by Alice Ward
He laughed and picked up his glass. “To fantasies turning into amazing realities.”
I tapped my glass to his, my toes curling again. He was so sexual, in a raw, primal way. I was drawn to him. Comfortable with him. This was new.
I’d had boyfriends before, one for as long as a year, most as short as a few months. I had a strict five-date rule before I had sex with a guy, thinking three dates just wasn’t enough to get past the I’m on my best behavior persona. Plus, if a guy didn’t have the patience to wait, I knew he wouldn’t have the patience for other important things in my life. Things like long drives and hikes into the mountains, or spending hours forming clay bowls on my little potter’s wheel. Five dates seemed to be the magic number to determine if our interests aligned.
Until now.
He licked a bit of foam from his upper lip, and his tongue made me jealous. I wanted to do that for him, then chew on that bottom lip for a while. The man, in the span of just a few minutes, was making me feel beautiful, and that knowledge made me feel powerful. I liked the fantasy my mystery stranger had woven around me. Liked the way he looked at me. The way his hand kept reaching for mine.
“Call me Delilah.”
He raised a brow, the right side of his mouth quirking up. “Delilah, huh? Are you going to be my downfall? Shall I skip the struggle and just shave my head now?”
I laughed, enjoying the banter between us, the ease in which it was delivered. Reaching up, I flicked the dark strands back from his forehead. “I like your hair, so you can keep it. What should I call you?”
He didn’t hesitate. “Samson, of course.”
I grinned. “Is it bad that we’re using Biblical names for a hookup? Does that automatically send us to hell?”
He looked at me curiously, a high level of intelligence behind those incredible amber eyes. “Do you believe in hell?”
My grin faded as we launched into a discussion so unexpected. Wasn’t religion, or lack of it, one of the things you avoided talking about in polite company? “I don’t know. Until I’ve seen something with my own eyes, I find it difficult to believe it’s real.” I found myself growing wistful. “Although I have to admit that the idea of having a heaven filled with angelic loved ones waiting on the other side is appealing. What about you?”
He looked down into his beer again, the line on his forehead reappearing. “I feel the same, although I sometimes wonder if hell could be much worse than the horrors so many people often experience on earth.”
I nodded, thinking of the encephalitis baby from earlier today, born with a seriously misshapen head. How the parents mourned the little one, kissing him as if he was the most beautiful child ever born.
“Why so sad?”
I blinked at Samson, and just thinking of his name made me smile. “Sorry, just had a difficult day at work.”
Curiosity sparked in his gaze again. “What do you do?”
I smiled and popped an imaginary balloon with my finger. “Hey now. Are you trying to spoil my fantasy here?”
He took my hand, turned it over, and traced a finger over my palm. “So, what does Delilah do for a living?”
I had to think about it for a moment. I didn’t remember wanting anything other than to be a nurse and deliver babies. Of course, that dream had almost been hijacked when I was sixteen and had vowed to become a wedding planner. I remembered buying all the bridal books and begging my aunt to let me use the sheer curtains on the farmhouse windows as a veil.
“Delilah is a wedding planner.”
My hand thunked into my lap as Samson let go of me and raised his hands as if in surrender. It made me laugh, and I slapped at his thigh, batting my lashes as I got into my role. “I deliver the dreams of brides everywhere.” Deliver. Had to get that in there somewhere.
Samson took a long drink of his beer. “Yeah, dreams until the seven-year itch starts itching and divorce lawyers come knocking on their door.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Cynical much?”
He made a “ha” sound, then shook his head and grinned. “Actually, not really. My parents had their fortieth anniversary not long ago. I have evidence that marriage can work.” He made a face, a comical-looking twist of his lips. “Why exactly are we talking about marriage?”
I fluttered my lashes. “Why, Samson, are you falling under my spell already?”
“Yes.”
There had been no hesitation. No grin. Just a small dilation of his pupils that seemed to darken his eyes, and my heart began to thud in my chest.
