by Katee Robert
“Who are you going to bring?” Craig asked.
“No one.”
Craig snapped his fingers. “I have an idea. Wave that sexy earring around the office and see who comes running to claim it. And then you can bring Cinderella to dinner as your date.” He grinned. “You know how chicks are with their trinkets.”
Landon shoved back from his desk and turned to his filing cabinet. Hopefully Craig would get the message and split sooner rather than later. “I’ll take your idea under advisement.”
Craig snorted. “Bro, you need to get laid. I could help you out with that, too. There were a couple noteworthy chicks at the party I could introduce you to, if you play nice.”
Problem was, he didn’t want to play at all. If he thought he’d been feeling lackluster about the dating scene before, this past weekend had completely cut him off at the knees.
He needed to focus on the woman who’d detonated his world Friday night. There hadn’t been an innocent bone in her sexy body. Between her lush lips feeding on his and her sweet pussy squeezing him as she wordlessly begged for more, he’d known they would corrupt each other, rather than it being about him taking advantage of an opportunity he’d never acknowledged waiting for.
Landon gripped the arm of his chair. Christ, had he been waiting for a chance to get Steff beneath him? Hoping he’d get a chance to try to make what they had into much more than friendship? Maybe even way more than sex? If so, he needed to forget searching for the owner of a pink crystal earring when he’d finally gotten the opportunity of his life to make his move.
“Landon, man, you sure you’re all right?”
Landon glanced up and met Craig’s narrowed blue eyes. “I’m fine. Really.” He would be, once he resolved this thing with Steff. “Now would you get outta here? Some of us have work to do.”
“Yeah, yeah. As long as you’re coming on Monday.” Craig’s lips quirked. “To the restaurant, I mean. With or without your earring in tow.”
Waving him off, Landon tugged open the bottom drawer of his file cabinet. He had much bigger problems to worry about than earrings at the moment.
Like trying to figure out what to do about wanting to fuck his best friend.
The urgency of that problem was rammed home the following Monday evening when he strolled into Fins and Tails. He’d spent most of the weekend at the gym and in his home office, working out his frustrations and just working, period, to keep himself too busy to call Steff. Now the moment of truth had arrived, and his gaze instantly landed on the sparkling smile of the woman at Craig’s side.
She was the same old Steff, yet she wasn’t. He’d never seen her with her hair up so that loose curls fountained over her shoulders. Her bare shoulders. His gut clenched. No turtlenecks tonight, and he couldn’t see the red smudges on her neck anymore, probably thanks to makeup. She wore a tiny black dress, as insubstantial as a teddy.
Which he profoundly hoped she did not own, because imagining her in sexy lingerie might tip him over the edge into a cardiac event.
If that wasn’t enough, she had her hand high on Craig’s thigh. While Landon watched, his jaw tightening like a screw, she leaned her head on his shoulder and laughed.
Then she looked up and saw him, and her smile slipped before she shored it up again. “Hi,” she murmured, her hand flexing around Craig’s leg. Those pink-tipped nails digging into Craig’s expensive pants taunted him, and he wondered why Craig just happened to be sitting far enough back from the table to allow him to see.
Good timing, bad luck. He’d had his share of both.
Landon offered her a brief smile before taking a seat at the opposite end of the table next to a lovely brunette who motioned for him to sit beside her. What the hell.
The brunette tilted her head and smiled. “Hi. I’m Cara.”
Landon sat and reached for his napkin, steadfastly avoiding looking toward Craig and Steff. Rather than listen to them laugh while they talked to Ted Kenney, he shifted toward Cara. “I’m Landon. Nice to meet you.”
Small talk flowed easily between them, and eventually he relaxed enough to socialize with his associates and enjoy the meal. Throughout it, he surreptitiously examined the faces around the table, trying to analyze how the various women present would look with a fox mask and makeup. That was hard to do without being obvious, and he soon gave up. Cara seemed really nice, and if he hadn’t been preoccupied by the occasional peals of laughter coming from Craig and Steff’s corner, he might’ve had a good time.
