The Idea of You

by Darcy Burke

  She withdrew her arms and danced back from him, swaying her hips as she moved. She glanced at the fireplace and saw the switch on the wall. Moving fast, she flicked it on and was immediately greeted with orange-blue flame.

  She turned back to face him and curved her lips into a seductive smile. “I promised you a striptease.”

  His gaze was unapologetically glued to her breasts. “No, you didn’t.”

  “Okay, maybe not in so many words. But I did suggest strip foosball, and it seems unfair to deprive you of the stripping part. Although, pajama bottoms aren’t particularly sexy.”

  “Everything you wear and do is sexy.”

  His words made her shiver. He said everything with such clarity, such unadulterated truth, that she couldn’t help but fall under his spell—a spell he likely didn’t even realize he was casting.

  She lifted her hair from her shoulders and let it fall as she narrowed her eyes and swung her hips. She’d been really good at that pole dancing class.

  “You are seriously torturing me,” he rasped. He flicked his gaze to hers, and she saw raw need in their depths. It was stunning in its power.

  She edged the pants down over her hips, moving slowly and gratuitously for maximum effect. “I promise it’ll be worth it.”

  “Oh, I know it will.” He flattened his palms against his thighs. “But I’m warning you that my patience is stretched pretty thin.”

  She accelerated her pace, because frankly, her patience was evaporating, too. The heat of the fire at her back drove her to take a few steps forward. That, and she wanted to be closer to him. Needed to be. She slipped the pajama bottoms down her legs and stepped out of them, kicking them to the side. Moving toward him, she swayed her hips and lifted her hands. With a flat palm, she pushed him back onto the couch. Down he went, his gaze never leaving her body and roving back and forth between her pelvis and her chest.

  He reached for her panties, but she danced backward. “Uh-uh. My striptease.” She turned her back and stuck her ass out, taunting him with several dips and thrusts. She wished she was wearing a pair that showed her cheeks, but she hadn’t packed any. Why would she have, when she’d planned to hide from the world? Instead, she was in over her head with a crazy sexy guy who ignited her passion like no one ever had before.

  In over her head?

  Yeah, probably, but she didn’t care. Not right now.

  She slipped her fingertips into the top of her panties and inched them down her hips, baring the top of her ass. She looked over her shoulder at him. His eyes were dark, inscrutable, the muscles of his jaw tight. His hands were flat on the couch on either side of him, but she could see the tendons of his arms straining and she knew she needed to bring this game to its conclusion. Which was fine with her, since she could barely wait to feel him slide inside of her.

  She pushed her underwear down over her ass and ran her hand over one smooth cheek.

  “Please come here.” She’d never heard such emotion in his voice. It was a plea, an entreaty for her to end his misery.

  She shucked the garment entirely and stepped out of them before turning and sauntering toward him. She cupped her breasts and ran her hands down her abdomen, letting them rest against her thighs as she stopped just in front of the couch. “I’m done.”

  “I haven’t even started yet.” He stood up and switched their positions, then stripped his clothing away. “I’d rather not wait anymore. I’m not sure I can.”

  “Me neither.” She stroked her hands over his amazing chest and let out a low moan. “You are so perfect.”

  He kissed her, and she dropped to the couch, pulling him down with her. He knelt on one knee between her legs. “Hold on. Condom.”

  She hadn’t even seen him take it from his pocket, but she heard the plastic rip as he opened it. She reached between them and stroked his balls, cupping them and working them between her fingers.

  “Damn, Alaina. You’re making this hard to do.”

  She laughed softly and stopped moving her hand. “My bad. Please, continue.”

  “Thank you.” He finished rolling the condom on, then found her clit, his thumb rubbing and drawing a deep moan from her throat.

  She closed her eyes and let her head fall back against the couch as she opened her thighs wider. He fit himself between her legs, and the tip of his cock nudged her opening.

  She clutched his hip and drew him tighter against her. He pushed inside, slowly gliding into her, and it was pure bliss. She wrapped her legs around him and squeezed his ass. “God, yes. Evan.”

