“Where are they?” Addison spun on her four-inch heels and scanned the crowd.
“There!” Skylar pointed to six men of various shades and colors walking up the stairs to the VIP area.
Addison swallowed hard. They were all fine as hell. Some of them were dressed suavely in suits or linen ensembles, while two others had on jeans and button-down shirts. But there was one in particular, the bald one who was scanning the room, who caught her eye, and vice versa. He gave her a wink as he made his way up the stairs to the VIP lounge.
“Oh, Lord!” Collette fanned herself. “You ain’t lying. Where have they been all night?”
“Who cares?” Skylar replied. “I’m just glad they are here now. And I call first dibs on the chocolate brother in all black.”
“Says who?” asked Emma, one of the African-American girls in the group.
“Just because I’m vanilla don’t mean I don’t like chocolate milk,” Skylar said. Seconds later, she was boldly sashaying across the room and walking toward the men.
“Well, don’t just stand there and let her have all the fun,” said Collette, grabbing Addison’s arm. “We have to get in there, especially if you intend on changing your status this evening.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Addison said, reaching for her drink on the table. She chugged nearly half the Lemon Drop martini before joining Collette and giving her best sexy walk across the room.
Caleb smiled as he saw the group of women approaching. There were two African-Americans, two Caucasians and one Asian—the variety he liked. He wished the men with him could appreciate the bounty, but they were either chained in the bonds of matrimony or about to shackle themselves in a few weeks. He didn’t intend to be one of them anytime soon.
Caleb rose from the couch he was sharing with Lucas and Amar to greet the women. “Ladies.” He grabbed the hand of the bold blonde and kissed it. “How are you this evening?”
“We’d be better if you asked us to join you,” she replied.
Caleb turned back to glance at his posse. Amar and Lucas were giving him several looks and hand signals that they’d had enough fun for the evening. Spoilsports. There was still much fun to be had and these ladies certainly looked like they could supply it. “Come join us,” Caleb entreated and smiled, then he turned to give the men a “knock it off” look.
They complied and made room on the couch for several of the women. The blonde immediately zeroed in on poor Lucas while the redhead went for Amar.
Caleb watched with amusement while the other ladies chatted with Noah and Sharif. Sharif, the only other single man in the group besides Caleb, looked quite at ease having two attentive females at his side. Maybe it was the accent they loved.
Caleb, meanwhile, was focused on the sweet creature in front of him who’d stayed a few feet back from the melee. He didn’t have a foot fetish, but her spiky shoes were killer and the spandex dress, well ... ah, what could he say ... it looked like it had been sprayed onto her body. He could see every curve of her lithe form. Not to mention she was tugging up the bodice of the strapless confection, bringing his attention to her cleavage. She was an attractive woman for sure, but his reaction to her was all gut.
“Hello,” he said as he came toward her.
“Hello.” A smile spread across her lips, and Caleb felt a tightening in the lower region of his body. He could just picture having those full lips on another part of him as she took him deep into her mouth. “Would you like a drink?” He noticed her empty hand.
“Love one,” Addison replied. “A Lemon Drop, please.” She knew she should cut herself off and begin her water regimen after having champagne and a couple of martinis, but she was having too much fun. She especially liked the way this man was looking at her as if she were a chocolate fudge sundae with a cherry on top.
“I’ll get on it.” He walked over to the waitress who’d just returned to VIP and quickly placed an order, but not for her Lemon Drop. That was a girly drink, and he wouldn’t be caught dead ordering it. He ordered a bottle of Patrón for the entire table. It was time to turn this party up. Way the hell up!
Hours later, the entire group, from Caleb’s brother to the soon-to-be grooms to the ladies who’d joined their festivities, were throwing back shots of Patrón like there was no tomorrow. Even the normally tame Sharif had joined in the mix and was dancing with the redhead and the Asian woman, who’d latched onto him.
And the beautiful female who’d caught Caleb’s eye ... well, she had balked at his change of drink, but she too was throwing back shots with him and flirting.
Caleb didn’t protest when she accidentally fell in his lap on the couch after the crowd had descended upon the VIP area and was dancing all around them.
“I’m sorry,” she apologized and tried to right herself, but the more she squirmed, the higher her spandex dress kept riding up, giving him a nice view of her toned thighs.
“Don’t be.” Caleb looked her square in the eye so she would not misunderstand him. He watched her swallow and sensed her nervousness, but she tried to disguise it and asked, “Care to dance?”
“Sure.” Caleb held out his hand, and she lightly placed hers in his. He helped her to her feet, but not before he got a nice look at her ass in the dress. When he turned he saw Noah staring at them and giving him a wink. Instead of staying in VIP, they headed to the main dancefloor.
“There goes Caleb,” he heard Noah say from behind him, but he didn’t care. He couldn’t wait to get his arms around this woman and see if she felt as good as she looked.
Once they were on the dancefloor, he tugged her closer to him, curving his arm around her waist. The close contact caused her breasts to graze his chest, and her doe-shaped eyes looked up at him in alarm. But as soon as he started moving their bodies to the rhythm of the music, he felt her relax.