He leaned closer and lifted a hand to my face, but instead of touching my cheek, he went for the ponytail holder at the nape of my neck. Very gently, he pulled it down the length, then smiled as my hair exploded into a mass of curls around my face.
“It’s the exact same color as your freckles,” he said, tucking a strand behind my ear.
It was such an unexpected comment, an observation that felt oddly intimate, then his hand was at my face, cupping my cheek. I leaned into the warmth. The strength. Emotions I’d never experienced poured through me at the gentle touch. “They were called deformities today.”
The universe was robbed of all oxygen as he shook his head, leaned forward, and pressed his lips to my right cheek, then the left cheek, then the very tip of my nose.
“Will you come to my room?”
His room.
Not his house, or apartment. His room. A hotel. Because he was leaving the United States tomorrow, and would be gone for at least a year. Or so he said. I didn’t know his name — by my choice. I didn’t know his occupation — also by my choice. I knew nothing about him — again, by my choice. On top of all that, if I went with him, I’d be betraying my very clear and established five-date rule.
I didn’t care.
Those three words were the perfect summary of how I felt about all the reasons I shouldn’t be alone with this stranger. But I still didn’t care. I wanted this more than anything I’d wanted in… since I was eight.
“Yes.”
The relief I saw in his eyes was further proof that this was right. One night. I would give myself that willingly.
I’d rather live in regret for the rest of my life for going with him than to live it in regret wishing I had. “I need to tell my friends.”
He nodded, my hand trapped between his two warm ones, his thumbs rubbing circles on my skin. “Tell them I don’t plan to have you home by midnight.”
I smiled. “I hope not, but I do have to be gone by six in the morning.”
“Early morning wedding?” I loved the teasing sound of his tone.
“Exactly.”
“I have to be at the airport by five-thirty, so…”
I glanced at my watch. “So… we better hurry.”
He leaned forward, his lips coming to my ear. “Yes. Because I don’t want to be rushed.”
The butterflies that had begun fluttering in my stomach moments before multiplied, their wings causing a tornado to whirl through my system. “I’ll be right back.”
On shaky legs, I walked to the table where my friends were sitting, trying not to grin like a fool as they all gaped at me, Amy fluttering a hand in front of her face. I grabbed my bag, attempting my best look of nonchalance. “I’ll be heading out now.”
Amy continued to gape at me. “You slut!” Then, she clapped her hands together and jumped up to give me a hug. “It’s about time.” She peeked around me at my mystery man at the bar. “And you got a winner, my friend. Like seriously, Olympic champion all-star.” She narrowed her eyes. “Do you trust him? Does he trigger any psycho buttons? He seems too perfect.” Before I could answer, I was being dragged behind her six-foot frame.
“Amy,” I hissed, but she had a good hold on my wrist. “Stop. You’re embarrassing me.”
She didn’t stop until she was face-to-face with the man I was about to go home — hotel — with. With her three-inch platforms, she was nearly eye to eye with him. “Hi, I’m Amy. And you are?”
> His eyes slid to me with a grin. “Samson. Nice to meet you, Amy.”
Amy’s brows drew together but she didn’t comment on the name. “And where are you taking my friend?”
“The Hyatt down the street.”
Amy’s fists came down on her hips. “A hotel. You are dragging the most wonderful human being on the planet to a hotel?”
A high school teacher, Amy could be pretty scary at times. This was one of those times.
She didn’t seem to affect him in the least. “Well, Amy. That’s where I’m staying so I can catch an early flight tomorrow, so it’s there or…” he patted the bar beside him, “this.”
My mouth fell open, then I forced my lips shut before I laughed at Amy’s expression. Then she laughed too, seeing the humor in it all. She crossed her arms over her chest. “Okay, then. Just know that I have her on my Find My iPhone app, so don’t go dumping her into the Hudson, got it?”
Samson nodded solemnly. “I promise. Any other instructions?”
“Feed her. She probably hasn’t had anything to eat besides peanut butter crackers all day.”
She knew me so well.
