Winner Takes All: Big Easy, book 6

by Mari Carr

  “Last night,” he said, more for himself than her. For nine months, they’d been tied together by a show, by a common goal. After tomorrow, one of them would take home the title and the money, while the other would just go home.

  He was going to miss her. More than he cared to admit.

  “I know. I can’t believe it. I’m trying to decide if I’m relieved or disappointed that it’s almost over.”

  He grinned. As always, she summed up his feelings perfectly.

  And then, as if on cue, the paparazzi swarmed, reminding them why the end wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

  Noah put his arm around her shoulders as the cameramen pushed closer, asking them a bunch of personal questions that had him seeing red.

  Fortunately, the Nyte was more than prepared for this type of onslaught. Within minutes, two security guards pushed their way through the crowd, a petite spitfire hot on their heels, telling the paparazzi in no uncertain terms to disperse.

  Noah was slightly amazed to see so many grown men almost cower before the tiny woman. The entire ordeal lasted less than five minutes.

  “I’m Lucy Pine, head of security. I’m sorry about that. We’d given the press access for a brief interview with Manny Walsh. We did not give them access to you.”

  At that moment, another hotel employee arrived. “Mr. Lewis. Ms. Mills. I’m Laird Beckett, the resort manager. I hope you’re both okay.”

  “We’re fine,” Hollie said as Noah struggled to contain the jealous beast that didn’t like the way Laird Beckett was smiling at her. The man was good looking and he knew it. He oozed charm in a way that probably would have had his sisters Chloe and Dani swooning. He didn’t enjoy seeing that superpower unleashed on Hollie.

  Noah hadn’t released Hollie after the cameramen descended and the alpha male inside him couldn’t resist tightening his hold. When Beckett’s gaze caught his, he knew the man understood the subtle warning to back off.

  Beckett raised his hand, gesturing for the valet. “This is Tripp Ross. Tripp, did you move Mr. Lewis’s and Ms. Mills’s luggage to their new rooms?”

  Tripp hesitated briefly, looking slightly confused before nodding. “Um, yes sir.”

  “Very good. As you know, it’s a keyless entry. Your thumbprint will open the door. I believe you received your new room numbers via text?”

  Noah and Hollie nodded. He’d gotten the text during dinner with his family. He’d debated inviting Chloe back to see the room he’d selected, but something had held him back. Probably embarrassment. He didn’t need his big sister to know how deeply her fantasy had resonated with him.

  “There are voice-activated controls in the rooms, full wet bars, and we offer butler and maid services as well if you so desire.”

  “Wow,” Hollie murmured. “I could get used to this place.”

  Mr. Beckett grinned. “I don’t expect you’ll have any more trouble, but Lucy will escort you to the elevator just in case. Please let me know if you need anything and enjoy the rest of your stay.”

  Mr. Beckett left and Noah felt like grinning when Hollie ignored the man’s departure, her attention remaining on him.

  “If you’ll follow me.” Lucy turned, walking briskly toward the elevator. Once they were there, she pushed the up button and waited until the doors slid open.

  “If you have any more trouble with the press during your stay, call me. I’ll take care of it.”

  With that, she was gone, and Noah was once again alone with Hollie.

  As they stepped into the empty elevator, Noah asked, “What floor?”

  “Fifteen.”

  Hollie was on the same floor he was. Noah pressed the button, deciding then and there it was fate kicking him in the ass, telling him to do what he’d dreamed of doing for the past nine months.

  Without a word, he turned to Hollie, grasped the back of her neck and kissed her.

  Chapter Two

  Hollie didn’t have time to move as Noah leaned toward her, his lips crushing hers in what was undoubtedly the greatest kiss of her life. She didn’t bother to question her sanity or give herself a single second to succumb to common sense. She’d wanted to kiss Noah since the first day she’d seen him on the set. She had taken one look at his smoldering chocolate-brown eyes, a taste of his red beans and rice, and fallen head over heels in lust.