  He sank deeper, his cock filling her.

  “Please move,” she begged.

  He did as she asked, withdrawing and then surging forward once more. He did this a few times, but it was too slow. Tantalizing and teasing and deliciously infuriating. He had far more control than she did.

  She put one hand on the side of his neck and stroked his cheek with her thumb. “Look at me, for just a second.” His gray eyes found hers, and his piercing look was nearly her undoing. “I want you to fuck me,” she said. “Hard, fast. Can you do that?”

  He pulled out almost all the way and then slammed into her, his cock stretching her. “I can.” He pushed her hair back from her face and kissed her long and deep but didn’t move between her legs. He dragged his mouth from hers and took her hand from his face. He wound his fingers with hers and pinned her hand above her head against the couch. “Hold on.”

  Then he moved. And God, did he move.

  His hips snapped back and forth, driving his cock into her with ruthless precision. She felt every muscle in his ass working as she gripped him tight. She clenched her legs around him even harder and thrust with him, lifting her hips and grinding with wild abandon.

  Pleasure flooded through her, and she cried out as her orgasm hit. He didn’t relent, and his deep strokes only intensified her sensations. Eyes closed tightly, lights flickered in the darkness as she came.

  Then his muscles clenched, and he made a purely animal sound. She dug her fingers into his ass, urging him on. “Come with me, Evan. Yes.”

  His grip on her hand tightened, and his sounds devolved into low moans as he thrust. Gradually his movements slowed, but he barely retreated, keeping himself buried inside of her.

  She loved the feel of him on her, between her thighs, holding her hand. There was something more intimate about this for some reason. Maybe it was just because she hadn’t had sex in so long. Or maybe it was because he was just different. Special.

  He stood up. “I have to go, uh, get rid of this.”

  “Sure.” She wished he hadn’t left so quickly. She’d tell him that for next time. Next time? Would there be a next time? What if she had to go back home for the Oscars? She’d come back. Hell, maybe she’d get a place up here, never mind that she hadn’t even really seen the town. She wanted to—but she didn’t want to risk being recognized and having her hideout exposed.

  There was a blanket near her feet, draped over the arm of the couch. She pulled it up and turned on her side to look at the fire. Her entire body was tired, spent. Deliciously so. She let her eyes drift close as her lips curved into a satisfied smile.

  A few minutes later, she heard him come back. She opened her eyes to see he was dressed already. “You’re dressed,” she said, disappointed. She could stare at his bare chest all night long. A yawn snuck up on her, and she covered her mouth. Or not—apparently she was exhausted.

  “Yeah, I’m going to head up to bed. Can I walk you back to the apartment?”

  She sat up, holding the blanket over her—without him next to her, she’d grown cold. She wanted to curl up next to him and fall asleep with her head against that magnificent chest of his. “You could stay there with me.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t like to sleep with other people.”

  “Why not?”

  “I like my space. Okay, that’s not exactly true. When I was young, I used to sleep with Alex sometimes. He liked the company. We have a cabin
on Mt. Hood, and it has a large bedroom upstairs with bunk beds where we all slept. It was often too loud and . . . busy, so I’d sleep downstairs with Alex.”

  He was rambling again, but she didn’t care. She liked learning these things about him. “So you’ve never spent the night with a woman?”

  “No. I told you I wasn’t very experienced.”

  “How many women have you been with?”

  “Four, including you.”

  Now she did feel like a tramp. No, that was stupid. Compared to her mother, she was a nun. “Well, I’d love to sleep next to you if you ever want to try it.” She tried not to be disappointed. He didn’t mean anything personal by his choice to sleep alone.

  “I’ll think about it. So, can I walk you to the apartment?”

  “Sure, let me get dressed.”

  A few minutes later, he followed her up the stairs. She grabbed her coat from the kitchen, and they left the house. Outside, she looked up at the sky again. The stars seemed even more brilliant than when she’d come over earlier. But that was her postorgasmic bliss talking, probably.