He nodded. “Check. Anything else?”
Amy looked at me, her eyes softening. “Be good to her. She really is the most wonderful human being on the entire planet.”
The smile was back and his fingers linked with mine as he smiled down at me. My insides curled. My toes curled. My lips curled into a responding smile.
“That’s an easy promise to keep.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Langston
I’d never been so nervous as I walked down the dark sidewalk with my mystery woman by my side.
Sure, I’d had sex with women without knowing their names before. More than once. But this was different. This was the most wonderful human being on the entire planet. This was someone special. Adorable. Sweet. Precious. Someone I liked. Someone I had an immediate chemical attraction to.
And I had one night with her.
I normally went for the Amys of the world. Ballsy. Beautiful. Bold.
Even though I didn’t think the woman holding my hand was timid in the least, there was something vulnerable about her too. Not weak. Cautious, maybe? But also brave. Even if her palm was sweating against mine.
“Would it be crossing our fantasy line to ask you if you’ve always lived in New York?” I asked after a block of silence. I liked her voice and wanted to hear more of it, especially now that she didn’t have to raise it above the music and sounds of the bar.
Her hand tightened on mine, and I looked down at her profile. Her lips had grown tight and I wasn’t sure what that meant. Had I crossed the fantasy line, or was I dredging up bad memories? It was hard to tell.
“My first eight years were spent here, then I lived on a farm up north. Got a scholarship and went to college at…” she smiled, realizing she’d almost slipped, “here in the city. I loved the hustle and bustle, so I stayed. Got a job. That pretty much brings us to now. What about you?”
“My family is from here, but I’ve been roaming the country for a couple years now.”
“And now you’re getting ready to roam the world?” she asked, a small smile playing at her lips. “That sounds so exciting. I’ve never left New York State. Well, except to go to New Jersey, but that doesn’t count. I don’t even have a passport. I thought about having one made, just in case something exciting came along.” She lifted a shoulder. “Maybe I will someday.”
“You should.” I tried to picture her in a tent in Maiduguri and could actually see her there. “You never know what surprises are in store for you.”
Tugging her closer, I released her hand and wrapped an arm over her shoulder, pulling her against my side. I smiled when her arm inched around my waist, her thumb hooking into the waistband of my jeans. It felt like the most natural thing in the world, like we’d done this very thing a thousand times.
Smells escaping a nearby restaurant reminded me of my promise to her friend. “Have you really only had peanut butter crackers all day?”
“Yep. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner of champions,” she quipped and flattened a hand to her stomach. Had it growled?
I stopped and waited until she turned to me, a quizzical expression on her face. She was so freaking… pure. Not as in innocent. More like transparent, and I could read every movement in her lovely face. Had I not been leaving tomorrow, this woman would have been a liability to my carefully crafted plans. Had I not already signed the commitment to Doctors Beyond Borders, had I not already known how badly I was needed in the field… I might be tempted to stay and get to know her better.
“What’s wrong?” she asked as a pedestrian cursed and stepped around us.
I squeezed her fingers still linked in mine, unsure of what to say. Unsure what was going on with my insides. “I’m not sure.”
She licked her lips and took a step closer to me, concern so very clear in her eyes. Then she took another step. Then she was in my arms, her hands sliding around my waist as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do. “If you’ve changed your mind… we, um. I can go back to my friends.”
That would be smart. It would be best if she went her way and I went mine, because I had a feeling that this night might change everything. I closed my eyes and pictured her walking away, imagined never seeing how many other freckles she possessed.
Very slowly, I threaded my fingers through the mass of curls around her face, then lowered my head. When our lips touched, I was lost. And I had my answer. I had to know. I had to feel her under my hands. I had to watch her face as our bodies connected for the first, and last, time.
I’d kissed many women, but none of them had ever felt like this. So sweet, but with an undisguised lust swirling just below the surface, like a monster demanding to be fed. The harder I kissed her, the harder she kissed back. My tongue swept into her mouth, and she let out a tiny, incredibly sexy moan, her fingers clutching at my shirt.