“Do you always pick up women at nightclubs?” she whispered in his ear.
“Only if they look like you,” said Caleb, pulling her even closer. He knew he was flirting shamelessly but didn’t care. He brought her arms to circle his neck and then leaned in closer so he could sway their hips together to the reggae sounds.
“You’re a good dancer,” Addison told him.
“That’s not the only thing I’m good at.”
Addison pulled back. Arrogance. Here was a man who knew what he wanted and wasn’t afraid to say or act on it. She wished she could be more like him and not be afraid to act. Coming out on this weekend jaunt to Vegas was her first attempt at stepping out of her father’s shadow to be her own woman. But was she ready for more? Was she ready to become intimate with a man for the first time?
It wasn’t like she’d been waiting for a grand love affair. She’d just wanted it to be special. Memorable. And she’d never seemed to find it in her college relationships or the few short- term ones she’d had since then. And well, the men at her father’s oil tanker company were well, boring if she had to admit it. None of them inspired any desire in her. She doubted they even knew how. Sleeping with this sexy stranger may not be special enough to write in her journal, but it would certainly be memorable. If his confidence was anything to go by, he would know his way around a woman’s body ... and hers was already affected by his touch.
When he brought his hips into closer contact with hers, Addison felt him through her flimsy dress. There was no mistaking it, he wanted her and she was woman enough to take him up on it.
She hazarded a glance up at him and when she did, undisguised passion stared back at her through his long lashes and dark-brown eyes.
She was about to answer, but his friends were approaching them. One of them whispered something in the stranger’s ear, and the stranger shook his head. Seconds later, the friend was walking away.
“What’s going on?” Addison asked.
“My crew is packing it in and going back to the hotel.”
He was
leaving? Addison was forlorn. She wouldn’t get the opportunity to act on her impulses. Her disappointment must have shown on her face, because he leaned down and said, “I’m not going anywhere.”
“You’re not?” She tried to mask her happiness. She obviously didn’t do a very good job of that, because he gave her a large sexy grin.
“No. I told them I was having too much fun and to take the limo and leave me here. But what about you?” He glanced around. “I don’t see your friends.”
“I’m sure they’re around here somewhere.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you tonight, all night if you need it.” He stood so close to her that the heat from his body penetrated through to her breasts and she could feel them pucker.
Addison raised an eyebrow. “Is that right?”
“Yes.” And to prove it, he bent his head and teased lightly at the seams of her lips until she parted them slightly. He took the cue and captured her lips in his, kissing her passionately. Addison had never been kissed in such a way, let alone right in the middle of a packed nightclub.
She surrendered to it, curling her arms around his neck. When he slipped his fiery tongue inside her mouth, she thought she might melt in a puddle right there on the dancefloor. While his tongue delved inside, his hands moved over her form, unfurling a desire she didn’t even know she had or was capable of.
When he pulled away, Addison felt bereft. Her heart was pounding hard and her pulse was racing. The stranger had just made it clear that he wanted to spend the night with her. Could she act on it? Could she live in the moment?
“What do you say we get out of here?”
Several long moments passed as Addison warred with her body’s desires and her conscious. Her body won out. “Let’s go.”
Chapter 2
It was well after three a.m. when Caleb led Addison to the main living area of the penthouse at the Wynn. The place was dead silent; the guys must have all retired to their rooms upstairs.
“How about a drink?” Caleb asked as he headed toward the wet bar. He watched Addison walk over to the floor-to-ceiling window and look out over the Strip.
“I don’t know. I’ve already had so much,” she answered with her back to him.
“Then one more can’t hurt.” He turned on the lamp, and it bathed her in such a soft light that Caleb forgot about the drink and instead rushed over and spun her around.
Her face registered surprise just as his mouth descended on hers. And this time, he didn’t hold back as he’d done before at the club. He allowed himself full access. His tongue dipped inside her delicious, sexy mouth, and he savored the taste of her as his tongue explored every inch. He might have stunned her at first, but she responded in kind to his urgent, exploratory kisses.
As if she weighed nothing, he lifted her into his arms and carried her into the master bedroom. He brushed his lips across her sweet, ripe mouth as he laid her across the bed. He rose long enough to rid himself of his chambray shirt. He opened the first button, and she undid the rest. Her eyes were heavily lidded, but he could see her drinking him in. He leaned down and reached for the strap of her sandals and removed each one. He placed love pecks on each of her ankles as his hands moved upward to stroke her legs. He couldn’t wait to reach the treasure that lay between her thighs and bring this woman and himself to a satisfying conclusion.
Addison trembled as the stranger’s expert hands rubbed her legs. When he reached her thighs and went underneath her mini-dress, Addison’s breath hitched. He wasn’t the first man to reach the promised land, but it had been awhile. Usually she stopped once she got this intimate with a man. She reminded herself to be calm. It wouldn’t do for him to know that she was a virgin. Some men were turned off by her lack of experience, and she didn’t want tonight to be one of those occasions.