  Those feelings had only continued to grow as the months passed. But her desires stopped being based on “oh my God, he’s hot” and more on “Wow, he’s such a nice guy”.

  Right now, she wasn’t thinking about his looks or his personality. She was too wrapped up in the heat pooling between her thighs. She wondered what would happen if she hit the emergency stop button on the elevator. How long would that give them to take care of business?

  Because she had lots of unfinished business with Noah Lewis. Months; worth of pent-up horniness and two million and twelve raunchy fantasies.

  He forced her mouth open, his tongue diving in to explore. She never would have pegged him as such an aggressive kisser. Her lady parts liked it. A lot.

  Just then, the elevator slowed to a stop. Though she tried to hold him close, Noah managed to break free of her grip just before the doors slid open. She was flushed, breathing heavily and considering ripping off her bra, simply because it was rubbing against her hard nipples.

  Fortunately, unlike her, Noah had retained some small shred of control. Which was very lucky when Isaac Thornton, Food Fight’s producer, stepped into the elevator.

  “There are my superstars,” he said with a smile as the doors closed. She glanced at the number panel. They’d only gone up seven flights. Noah had kissed her so senseless, she’d expected to discover they’d ridden all the way up to the penthouse, smashed through the glass ceiling and were currently doing a Willy Wonka-style tour of the city.

  Isaac glanced at his watch. “Early night?”

  Noah nodded. “Yeah. I just ran into Hollie in the lobby. Apparently she had the same plan. Big day tomorrow.”

  Isaac was clearly pleased to hear they weren’t intending to party their asses off all night and show up for the live finale hungover. “This is why you two are still in the game. You take the competition seriously.”

  Finally, after a lifetime, the doors slid open on the fifteenth floor. She and Noah both stepped off after saying good night. If Isaac thought it was weird they were staying on the same floor, he had the good grace not to say so.

  “You’re on the fifteenth floor too?” Hollie asked.

  “Yep.”

  Hollie wondered what that meant. Did all the rooms on this floor have a similar theme? When she found out she could choose a fantasy suite for the rest of the week, she hadn’t hesitated to select the one that spoke to her soul. The one that so closely matched her dreams.

  She was shocked when Noah took her hand and led her to room 1503.

  “How did you know this was my room?” she asked.

  Noah frowned then tugged his cell phone from his pocket. “I was actually taking you to my room.” He flicked open his messages and showed her the text he’d received from the hotel’s front desk clerk.

  She dug her phone out of her purse and did the same.

  Chapter Three

  They’d been given the same room.

  Had the Nyte made a mistake?

  If they had, Noah didn’t seem to be in any hurry to correct it. “Open the door,” he said, his voice deep, almost demanding.

  Her body reacted as if she’d been struck by lightning.

  What if the front desk clerk had made a mistake and sent Noah her room number instead of his own? What would Noah say when he discovered her secret fantasy?

  Then again, what if she was standing outside Noah’s room? She was dying to know what he’d selected for the remainder of his stay.

  He leaned closer, placing a kiss on her cheek, his hot breath causing her stomach to flip-flop in anticipation.

  “Open it, Hollie.”

  She placed her thumb against the
keypad and the locks clicked. It was her room. Her fantasy.

  She opened the door. Noah caught her wrist before she could enter, holding her back, and together they looked inside.

  The harem room was more decadent, more scandalously sensual than she’d imagined.

  “Oh my God,” she whispered breathlessly.

  What was she doing? This room revealed far too much about her desires to a man she’d never even kissed until ten minutes ago.

  “If you step over that threshold, we’re playing the fantasy out.”

  Hollie had never heard Noah use that voice, that deep, rich, dark-chocolate tone that had her two seconds away from stripping naked in the hallway and kneeling at his feet.

  “Okay.”

  He grinned at her quick capitulation. “Jesus. I expected you to be the voice of reason.”

  She frowned, confused. “What?”