After dinner, talk turned to continuing the evening. Jack Kilborn, the other senior partner, suggested visiting Buckles, the new honky-tonk club downtown, and he got a few yeses to go along with the chorus of boos. Warner didn’t have a bustling nightlife, and a new club that featured dancing and a bucking mechanical bull was about as exciting as it got. Landon was about to decline when he heard Steff say loudly that she and Craig couldn’t wait to “tear it up.” Guess he was going, after all.
Cara had to leave, but she gave him her number and made him promise he’d use it. He intended to, just not for another hookup. If she wanted a new friend, great. Otherwise, he wasn’t interested.
His gaze cut to Steff again, and this time she was looking back at him, her blue eyes clear and direct. Her eyes lowered to the slip of paper he still held, and he crumpled the number he didn’t care about between his fingers. Then she met his stare steadily and licked her lips, almost as if she were issuing some sort of challenge.
Now or never. Your choice.
And need slammed into him like a fist to the gut.
He exhaled, trying to breathe around the knot in his chest. She wasn’t just some fantasy woman. She was the woman he’d shoved out of his life partially out of fear of facing what she meant to him—and it went way deeper than friendship. Or desire. When it came to Steff, the word “temporary” didn’t apply. She was a forever kind of girl. And maybe, with her, he could learn to be a forever kind of guy.
The events of the past week and this evening had cemented his decision. He’d done the whole love ’em and leave ’em thing and it now left him cold. Mystery women were all well and good, but they didn’t compare to the reality of having someone by your side who truly cared. Who made you laugh and cooked your hamburgers so rare they’d attract a vampire and used your feet to warm up her own during football games spent on her couch.
He balled up the paper and tossed it next to his water glass. Cara had left, but it wouldn’t have mattered if she’d still been there. Calling anyone else was out of the question.
His spine locked and he braced his hands on the edge of table, every part of him tensed and ready. The urge to claim streaked through him, hot and brutal. Even sitting still was a hardship. He couldn’t risk Steff going back to Hickey Guy or finding someone else. He couldn’t wait.
God, he wanted her. Everything she had to give. So fucking bad his teeth ached.
Walking away wasn’t an option anymore.
They all took separate cars to the club, and he checked the time on the drive over. Heading toward ten already. He was exhausted, but he knew he wouldn’t be getting to sleep that night. Visions of Steff and her bare shoulders and the way she’d sounded as she came against his mouth would probably torment him until the end of time.
He’d tasted Steff. Held her soft ass in his hands, pressed his face into all that drenched heat. Heard her cry out from the force of her orgasm. How could anyone else compare? He wasn’t going to settle anymore. She was the woman he wanted—needed—and the time had come to let his mystery lover go.
The first couple he saw when he stepped into the club was Steff and Craig. They were dancing in the center of the floor to some rocking country jam. The three of them had gone clubbing a million times before, so the sight was nothing new. But this time, watching Craig’s bear paws wrap around Steff’s waist ignited a burning sensation deep in Landon’s belly.
He couldn’t ignore the feeling, or stop himself from cutting in. “May I?”
/> Steff sucked in a breath. “Sure.” She shot a glance at Craig, who shrugged and smiled before glancing at Landon, his gaze probing. As if he’d seen what he hoped to, Craig’s smile widened and he gave Landon a surprisingly subtle thumbs-up.
If he’d been looking for a seal of approval from their best friend, Landon guessed he’d just gotten it. Then Steff was in his arms, her hips moving in ways that blinded him to anything but his longing.
She looped her arms around his neck as the song changed to a slower one and leaned forward to press her forehead against his chest. Her nose skimmed the patch of skin revealed by the open neck of his shirt and he shut his eyes, fisting his hand in the small of her back. She felt so small and curvy in his hold, fitting him as if he’d designed her to his exact specifications. Somehow when he hadn’t been looking, she’d become exactly what he’d been searching for.