She retained her composure until she felt his hands ease her thong to her ankles and off. Then he began caressing the soft petals of her womanhood. “Oooh ...”
“You like that?” he asked, looking up at her.
Powerless to speak, she nodded.
“Good, it’s just the beginning.”
She closed her eyes and felt a light tug of his teeth on her bottom lip just as his fingers made their way past her outer petals to find her opening and slide inside her. She was wet and slick, and he easily eased in and out, circling her, slow and steady, heightening her passion. Then he went faster and faster until she became a bundle of aching nerves, desperate for more. Of what, she wasn’t sure, but she knew she wanted whatever he was offering.
She gasped as pulsations began to overtake her. “Oh, God!” She hadn’t been prepared for this. Sure, she’d known they were attracted to each other, but this was so much more than she’d ever expected.
“Yes, baby,” she heard his murmur seconds before a rush of nausea overtook her.
With no time to spare, she jumped from the bed and made a dash for the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.
Caleb fell back on the bed in disgust as he heard the sounds of his sexy siren becoming ill. This was not how he envisioned the evening ending. He’d dreamt of how good they would be in bed together. She’d been so open and expressive during the start of her orgasm that he could only imagine what their lovemaking would have been. The operative word was would. There was nothing more of a buzzkill than having someone get sick in your bed. Thank God, she’d made it to the restroom. But what now? It wasn’t like he could kick her out in her time of need. He wasn’t that heartless.
Rolling his eyes, Caleb rose from the bed, walked to the bathroom door and knocked. “Hey, are you okay in there?”
There were several groans before he finally heard, “Umm ... yes, I’ll be fine. Just give me a minute, okay?”
“Okay.”
Several minutes turned into a half-hour. A worried Caleb anxiously opened the bathroom door to find the woman on the floor with her head in her lap and clutching a washcloth.
He scooped her up, and she protested but he calmed her fears. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.” He carried her back to the bedroom, and with his free hand pulled back the sheets and placed her inside.
“I’ll be right back,” Caleb said and went to the living room to pour her a glass of club soda. He returned with it and a bottle of Advil, and walked over to the lump on the other side of the bed. Clearly she was embarrassed and didn’t want him to see her—she had covered her head.
He pulled back the comforter, and she turned her face into the pillow. He tucked back her wayward curls and looked into her strained eyes. “I have some club soda and Advil. You need to take these, or you’ll be miserable tomorrow.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want them.”
“I’m not taking no for an answer.” And he didn’t. He made her take a few sips of club soda and the pills before he tucked her into the bed and slid in beside her.
“I bet you didn’t envision your evening ending up like this,” she said, turning around to face him on the opposite pillow.
He smiled as he tucked his hand under his head. “No, I didn’t. Get some rest.” He didn’t know what made him do it, but he brushed his lips across her forehead. He felt protective of her all of a sudden.
If she’d met any other man, who knows what would have happened? They might have tried to take advantage of her in this state, but Caleb wasn’t that type of man. He liked his women sober and fully able to recollect a night spent in his arms.
Addison’s head was pounding like it was ready to split open, and her eyes struggled to bring her surroundings into focus. When she was finally able to make out objects, she didn’t recognize a thing.
She could, however, see that she was in an elegantly decorated room and that she wasn’t alone. Turning to her side, she glimpsed the man sleeping next to her and quickly looked away. She immediately glanced down and saw that she was still wearing the sexy dre
ss Collette had talked her into putting on yesterday. How did she end up here, and where was her best friend?
Just thinking made her head ache, and she quickly laid her head back on the pillow as images of last night began to waft over her—the champagne toast at the suite, followed by partying at several clubs and multiple cocktails. Then at their final destination, she’d met him. Memories of their sexy dance and make-out session at the club came swimming back, along with the stranger lying beside her, who’d made her orgasm on this very same bed. Had that really happened?
Addison looked over at him. He was sleeping soundly and hadn’t caught the fact she was now awake and remembering every part of last night. She remembered how his fingers had made love to the lower half of her while his mouth had made love to her mouth and then ... “Omigod!” Addison clamped her lips shut and glanced at the sleeping figure again. He hadn’t moved a muscle. Thank God. She remembered what happened next and was mortified.
After reaching a mind-blowing orgasm and when she should have been on top of the world and ready to take the next step in officially becoming a woman, she’d become sick ... and well-acquainted with the porcelain god. To make matters worse, the man sleeping beside her right now had had to pick her up and carry her to bed. Talk about a buzzkill. He must have been so sorry he’d picked her up at the club.
She had to get out of here, and quick, while he remained asleep. She was completely embarrassed. Slowly, she eased out of the bed, but she went too fast and almost lost her footing. She recovered and made it to her feet, looking for her sandals, but as she did she realized she didn’t have on any underwear. Dear God! She was going to have to take the walk of shame without any underpants! Could this get any worse?
When she saw the sleeping stranger turn over in the bed, she ducked to make sure he couldn’t see her, grabbed her sandals and sneaked out the door.
Harts of Arizona Series Page 59