchen chair. “Is not.”
Maura nodded. “Yes, it is. You’re telling me you’re going to be having hot sex with Trip while simultaneously trying to woo some other guy? How does that even work?”
“We haven’t discussed all the details.” Kelsey frowned, realizing it could get tricky. “I wouldn’t continue being with Trip once I started up with someone else, but who knows when I’ll meet someone I really like. In the meantime, why can’t I have fun sexy-times with a really gorgeous guy?”
“Because I know you. You’re not going to be able to keep your heart out of the equation past your first orgasm. Then what? It’s one thing to go out with him if you think there’s a chance for something real. But if you agree to go through with this crazy deal, you’re going to get hurt.”
She knew her sister meant well, but Maura’s delivery sounded more like a reprimand than concern. Kelsey wasn’t a child.
“Not this time.” Kelsey shook her head. “Trust me. I know what Trip is and isn’t capable of, and I know what he does and doesn’t want. This is a mutual decision—purely physical.”
Maura leaned forward, brow furrowed with concern. “Kelsey, you don’t do purely physical. I’d bet everything this was his big idea, not yours. He’s seducing you with promises he can’t possibly keep, and you’re letting yourself get in way over your head.”
Maura’s lemon-face temporarily set Kelsey back on her heels.
“You know what I need from my sister right now? Support, not judgment.” Kelsey cast a hard glare at Maura, then stood and tossed her empty can in the recycling bin. “I’m sure you, with your doting husband, picket fence, and two kids, can’t imagine what it feels like to be thirty-one and alone and going crazy thanks to the ticking biological clock you can’t escape or slow down. It’s been a long, cold winter, spring, and summer. If I can find a little heat with a charming, if superficial, man, why would you try to ruin it for me?”
Maura stood and approached Kelsey, grabbing her into a hug. “I’m sorry. I’m not judging you. I’m worried about you. I know you, Kels. I know you’re going to start to care for him, and from everything you’ve admitted, he’s never going to give you what you deserve. What you really want and need.”
Kelsey bit the inside of her cheek to keep from getting choked up by her own fears and doubts. “I know he’s not what I need, but for the short term, he’s a good substitute.”
Kelsey stood before her mirror, her body humming in anticipation even as she tried to calm her nerves with a large glass of full-bodied Italian red wine. She glanced at the clock: 8:56.
Turning to one side, she examined herself. Four-inch BCBG black strappy heels—check. Sheer black negligee with lace trim—check. Spritz of Jo Malone Peony & Blush Suede cologne behind ears, on her cleavage, and behind the knees—check. Dimmed lighting, soft music, opened bottle of red wine. Blindfold, silk robe sash, edible body paint.
All set.
Well, almost. She picked up Trip’s cowboy hat and stuck it on her head. Now she was ready.
Maura had been wrong. Kelsey knew exactly what she was doing. The blindfold would protect her heart by creating distance. The sash, well, that was just something she’d always wanted to try and, despite Trip’s playboy persona, she knew he’d never hurt her. For one thing, Grey would kill him. For another, her intuition sensed an odd code of honor about him.
And by setting the stage tonight with her props and plans, she’d make it clear to Trip that she not only understood the terms of their deal, but was taking full advantage of them for her own reasons. Reasons that had less to do with him than with her own sexual curiosity. In an hour or so, after they’d both gotten what they’d wanted from this part of their bargain, she’d politely send him home without any regrets.
Inhaling slowly, she took another long, slow drag of wine from her glass to drown out any lingering misgivings. A short while later, she started when her door buzzer rang. Her heart raced. When she stood to answer the door, a dull roar rushed to her ears.
Here we go.
&n
bsp; She pressed the intercom button. “Who is it?”
“Prince Charming,” answered the smooth baritone.
“Come on up. Door’s unlocked.” She released the intercom and then sat—or rather posed, with her ankles crossed and her chest held high—on the arm of her sofa.
Trip knocked gently before opening the door to her unit. He stepped inside, his cocky grin fixed in place until he actually looked at her. Stopping midstride, jaw unhinged, he stood there blinking.
Score one for me.
