One Taste

by Cari Quinn

  “You want me to shove your pants down right here, Rachel?” With a groan that sounded less like pleasure than pain, he reared back. “Is that what you want? A quick screw?”

  Shocked he’d interpreted her actions that way, she reared back, hitting her head hard enough on the roof that her world exploded with shooting stars. “Dammit, no! I didn’t mean to kiss you. Well, I did, but not for any reason except I missed you. I missed you last night during the dinner I never ate. I missed you in the bed I never slept in. I just --”

  He clasped her head with strong, gentle hands that made her knees go weak. “What?”

  “I have feelings for you. Okay? I don’t know what they are yet, or if they only seem so big and scary because I’m not used to acknowledging them. I just don’t know. But I don’t want you to go.” She wrapped herself around him, pressing her mouth to his to prove she hadn’t been too late. She hadn’t lost him yet. “Please, Shawn. Don’t leave me.”

  His fingers spanned her cheeks as he nudged her back just enough to see her eyes. “Where would I go?”

  Her throat tightened. No tears. “Don’t make me find out.”

  “You’ll give us a chance? Just you and me?”

  She got the point. No Ryan. Little did he know her ex had never really been a factor. “Yes. Yes.” She couldn’t agree fast enough. “We can try. I’m not promising anything. I can’t.”

  “I know.” His lips found hers again, almost as if he needed to reassure himself as much he wanted to reassure her. “It’s enough.”

  Chapter Eleven

  It took fifteen minutes to clean off Shawn’s rental, during which he pried open the Styrofoam box to unearth the lone pancake that survived the siege.

  “I can’t believe you ate that,” Rachel said once they’d begun the drive crosstown to her hotel so they could change out of their messy clothes.

  “Kissing works up an appetite.” He offered her a grin as he searched futilely for on-street parking within a half-mile of the Meridian

  “Does it ever.” She returned his grin as she held a hand to her stomach. “I’m famished.”

  He tossed her the two syrup packets he’d salvaged. “Eat up.”

  “Ha ha. Are you coming in with me?”

  He didn’t miss the implication in her sweeping glance or the not-so-subtle shift of her knees toward him on the seat. Shawn bit off a chuckle and flicked the A/C on high. “No.”

  Her lower lip jutted out in an instant. “Why not?”

  “Because we’re setting some ground rules for this --”

  When he fumbled for a word, she said, “Experiment?”

  Though the term implied more than one possible outcome, he nodded. “Experiment works.”

  “What kind of ground rules?”

  “Really simple ones.” Pouncing as a gold Corvette slunk out of a spot, Shawn extended his arm over the back of her seat and reversed. With one whiff of her sea-goddess scent, his cock leaped to attention.

  The rest of this trip was going to be hell.

  “Such as?”

  Once he was satisfied his wheels were straight, he wrenched off the ignition. “For one, I intend to wine and dine you.”

  “What do you mean? Like…a date?”

  “Try several dates.”

  Her brows drew together. “But we know each other already.”

  “Not like this we don’t.” Indulging himself, he wound her thick ponytail around his wrist and leaned closer to take another dizzying breath of her sex-in-a-bottle scent. “We’ve never held hands on the boardwalk in Atlantic City or shared a hot dog at Shea Stadium. I’ve never stared at you over candlelight while we drink too much Dom at the View.”

  “The TV show?”

  “No, the revolving rooftop restaurant.” He laughed as she cuddled closer.

  “We’ve never shared a hotel room either.” Rachel tipped her head back to gaze into his eyes. “And since you checked out of yours…”

  He’d be forever grateful he’d lost the keys to the Caddy not once, but twice that morning as he rushed around getting ready to catch his flight. Sometimes disorganization paid off. “A tempting offer but…”

  She rubbed her lips over his unshaven jaw. “But?”

  “I didn’t finish the ground rules.”

  “Can’t we talk about them later?” Her fingers toyed with the top button of his shirt as she tickled his skin with teasing nips and licks. “Much, much later?”

  Lord knows his revving system was more than willing to oblige her, but he’d never been one to sacrifice the larger objective for momentary pleasure. Even if that pleasure -- and her satiny lips -- felt so damn good he nearly forgot his own name, never mind his stupid laundry list of long-range goals.