What he craved infinitely more than the safety of walking away.
Nothing registered but her painfully familiar watermelon scent and the tight points of her breasts rubbing over his pecs. He buried his face in her hair, drawing in great gulps of air that didn’t erase the haze of need from his brain. She trembled as he kissed the top of her ear, his lips sliding down the curve to envelop her lobe. Her feet tumbled over his as they stopped moving and stared at each other in the darkened club. The music had changed once again, but he could scarcely hear it over the wild beat of his heart.
His voice died in his throat. There were things he should say. Apologies he needed to offer, promises she deserved. He couldn’t get any of them out. With shaking fingers, he traced her jawline, his thumb grazing the shadowy area beneath her huge eyes. He didn’t think, just fumbled for her lips with his own. A sigh escaped him the instant their mouths brushed. Relief staggered him, weakening his limbs and blinding him to everything except the pleasure of her pressing close.
Soft, warm, strawberry-glossed lips parted to let him inside, and he accepted the invitation without hesitation. He hauled her tight to his chest and slanted his mouth over hers again and again, oblivious to anything but the urgent stroke of her tongue over his.
“Leave with me.”
He wasn’t cognizant of voicing the demand, but her whispered “yes” next to his cheek reverberated through his head. He grasped her hand and led her away, pushing through the dancers with only one goal in mind.
Making her his.
Chapter Seven
Steff knew she should tell Craig she was leaving, though she wasn’t about to break Landon’s death grip on her hand. She glanced over her shoulder on the way out of the club and connected gazes with her other best friend, who was staring after her and Lan with an expression of damn near delight.
She understood the feeling.
Had Landon really kissed her like that in front of everyone? Was he really dragging her impatiently through the front door of Buckles without a thought to who might be watching?
When she’d sat through the interminably long dinner, doing her damnedest to act like she was having the time of her life with Craig while Landon chatted up the pretty woman at his side, she’d never guessed the evening would end this way.
She mouthed “I’ll call you” to Craig just before the heavy door shut behind them. Landon tugged her down the sidewalk and she stumbled into him, laughing until he tipped her face up to his with one finger under her chin.
“My office” was all he said, and she nodded, not sure what that meant. Did he need a file?
She hurried after him as images assailed her of being spread out on the conference room table. His wide palms covering her breasts, his dark stubble rasping against her sensitive inner thighs. Firm lips sliding over her where she was already so wet and hot. She shuddered and walked faster, her cheeks flaming despite the cold from the pictures scrolling behind her eyes.
Once they reached his truck, he unlocked her door and gave her a boost into the cab. She normally hated being short, but she didn’t mind his strong hands sculpting the backs of her thighs as he helped her inside. He rounded the hood and got behind the wheel, eschewing music and conversation for an uneasy silence occasionally punctuated with their uneven breaths.
Damn, she didn’t have a condom. She normally kept a couple in her purse just in case, but she’d dumped them out the other night in a fit of pique after his hasty retreat. She started to ask if he had any, then bit her lip. Was that being too forward? Maybe she was being presumptuous. He’d invited her to his law office, not his sex den.
Fifteen minutes later they walked through the deserted foyer of Kenney and Kilborn. Once they were inside, he locked the door, pulled the blinds over the windows, and motioned to the low circular welcome counter.
Just like that, she realized why they were there, and her already scorched cheeks scalded with fresh heat. Did he really intend for them to—? Here?
From his purposeful actions to ensure they had privacy, apparently he did.
“I don’t know all your fantasies yet, but I will. This is one of mine.” His voice was low, barely a rumble of sound. He flicked on the trio of lights directly above the counter, bathing the oak wood in a warm glow. She started to ask him to turn them off, but he shook his head. “I want to see you all laid out for me.” He quirked an eyebrow at her, clearly waiting for her reaction.
She shivered. “I—I don’t have a condom,” she whispered, wondering how she could feel more embarrassed now than she had been the other night. Her costume had given her freedom, and the wine had dulled her senses on Wednesday. Tonight she was completely sober, and her only armor was a skimpy black dress that left her feeling erotically exposed when he turned his smoldering green gaze her way.