In his right hand he held a single white rose, which made her lips part in surprise. Fortunately, she remembered the reality of their situation before her heart skipped ahead of her brain.
Trip collected himself quickly, handing her the flower. “Thought we should start off on a high note.”
“Thank you.” She lifted off the sofa and forced a calm voice even as six thousand butterflies took flight in her belly. Did he bring other girls flowers, or was this something just for her? “Pour yourself a glass of wine while I put this in water.”
Before she turned away, she noted him swallowing hard as his gaze traveled over her body, which boosted her confidence. “You do not disappoint, princess.”
“Did you think I might?” she said over her shoulder on her way to the small kitchen to fill a bud vase with water.
“No.” He filled his glass but downed it like a cold beer rather than a pricey Amarone. “Did you finish studying?”
“In fact, I did.” She slid the stem into the vase and set it on the counter. “Would you like to know what I learned?”
“Nope. I don’t want to argue about Wade or his development right now. I’m just making sure I have your full focus for the rest of the night.”
Oh, he had her attention. But she needed to remind both of them of their bargain. “First, share a dating tip to prove your good intentions about helping me.”
Trip set his empty glass on the coffee table, pulled a folded sheet of paper from his jacket, and waved it in the air while walking toward her. “You’ll learn I’m a man of my word.”
He flattened the paper on the counter and pushed it toward her. She lifted the handwritten sheet, entitled “Trip’s Tips,” and raised one brow.
He snatched the paper back. “This can wait.” His expression turned wolfish. “I can’t.”
This was it; she’d committed to this odd arrangement, for better or worse. It would be fine as long as she retained control of herself and the situation. But at that moment, with his strong body brushing up against hers and his green eyes shining with desire, she didn’t know how in the world she’d manage to keep herself in check.
His fingers toyed with the ends of her hair. “You are a most beautiful woman, Kelsey Callihan.” Then he removed the Stetson from her head, grinning. “If you don’t mind, I’d rather not think about my grandfather right now.”
As soon as he set the hat down, he cradled her head with both hands and kissed her long and deep. She opened her eyes to find his closed tight, almost painfully so. God, she needed the protection of the sexy fantasy she’d constructed before she started to actually feel something for this man.
“Trip,” she whispered. “I want you to do something.”
“What,” he murmured against her neck just before planting another kiss behind her ear, one she felt all the way down to her toes.
“Come with me.” She eased away, leading him by the hand toward her bedroom.
When they approached the edge of the bed, where she’d laid out the props she’d assembled, Trip’s eyes widened before filling with electrified lust. “If I die tonight from pleasure, bury me with my hat.”
She smiled and then kissed him, enjoying the way her body trembled under his touch. Her fingers fiddled with the buttons of his shirt, but he quickly took over and unfastened them himself, tossing his shirt to the floor and pulling her tight to his chest.
The hard muscles of his shoulders and chest flexed as her fingers explored the carved lines of his body—his big, athletic body. Way, waaay better than a vibrator.
She tugged at his belt, and within another minute, he’d stripped out of his jeans. Everything about his appearance was as perfect as his face: broad shoulders, narrow hips, and a tightly sculpted butt. If he were famous, he’d be at the top of People magazine’s annual “most beautiful” list. No wonder he was so damn cocky.
She reached for the hem of her negligee, but he grasped her wrist.
“Keep this on,” he ordered between kisses. “And the shoes, too.”
He lifted her before laying her on the bed, pushing her arms over her head, and kissing her mouth, chin, neck, and chest. His hands followed, caressing her breasts and waist, the fabric of her nightie abrading her skin. Then he reached across the mattress and snagged the blindfold.
Trip sat back on his knees as he placed the blindfold over her eyes. For a minute, she regretted the mask because now she could no longer admire his physique. Lying in the darkness, her heart kicked up a few notches as she began to anticipate what he would do next. Her senses awakened with each passing second.
“Look at you,” he murmured. The light brush of his fingertips traced parts of her body, creating a trail of goose bumps along her collarbone, the underside of her breast, the centerline of her abdomen, the inside of her thigh. His heavy breathing excited her, feeding her own gasps whenever she sucked in a breath under his touch. The wet heat of his mouth, and the weight of him as he shifted from his knees to his side to lying partly on top of her, overwhelmed her senses, as did the smell of his skin and spicy-scented deodorant. His kisses tasted like the wine he’d drunk not long ago.