  Noah shook his head. “Oh no. If you’re not going to stand here and tell me we’re idiots to start this, the night before the final show, then I’m sure as hell not going to say it.”

  She giggled. “Um, hate to break it to you, but I think you just did.”

  Hollie expected Noah to laugh, but his face suddenly became too serious, too intense.

  “I’ve wanted you from day one,” he confessed.

  “Same with me.”

  “It’s only one more night. We could—”

  She shook her head, cutting him off before he could finish the thought. “No. Please. I don’t want to wait any longer.”

  “Tomorrow is going to be a big enough head game as it is, Holl. I don’t want to mess things up for you. You deserve to walk onto that stage with your eyes on the prize and nothing else.”

  She tilted her head. “And you don’t deserve the same?”

  “I haven’t been looking at anything except you since the fifth show.”

  She smiled. “The partner round.”

  “Working with you in that kitchen was the highlight of my year. You’re such a good freaking cook.”

  Hollie took his hand in hers and squeezed. “I feel the same way about you. There have been so many shows since then when I was losing my shit, stressing out. I’d look at you, watch you work with such confidence, and then you’d give me that wink and secret smile that said you believed in me, and all the anxiety just vanished. Truth is…right now? I’m Team Noah.”

  “Great. We’re both fucked. Because I’m currently president of your fan club.”

  “Tonight isn’t about the contest, is it?”

  Noah shook his head. “No. Not for me.”

  She reached up and cupped his cheek affectionately. “It’s not for me either.”

  He gave her a sultry look that set her panties on fire. “So…are you going in? Are you going to be my harem girl? I won’t lie. I have some pretty serious plans for you if you walk through that door.”

  Hollie bit her lip as she considered his offer. Noah was clearly warning her, giving her an out. Her previous sexual experiences had been so vanilla was embarrassed to claim them. She’d grown up in a fairly small town with seven brothers. Who the hell was going to do anything even remotely interesting with her or to her in that scenario?

  “I want to be yours, want to belong to you.”

  “Do you know what a safe word is?” he asked.

  She shook her head, prompting a big smile from him. He placed his forehead against hers. “You’re so fucking perfect.”

  Hollie had no idea what she’d done to provoke that comment, but she’d never felt more cherished, more special in her life. Her heart beat a little bit faster.

  “If I do anything you hate, just say no or stop and I will.”

  She had a feeling there was more to his so-called safe word than that. After all, those words were pretty universal for “get your hands off me”, but she didn’t question him. This was Noah.

  Over the past nine months, he’d become her friend, a kindred spirit, someone she could rely on and trust. Her brothers would go mad if they knew what she was about to do. They would yell, rant and rave, and tell her he was trying to sabotage her chances at the championship. But she knew…deep down in her heart…nothing could be further from the truth.

  With her decision made, Hollie gave Noah a sultry come-hither glance and stepped into the room.

  She couldn’t hold back her giddy laughter when Noah followed her inside and shut the door. The sound, however, was cut short when he pushed her against the wall and kissed her as if his life depended on it. She honestly wouldn’t mind if all he wanted to do was this and nothing more tonight. She’d show up tomorrow on the set with swollen, chapped lips and never regret it for a second.

  Hollie wrapped her arms around his shoulders, desperate to keep him close. For so many months she’d dreamt of this moment. She should have known Noah would take her expectations and blow them out of the water.

  His tongue tangled with hers. He tasted like red wine and tiramisu. He was delicious, her new favorite treat.

  When he broke the contact of their lips, he gave her that charming grin that had captured her attention during the very first show. So many of their competitors had been cutthroat, aggressive, and their wolfish smiles were definitely meant to intimidate. Then Hollie had glanced across the kitchen and seen Noah. He’d caught her eye and given her that sweet, silly grin that seemed to say “Get a load of these clowns”. She’d actually giggled, even though he’d been on the other side of the room and hadn’t said a word.

  “While I realize I run the risk of sounding like a complete tool, I have to admit I would give up cooking forever if I could have just one of your kisses every single day for the rest of my life.”