I wanted her with a desperation that seemed primal. My cock throbbed with the need to sink inside of her and claim her as mine, to give her the kind of pleasure she’d never experienced before and never would again.
My hands fisted tighter into her hair, and I turned her head for a different angle while pulling her flush against my chest. Our mouths danced, our tongues tangling as the distant sound of passing people and cars faded away. All I could hear was my heartbeat, my blood simmering in my veins, heating me from the inside out as my need for her grew to a painful constriction.
“Please…”
I breathed in the word she whispered against my lips. I knew what she was begging for. I wanted it too. Not here. Not like this. With all the willpower I’d ever needed in my life, I let her go and took a step back. Tugging the tail of my shirt from my jeans, I let it fall over the bulge that I knew wouldn’t be going away anytime soon. She smiled, understanding my dilemma, and seeming to glory in the fact that she was the cause.
“You’re a wicked temptress, Delilah,” I said before kissing her again, hard. “How many other men have you driven to the edge of madness?”
Those blue eyes shone in the lights of the street as I took her hand and practically dragged her the next block and through the entrance of the hotel, not giving her the chance to answer. In the elevator, I kissed her again, our tongues merging and melting, the pace more frantic than the first kiss on the busy sidewalk.
The ride up to the top floor took forever and an instant combined. I’d never seen this woman before tonight, but she felt so familiar. And a part of me wondered how I’d ever be strong enough to let her go.
My freaking hands trembled as I stuck the keycard in the lock. They never trembled. They were always steady. I was a surgeon, for fuck’s sake. But they sure as hell were shaking now. When we were inside the room, I walked her backwards, pinning her against the door, then lifted her until she was eye level with me. She tossed her large leather bag to the side and didn’t seem to mind when it topple
d over, spilling her things over the floor.
“You’re driving me crazy,” I said and nuzzled my nose against her face, forcing her head to the side so I could glide my teeth down her neck, feel her pulse jumping against my lips. There should have been some awkwardness, some bumping of noses, some miscues and misjudgments, but there were none. We worked in a perfect rhythm.
She moaned and wrapped her legs around my waist, her center hot against my stomach, her desire practically radiating through our clothes. Her fingers moved up to my hair where she sank her fingers in, holding on.
“So good,” she moaned as I retraced the path up her throat and nibbled my way across her chin. She was breathing hard as I captured her lips, so soft and open, and I felt my tenuous grasp on control slipping as her tongue came forward to welcome mine.
“I fucking want you,” I said against her mouth, then caught her plump lower lip between my teeth. I tugged, and she shuddered as I sucked it hard. She ground into me, her sex moving up and down my abs, and I pulled her tighter, giving her more friction as my mouth devoured hers.
Breaking away only long enough for both of us to catch our breath, she shuddered again, her exhales warm against my face. Then she smiled, lighting up the universe, and lifted my hand until it covered her breast. Her heart was beating wildly under my palm. “You’re driving me crazy too.”
I growled, and with a rip, buttons flew as her shirt parted and her soft skin was exposed to my gaze. She gasped, then moaned as my lips pressed to where her heart beat, then gasped again, as I yanked down the cups of her bra to expose her nipples to my teeth. Her hands pulled my hair as I sucked one hard bud deep, listening to the incredibly sexy little sounds she made. She cried out as I gave her what she wanted, biting into her flesh, and pulling her nipple deep into my mouth, sucking until she wailed.
I needed both hands on her. I needed more skin exposed, so I walked us into the bedroom of the suite. Pulling back the thick comforter, I laid her on the snowy white sheets, following her down. I knew I was heavy for her small frame and tried to lift off her, but she pulled me back down, sighing as she took my full weight, wrapping her arms and legs around me, holding me close. A wave of tenderness washed over me at her desperation for me, her teeth nipping my jaw. I shook it away and raised up on my elbows, looking down at her swollen mouth, the clear blue eyes filled with desire.