  “No sex until the trip’s over.” He repeated the statement twice like a mantra, nudging her away with one hand as he used the other to refasten his button. “Nothing beyond hugging and holding hands.” He hesitated. Being strong was one thing, masochistic quite another. “And kissing’s okay. Within reason.”

  “Unless your reason includes me kissing this” -- her hand closed around his cock through his trousers -- “I’m vetoing this crazy plan.”

  He tried not to groan as he drew her hand off his lap. “Sorry, nonnegotiable. The plan stands.”

  Rachel’s eyes rounded like quarters. “No freaking way. Have you forgotten the whole purpose of this vacation was for me to pop my cork, figuratively speaking?”

  “If you haven’t popped it enough by now” -- Shawn forced an image of Ryan away -- “then you’re just going to have to wait. Delaying gratification builds character.”

  “Maybe I’m dense, but don’t people who are seeing each other usually sleep together?”

  “Usually doesn’t apply to us. I’m not after getting into your pants, Rachel.”

  She rolled her eyes. “So says the man who handcuffed himself to my bed, after he already has. Multiple times.”

  “I have a cork too, honey.” Lips twitching, he brushed a kiss over the top of her head. “Let’s just say we’re taking a temporary vacation from vacation sex. We’re going to do it right this time.” Lifting her chin with a fingertip, he kissed her lingeringly enough to dispel any concerns she might have had that he didn’t want her. And how. “Still want to share a suite with me?”

  She smiled, eyes still closed. “Oh yeah.”

  “Feel like a real breakfast after we get cleaned up?”

  “Sure.” She opened her door and tossed him a saucy grin over her shoulder. “Do shared showers violate our no-sex rule? Saves water, you know.”

  “And I do believe strongly in conservation.” He pretended to consider. “I may have to amend our rules for that one.”

  Maybe she didn’t know exactly what his plans for her entailed, Rachel mused as she dressed for their first “official” date later that night, but she knew one thing for certain.

  Shawn Griffin was a big fat tease.

  They’d ended up back at the Pancake Hut -- after taking separate showers -- and she’d consumed their order of coffee and pancakes with a lot more enthusiasm than the waffles she’d eaten with Ryan the previous day. There had been one tense moment when their waitress remarked with a wink that Rachel brought in “the most handsome guys in town,” but thankfully, that moment had been brief.

  He hadn’t asked any questions. She’d almost confessed the Chrissy and Ryan interlude she’d witnessed, then decided to extend their détente where the subject of her ex was concerned. With all the potential minefields on their path, why borrow trouble?

  Breakfast had led to a shopping spree, where Mr. Moneybags had gone to town with his platinum card buying her things she didn’t need. Pretty, sparkly things like the long sapphire drops currently swinging from her ears.

  She sighed. The big fat tease did know his way around a jewelry counter. Her gaze drifted to the flimsy peach camisole hugging her every curve. And Frederick’s of Hollywood.

  Her fingers skimmed a pearl-studded lacy s
trap. She didn’t quite understand his fascination with her underthings in light of his no-sex decree, but she had to admit the man had taste.

  The door of the suite burst open. “Rach, guess what I found?”

  “Found?” Her lips curved. “I thought you went to get a newspaper.”

  “I made a stop.”

  In one of the hotel’s boutiques, most likely. She sidled toward the bathroom doorway. At least she’d give him a free show for his trouble.

  She slid her hand up the door frame and propped her bent arm casually behind her head. All the better to showcase everything she wasn’t wearing. “What’d you buy this time?”

  He stared. For a second, she thought he’d drop the little black bag he held. Then he recovered enough to stride forward and haul her up for a punishing kiss. “Did you time that deliberately, wench?” As she laughed, he palmed one cheek of her silk-clad ass, giving it a brisk rub before he released her to walk to the bed.

  “Why didn’t you kiss me like that when we played spin the bottle?” She shook her head, surprised it didn’t roll right off her shoulders.