  Hollie wasn’t sure anyone had ever said anything so romantic to her. Most of the guys she’d dated were total duds, clueless wonders who talked about sports with more emotion than their relationship.

  “Just one kiss a day?” she asked.

  “Greedy woman. I like your style.” Noah kissed her again, but he didn’t let his lips linger this time.

  They both turned to study the room. It was unlike anything she’d ever seen. Utter decadence, sensual elegance. Though it was a suite, it had an open floor plan. Everything was in one large room, with the exception of a closed door that she assumed led to the bathroom.

  To the right was the sitting area decorated in rich hues of gold and burgundy; large pillows covered the floor and surrounded a rounded, plush couch that Hollie was dying to sink into. The left side of the room contained a giant king-size four-poster bed, with a sheer canopy that reminded her of that old Indiana Jones movie—the one with the blonde actress.

  She tried to soak in the beauty of it, but her gaze couldn’t focus on more than the four silk scarves tied to each post, clearly there to bind a willful slave.

  Noah certainly fit the bill looking far-too-much like the exotic sheik of her dreams with his dark eyes, black hair, and tanned skin. His jaw was covered with just a hint of that five o’clock shadow she’d always found so damn sexy on men.

  Her pussy fluttered in nervous, excited, yes-please anticipation.

  The corner nearest the door held the kitchenette, complete with a cozy, intimate table for two, decorated with a rich red tablecloth and a vase of white roses. A bottle of champagne rested in a chiller full of ice, with a dish of the ripest, most luscious-looking strawberries sitting next to it.

  Between the sitting area and the bed, near the floor-to-ceiling window was the largest, most inviting hot tub she’d ever seen. It was heart-shaped, surrounded by rose petals and illuminated by candles. The steam rising from it called to her. The entire suite invited indulgence and screamed of carnal pleasure.

  “Wow,” she whispered.

  “It’s incredible,” Noah agreed.

  “How did they know when we would return?”

  Noah shrugged. “Beckett said these rooms had maid and butler service. Maybe he called someone to get this set up when he spotted us in the lobby.”

&nb
sp; “That makes sense.”

  Then he gestured to their suitcases, sitting next to each other on stands by the bed. “Why do I feel like the hotel put us here together on purpose?”

  “This was your fantasy too?”

  Noah nodded.

  Hollie wasn’t sure how to respond. He wanted this. He’d chosen it.

  It was clear someone had set the scene for seduction and romance. But who? And why?

  Noah walked over to an open closet and pulled out a colorful outfit. His eyes darkened hungrily as she took in the harem slave attire. The gold lamé bra with halter ties was adorned with gold coins. The matching thong had an attached sheer purple skirt—if she could call the two pieces that draped over the front and back a skirt—that didn’t leave much to the imagination.

  The outfit was sexy and revealing and nothing Hollie would ever have imagined herself wearing. However, her gaze was locked on the lone accessory also hanging from the hanger.

  A gold chain was attached to a collar.

  “I’d love to see you in this.”

  Noah hadn’t needed to speak that desire, it was apparent in this gaze.

  Hollie nodded slowly. She wanted to wear it for him. All of it. She glanced at the scarves on the bed once more as her fantasies took shape, molding themselves to everything this room invited, promised.

  “I think we need to discuss that safe-word thing again,” she said, slightly shocked at what she was about to confess. She knew how she wanted this night to play out and she knew—deep down inside—he was the man to give her exactly what she wanted.

  Noah’s brows furrowed. “Okay. What do you mean?”

  She gave him a sexy smile. “I don’t intend to be a good little slave.” She stepped closer as her voice lowered, the sound little more than a whisper. “You’ve captured me, but you haven’t claimed me. Not yet. I won’t surrender willingly.”

  Noah’s eyes narrowed with a hunger that was almost palpable. “You’re going to fight me?” His question was spoken in a deep voice that sent shivers along her spine.