“I’ll take care of you.” He stepped back to her and ran his hands up her suddenly cool arms, smoothing away the goose bumps that rose in response to his touch. He kissed her forehead, and she shut her eyes to savor the softness of his lips. “Do you trust me, Steff?”
The past year fell away, leaving behind only her deception. She’d gotten him here all on her own, without him knowing she was the woman from the party, and now her lie stood between them. How could she ever find the words to tell him? Would he ever trust her again once he knew? “Yes.”
He gripped her arm in his unbreakable hold and spun her to face the counter. His lips found the back of her neck and he hiked her dress to her waist. “Yes is the magic word, baby,” he breathed against her skin.
His decisive action erased the last of her nerves and she dropped her head forward as he kissed his way along her shoulders. Slowly, as if he had years to spend on this one task. He tugged on the zipper of dress and cool air slipped over her back before his blazing-hot mouth chased away the chill.
Down her spine he went, opening her bra with a flick of his fingers. He dragged her dress down so she was bared to the waist. Another yank and it was on the floor, leaving her in merely a pair of string bikinis and her heels. And the lace-topped garters that, judging from his swift inhalation, wouldn’t be coming off, either.
Ordinarily she didn’t feel sexy, but with his blunt thumbs tracing the indentations of her back, digging in to massage muscles already strung tight with arousal, she felt like a damn goddess.
“You know, I lied.” The word made her jolt, especially when followed up by him biting her shoulder. Not a light nip, but a full-on bite. She couldn’t muffle her moan. “I don’t want you totally naked, not now. I like this look. The heels, the garters, the panties. When we’re in my chair, I might even have you put your bra back on. But with only one of the hooks done, so your tits spill out into my mouth.”
Sensory overload. His hands cupped her breasts and he ground his erection into her ass, setting a pace that had her grinding right back. Combined with the pictures he’d put in her head and the rasp of his voice, she was so close to coming already she didn’t know how she’d stand much more, and he’d hardly touched her yet.
“Your chair?” The question was barely a whisper as she reached around to stroke hi
m through his trousers. She gasped at the feel of him in her hand, so thick and hard that her clit throbbed at just the thought of him filling her. Stretching her like he’d done on Friday night, except this time the angle would send her into an orgasm even faster.
“Mmm-hmm.” He pinched her nipple with one hand while the other slid between her thighs. Pressing the satin inward, he caressed her folds through the slick material, adding additional friction. “While you ride me, I’ll pull your legs around me so your heels push into my back.”
He dropped to his knees and nipped her lower back, then drew his tongue down the crease of her ass through her panties. He moved lower and pressed his face between her legs, nudging the silken panel aside. His tongue traced her sex slowly, riding the swollen seam, making her squirm. God. She grabbed the counter and moaned unabashedly for what he was in no hurry to give her, bearing down to silently ask for more. He flicked the tip of his tongue over her clit and she arched up, unprepared for the bolt of longing that cramped her belly.
She tried to warn him how close she was, even attempted to pull away, but he seized her hips and crushed his mouth to her flesh, giving her no choice but to climax or die. Or maybe climax then die, because the pleasure rolling through her system just didn’t stop.
Before she had a chance to recover, Landon rose and pulled her leg up so that her heel rested on the groove that rimmed the front of the desk. Still limp from her climax, she let him pose her like a doll, hoping she’d be able to pay him back later once she regained some mobility. The plunge of his zipper and the snap of a condom later and his hand banded around her thigh, hoisting it higher as he drove in to the root in one heart-stopping thrust.
She rocked back against him as his other arm slid up between her breasts, giving him leverage to pull out and sink in even farther. Needing to taste him again, she turned to fuse her lips to his, giving in to the urge to use his mouth as roughly as he was taking her. This kind of primal claiming only occurred in her wildest dreams, and with him, she could live out every one of them.