Suddenly, she liked being blindfolded. Liked the way her heightened senses made her entire body purr from his attention. Liked the kind of sensual control she seemed to exert over him, too. In fact, she couldn’t have been happier about agreeing to this whole plan.
His mouth trailed down her neck as his fingers went to the juncture between her legs. She licked her lips and lifted the small of her back off the mattress, like a serpent at the mercy of a snake charmer.
Aphrodite. Somehow she’d managed to control and yet submit to him at the same time. Impossible. Surprising. Sexy as hell. And maybe more than he’d bargained for tonight.
Trip opened his eyes to watch her respond to his kiss and touch. Her lips parted. Her muscles twitched. Her body quivered and arched, seeking him out.
He ached to bury himself inside her already, but wouldn’t rush this pleasure. When she hooked her leg over his hip, he smiled. “That’s my girl.”
He rubbed his body along the length of hers while kissing her hard, harder, invading her mouth the way he planned to invade her body. She tasted like chocolate and wine. Her hair tangled up all around his hands. Her dusky pink nipples were tight and hard beneath the negligee.
“I like that,” she moaned, her nails scratching along his shoulders and back with just enough pressure to feel good.
“I can tell.” He then reached over for the lengthy robe sash and hooked it through one of the bedposts before gently binding her wrists. “Does my naughty girl like this, too?”
“She does.” She writhed within the binding in order to get closer to him.
His heart raced even more than when standing at the top of any snowy cornice before hucking off the edge and into the deep powder.
As he finished the knot, he gazed at her—blindfolded and bound for him. For his pleasure. A rush of hot lust crashed over him, making him groan and descend upon her with a blitz of kisses. He sucked at her nipples through the see-through nightie, loving the way her body writhed for him. Adrenaline spurred him to get a little rougher with his mouth and hands.
“I want you, cowboy.” She bucked her hips.
He parted her with his fingers, and teased her, caressing her hot center until she begged for release. “More,” she pleaded, so he used his mouth and his hand to push her closer to the edge. “Oh, yes. Now!”
“Patience, prince
ss.”
Her heels dug into the mattress; her hands strained against the sash. He watched her body tighten with the pleasure he held just out of her reach. He didn’t want to hurt her, but he wanted to control her. Make her moan and groan and beg. He wanted her to feel him, and feel the lingering evidence of him tomorrow.
“Trip, please.”
She smelled and tasted like sweet, sweet sex, which worked him up into a lather. He continued his onslaught until he couldn’t wait another second, and then, after tearing open a condom package with his teeth, he thrust himself inside her, making her call out in surprise.
“Oh, God, yes!” she exclaimed.
“Not God. Just me.” He chuckled before kissing her.
She clenched around him, hot, wet, and so, so tight. He kissed her again, overwhelmed by desire and power and, oddly, a surge of tenderness. He slowly withdrew and then thrust inside her again, slowly, purposefully, opening his eyes and watching her flushed cheeks, her swollen lips, her heaving chest.
A thing of beauty, his princess.
Suddenly he was carried away on another wave of sexual frenzy. Swamped with a need to possess and consume her, he pulled out, flipped her over and yanked her hips into the air. Her arms were still restrained by the lengthy, twisted sash as he entered her from behind.
“You like this, too?” He grasped her breast with one hand while the other slipped between her legs, as he began beating out a faster rhythm.
“I do.”
Then, moving one hand to grip her hip, he wrapped the length of her hair around his other wrist like a set of reins and yanked her more upright as he slammed into her body, practically growling with desire. “And this?”
“More,” she moaned. “Harder.”
He heard his own voice shout something as he pounded into her, more excited than he could remember feeling in years. Her groans and grunts escalated until he felt her shudder, her insides in a spasm, tugging at him. And then, before he was ready to let go, he careened over the edge, his body erupting into a series of uncontrolled tremors until he collapsed on top of her.