  When he gave her a sidelong grin, her chest tightened. God, how had she missed how beautiful he was all these years? His steel gray suit draped perfectly from his broad shoulders, and his collarless white shirt made his tan pop. With his penchant for wearing thin linen pants and shirts in the summer, she knew he didn’t have a tan line anywhere.

  Not even on his nibblicious butt.

  “Had you been wearing a camisole instead of denim shorts and a tank top” -- he pulled a little black something out of his bag -- “maybe I would have.”

  Her heart warmed. Trust Shawn to remember her outfit, even fifteen years later. “You got a fetish going I don’t know about, Griffin?”

  “Hmm?”

  She twirled her finger in the direction of his purchase. “Looks like a dress to me.”

  “Wow, you’re swift.” He tossed it to her, grinning when she caught the slinky material without dropping her fluffy blush brush. “Sorry to ruin your fantasies, but it’s for you.”

  “I have plenty of clothes.”

  Still, her avaricious soul wouldn’t be dissuaded so easily. She returned to the bathroom mirror and angled her head, holding the material against her. The dress covered a lot of skin, except for the thigh-high slit on one leg. But it was the tag she thumbed out that had her mouth dropping open. “Shawn, that’s a heck of a lot of zeroes.”

  “Do you like it?” He came up behind her to smooth the fabric down her sides, his gaze hot enough to sear her from the inside out.

  “Of course. But I don’t need another dress.”

  “I like buying you things. You never objected before.”

  Rachel’s stomach flip-flopped as he slid his arms around her waist to nuzzle her neck. “It was different then.”

  “Why? Because we weren’t sleeping together?”

  No, because you hadn’t said you loved me. As their gazes connected, the flare in his let her know he’d guessed her thoughts.

  “Makes no difference. A present’s a present.”

  “Shawn, about yesterday --”

  “I’ve been thinking about it too.” He slipped a finger under her strap, sliding it down so the camisole barely covered the swell of her breast. When her nipples poked through the silk, he smiled, slow and devastating. “By the time I get my hands on you again, we’re both going to be ready to explode.” His tongue snaked around her earlobe. “And the first time, you’re going to explode in my mouth.”

  “Shawn…” she tried again, hardly recognizing her own voice. Surely she didn’t sound that breathy? “I meant when you told me you…”

  “Mmm-hmm.” The tip of his tongue dipped wetly into the shell of her ear.

  “I know we were both pretty riled, that things were said in the heat of the moment.” She stiffened at the furious pulse between her legs. “Don’t worry, I won’t hold you to -- God, you’re going to kill me,” she gasped as he pressed his cock against her back, trapping her between his body and the vanity.

  “Do you feel how much I want you? Is it getting through your thick skull yet?” His gaze dropped in the mirror, sliding down her breasts and over her belly as leisurely as a caress. “You’re wet for me. We both know it.”

  A fresh flood dampened her thighs. Wet? A damn Slip ’n Slide had nothing on her.

  Setting aside the dress, she turned and reached for the hem of her long camisole. Two could play this game. “I was going to wear this under the dress I’d picked. But this new one looks a bit tighter, so…”

  Daring him, she drew the lacy garment up, enjoying how his features tightened with each strip of skin she revealed. Up her thighs, flirting with her mound. Then over it, skimming her torso and her breasts, before she tugged the material over her head and dropped it behind her.

  Rachel eyed his erection, her tongue flicking over her lips as avariciously as if she’d just been presented with a towering slice of strawberry shortcake. Without breaking his stare, she groped behind her on the vanity for the gown, then lowered the long column over her head and wiggled it into place.

  “Ready to go?” she purred, disguising the fierce shaking in her legs by taking a purposeful step toward the door.

  “Not yet.”

  His arm locked around his waist, holding her still as his free hand swept up under her dress. She knew her liquid soaked his fingers as they plunged inside her, one brutally erotic twist that had her yielding with a surprised cry. Her knees buckled, but he’d already moved back. Only sheer will kept her from losing her balance.

  She turned, her face burning and her nipples sore with the need to be touched. Her gaze latched onto the dewy fingers he sucked into his mouth. Once again something between a cry and a moan tumbled from her lips, though this time the sound ended on a throaty laugh. “You’re a naughty, naughty boy.”