  He walked her up the stairs to the door. She went inside and turned. Flashing him a hopeful smile, she said, “Last chance to change your mind.”

  “I’m good.” His brow furrowed. “Wait, are you mad?”

  She laughed softly. “Do I look mad? I had a great time tonight. You’re incredible. Will I see you tomorrow?”

  “Sure.”

  “Okay, then tell me specifically. I want plans. How about you take me to the cemetery? I’d love to see it, and it would be great to get out for a bit.”

  “I can do that.”

  By now she knew that nailing him down garnered better results. “What time?”

  “I need to work in the morning. Two?”

  “Sounds great. Should you set a reminder in your phone or something?”

  He smiled fleetingly. “Damn, you know me so well already. Yeah, I’ll do that when I get back. But maybe you should text me a reminder.”

  She shook her head, thinking he was more high maintenance than most women, albeit in a different way. “Happy to.” She stood on her toes and pressed a lingering kiss to his mouth. “See you tomorrow.”

  “Night.”

  He turned and left, and she closed the door with a sigh. As she texted him a reminder, she hoped she wouldn’t have to return to LA. Or maybe she’d just skip the Oscars altogether.

  EVAN HURRIED TOWARD the apartment from his office. He was running a few minutes late because he’d been working on Alex’s book. Being with Alaina had opened up a floodgate of creativity, both for his job at Archer and with writing the book, which had taken a somewhat romantic turn. The protagonist had a girlfriend who was maybe patterned a little after Alaina. Or a lot. Whatever. He felt good writing it.

  As he strode between the garages, Tori came out of the main house. She walked to meet him, smiling. “Hey! How’s it going?”

  He paused on his way to the apartment door. “Fine. I’m supposed to meet Alaina.”

  She flicked a glance at the apartment. “Sean is meeting with her upstairs, and I was helping Mom put away groceries. What are you guys doing?”

  “She wanted to get out.”

  Tori chuckled as she crossed her arms. “I wondered if she was going nuts yet. Sean was going to invite her to dinner tonight. We thought we’d get the back table at The Arch and Vine like Chloe mentioned the other night.”

  “Yeah, that would work. But why not just get the private dining room upstairs at Georgia’s?” It was a fantastic restaurant in a remodeled house downtown. The menu was much fancier than the Arch and Vine’s, but he realized he shouldn’t assume that’s what she’d like, particularly since she came from rather humble beginnings.

  “You just like it there because of the French onion soup.”

  It was his favorite. “Absolutely.”

  Tori’s gaze flicked to the bag in his hand. “Is that for Alaina?”

  “Uh, yeah. I picked her up a hat, scarf, and some gloves. She forgot to pack some.” He’d gone into town earlier and stopped at The Knitty Gritty.

  The door to the apartment stairs opened, and out walked Alaina and Sean.

  Alaina’s smile seemed different today. Or maybe she just looked different to him after last night. Sex with her had been astonishing. He’d been anxious to go upstairs alone to try to process the sensations that had stayed with him long after his orgasm had faded. Now he understood what it meant when people said, “I’m going to rock your world.” That’s precisely what she’d done.

  Sean joined Tori by the car. “Alaina says you’re taking her out.”

  “Yep.” Evan cast her a glance. “Ready?”

  “Whenever.”

  He went to the keypad next to the garage door and punched in the code. The door went up, and he walked around the car.

  “So, what about dinner?” Tori called.

  “Dinner?” Alaina asked, looking from Tori to Evan.

  Evan turned from the car. “Tori wondered if you wanted to have dinner in town.”

  Alaina’s eyes lit. “Actually, I’d love to go into town. I’d hate to leave without seeing it.”

  Evan stepped toward her. “Are you leaving?”

  She slid him a look that seemed like it might carry meaning, but he couldn’t decipher it. Hell, he never usually noticed such things to begin with. Just that much was . . . odd.

  “Not yet,” she said. She turned her focus back to Tori. “I’d love to go to The Arch and Vine. Seems only right that I should check out the Archers’ flagship pub.”