  He laughed and tugged her closer to lay his mouth full on hers. “Have to keep up with the woman wearing no panties, don’t I?”

  For a moment, she’d glimpsed more than her new lover. She’d seen the old Shawn, the one she loved with all her heart. Oddly endeared, she gave his tongue a teasing lick, then backed up, still laughing. “No bra, either.”

  “It’s chilly out.” He followed her into the suite, dancing his fingertips up and down her arm. She shivered as she realized they were still wet. “I think you need a jacket.”

  “Nice try, Griffin. It’s eighty degrees.” Rachel took a quick glance at the dresser mirror as she stepped into her heels. She decided she didn’t look too scandalous in her sharply V-necked present, even without the benefit of mammary support. Her lips tipped up as she noted Shawn doing the same scan and check. “You know, I’d never planned to actually go out this way, but I think I will. It’d serve you right.”

  He shrugged, turning her toward him to take a long, slow perusal. “You look like heaven and hell, all rolled into one. Hungry?”

  “A little. I’m more hungry for --”

  Shawn pressed his fingertip -- the wet one -- over her lips. “Think of this as multiple days of foreplay.” He was still grinning as he handed her her bag, then led her to the door. “The car’s already downstairs. We need to get moving.”

  “No fooling. It’s where we left it.”

  “Not talking about the rental.” With a hand in the small of her back, he urged her down the hall to the elevator.

  “Then…?” Her eyes widened as he pressed the button for the lobby. “You didn’t get a limo?”

  Linking his hands behind his back, he whistled as he watched the lit numbers above the door descend. “Don’t flip. It wasn’t expensive.”

  She let out a snort. “Yeah right.”

  “Not as expensive as the restaurant anyway.” He tucked her against his side, turning his cheek against her hair. “You smell good enough to lick.”

  “You already licked me. In a manner of speaking.” The memory reignited the tingling between her thighs, and she couldn’
t suppress her grin. “So where are we going anyway?”

  “To fulfill one of my fantasies.”

  Rachel peered up at him. “In public?”

  His laughter was rich and appreciative. “Baby, after the Zenith gala, you should know I do my best work in plain sight.”

  So did Rachel.

  Shawn watched her where she was seated at the baby grand piano, her long fall of dark hair swept over one shoulder as her fingers skimmed sensually over the gleaming black and white keys. Her nails flashed red against the white, as red as her lipstick.

  If he’d met her on the street, happened to bump into her coming out of the grocery store or the bank, just the look of her would’ve grabbed him around the throat. Her pouty lips, uptilted dark eyes, and throaty, made-for-the-bedroom laugh -- any one of those things would’ve set his pulse tripping. But none of those attributes compared to her ability to make him grin at the taunts she hurled between sets of her private concert for one.

  “What’s next? ‘Great Balls of Fire’?”

  He held his tongue, barely, as he set down his wineglass. Hers sat untouched beside her on the piano bench. “Player’s choice.”

  “I can’t believe you really went to all this trouble just so you could hear me play.”

  Shawn rose and walked over to her, then snagged her wineglass and tipped it up to her lips. Her smile flashed as she took a single sip.

  “So I could watch the sexiest woman I know make love to a piano?” He dipped his head close to hers. “While wearing an incredible dress and no panties? Yeah, hard to see why I’d bother.”

  “You didn’t know I wouldn’t be wearing panties.”

  “Bonus round.” Nudging her aside with his hip, he joined her on the bench and brought her mouth to his. She tasted of crisp white wine and wintergreen gum, a deliciously cool contrast to the warmth of her skin as he stroked it through the slit in her dress. “How about some Aerosmith before dinner is served?”

  “Aerosmith.” Her laughter swam through his blood. “You reserved this entire restaurant just so I could play ‘Janie’s Got A Gun’?”

  Shawn reached for the bowl of artfully arranged fruit on the piano. He selected from strawberries, raspberries, green grapes, and a few wedges of peach, finally deciding to go with her favorite. “I had another idea actually.” Her lips parted as soon as he offered her the grape, and his cock throbbed with a surge of pure lust as she curled her tongue around the fruit between his fingers. “Do you know ‘Love in an Elevator’?”