  “Excellent. Do you want us to pick you up?” Tori asked.

  She sent another look to Evan, this time with maybe a question in her gaze. “Evan can drive me.”

  “Sure.” He noted Tori looking at him, her head cocked to the side. “What?” he asked her.

  She straightened her head. “Nothing. We’ll see you guys tonight. Six thirty?”

  “Sounds good.” Alaina went to the passenger side of his car. “See you then!”

  They both climbed into the car, and he waited while Tori and Sean pulled out of the driveway. He glanced over at Alaina’s legs. Clad in skinny blue jeans tucked into the boots she’d been wearing yesterday afternoon, she sat with her knees pressed together and her legs situated at a sexy angle. He wanted to strip her clothes off from the waist down and push her thighs apart so he could sink into her softness.

  Yeah, she’d rocked his world, all right.

  “Hey, what’s in the bag?”

  He’d forgotten all about it in his distraction and had mindlessly set it down on the console between them. “It’s for you.”

  Her face brightened, and she smiled broadly. “Really? I love presents!”

  “It’s not really a present,” he muttered. “I thought you could use them.”

  She opened the bag and withdrew the items, which were wrapped in bright green tissue paper. “Oh! Just what I needed!”

  “They didn’t have anything that was solid turquoise.” These were a mix of turquoise, gray, white, and black. “I hope they’re okay.”

  She took the hat out first and immediately pulled it onto her head. She flipped the car visor down and looked in the mirror. “I love it!” She unwrapped the gloves and a scarf, which she wrapped around her neck and knotted.

  She leaned over the console and kissed him. “Thank you so much.”

  “You’re welcome.” Feeling pleased with himself, he started the car and pulled out of the garage.

  “You didn’t tell Tori where we were going, did you?” Alaina tried on the gloves next.

  “No.”

  She exhaled. “Good.”

  “Why? What’s the big deal?”

  “Don’t you think visiting cemeteries is a bit odd?”

  He shrugged. Most things he did seemed odd to at least a portion of the population, and he’d never given a flying fuck. “Who cares?”

  She turned toward him. “You really don’t
care, do you? I wish I could do that. Stop thinking about what people think of what I do, who I am.”

  “I don’t think I’m capable of doing that—caring what others think. I mean, I know on an intellectual level that I maybe should, at least as it pertains to making my way in the world. But overall, I just can’t be bothered to work that hard. And for me, it’s hard work.”

  She laid her arm on the rest next to the console dividing their seats. “I understand. Or at least, intellectually—to borrow your word—I get what you’re saying. Still, it’s remarkable. I’m conditioned to overthink everything, thanks to the business I’m in.” She sat back against the seat. “It sucks. I’m kind of over it.”

  “Then be over it. No one’s the boss of you. Not like when you were younger. That was one reason I couldn’t wait to grow up—so I could be the boss of myself.” Living by other people’s rules and expectations was a nightmare. And it wasn’t that his parents required him to do things that were unreasonable. He just wanted to be on his own schedule and make his own decisions about things. “That’s why I moved out of Ribbon Ridge.” And it was maybe why he was really keeping his identity a secret for the creative job. Huh, he hadn’t thought of that before.

  “I so get the need to stretch your wings. I can’t imagine having stayed in Blueville.” She shuddered.

  He turned up the gravel road that led to the cemetery, and the gravestones came into view.

  “We’re here already?” she asked.

  “It’s not far from our property.” He threw the car into park at the side of the road. There was no parking lot, just a gravel loop.

  He grabbed a pair of sunglasses from the console before he stepped out of the car. The sky was a vivid blue, and the sun was bright, though it wasn’t above forty degrees.

  “Shades. Good idea.” She pulled a pair from her purse before tossing it back onto the seat and closing her car door.

  They met at the front of the car, and she grinned up at him. “Nice Aviators.”

  She was wearing the same style, although hers were more feminine.

  “You, too,” he said. “What did you have in mind for this visit?”