by Kira Archer
“Oh sure, he’ll be fine,” she reassured him. “It’s sweet of you to worry about him.”
Elliot shrugged. “He’s a great kid. I have fun hanging with him. It’s nice to be myself around someone,” he said with a laugh. “He’s not nearly as scary as I thought he’d be.”
Lena laughed. “No, he’s not. Don’t worry. He loves my cousin, and she’s got a little boy about his age. They played right up until it was bedtime, and they’ll be at it again at the crack of dawn. There’s always that moment, right when it’s time to sleep, that you really want to be at home surrounded by all the things and people you love. You know?”
Elliot sat next to her, draping his arm over the back of the couch. Available for cuddling, if she chose, but safely out of range if she stayed where she was, perched on the edge.
“Definitely. I love to travel, don’t get me wrong. But there’s just something about crashing in your own bed surrounded by your own things. I never sleep very well at hotels.”
“Me, either. Something in common,” she said with a hint of teasing in her voice.
“I think we’ve got a lot more in common than that.”
She looked up at him. His eyes riveted to her mouth, and flashbacks of their kiss in the hall ricocheted around in his brain. He gripped the back of the couch in an effort to keep his hand from sliding down her back or running through her hair that she’d left loose and free. When she moved, the light coconut scent of her blonde waves drifted to him, and he closed his eyes for a second, savoring it. He wondered if she always used coconut-scented shampoo or if being on the island made her feel tropical. She’d said there was coconut oil in her bite balm, so she probably used it for other things as well. He should ask her sometime.
He took a deep breath. If they were going to get any work done at all on his presentation, he was going to have to sit on the other side of the room. She was too much of a sexy little bundle of temptation. He was damn near ready to cry because he couldn’t touch her right now.
She relaxed back, her shoulder fitting snuggly under his arm. Their bodies touched all the way down, her arm rested next to his side, and their thighs pressed together. She fit against him perfectly, like she was some long-lost puzzle piece that had been made just for him.
He moved his arm so it was draped around her shoulders more than the couch. He waited for her to tense up or move away. If anything, she snuggled closer. She’d either gotten over her nerves from the hallway, or she was totally plastered.
He wasn’t quite sure what to do. She’d brought her binder, and he really did want to work on his presentation with her. But with her cuddled up to his side, the last thing in the world he wanted to do was move. Well, that wasn’t true. He wanted to move all right. Move until he was over her, inside of her…
Elliot closed his eyes again and counted to five. Make that ten.
She patted his thigh, and electricity shot from where her hand rested on his bare skin straight to his dick. He held his breath and tried to slow the blood furiously pumping from his brain to the vicinity of his shorts.
“Should we get some work done?” she asked, giving his leg a little squeeze before pushing herself off the couch so she could settle on the floor by the coffee table.
“Sure,” he said, thanking whichever patron saint who watched over horny men that his voice sounded calm and cool. Because he was so not calm.
Lena flipped her binder open. “Ready?”
“Very.”
One eyebrow quirked up, and Elliot gave her a little half grin. That faint blush crept into her cheeks, but she didn’t look away like she usually did. Instead, she bit her bottom lip and let her gaze wander from his face to rove over the rest of his body and back up again. The sight of those teeth lightly grazing the tender flesh of her lip destroyed what little progress he’d made in controlling his baser body parts.
“Good,” she said.
That one word hit him like a sucker punch to the gut. He wasn’t sure what game she was playing. But he liked it. A lot.
Before he could respond, she turned her attention back to the binder.
“Do you always have that binder with you when you travel?” he asked.
She blushed. “Always. You never know when a good idea will hit. I’d hate to have an amazing idea and then forget what it is before I can jot it down.”
“Good point.”
“Okay, so here are a few things I was thinking,” she said.
She started going through some ideas she’d had about his foundation. He leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees, and tried to pay attention to what she was saying. He may have even managed a few coherent responses, but he couldn’t vouch for that.
What he did know was that her light tan brought out the gorgeous blue of her eyes. The sundress she wore exposed strong, toned arms and gently sloping shoulders. The crossed straps showed enough of the curve of her back that he had to lace his fingers together to keep from reaching out to feel how soft that smooth skin actually was. Her legs were tucked beneath her, her bare feet peeking out from beneath the hem of the dress. When had she kicked off her shoes? Her toes curled under for a moment, like they knew he was staring at them.
He wished he could pull those feet out and run a finger along the soles, see if she was ticklish.
“Elliot?”
He looked up, startled, and met her amused gaze. She’d obviously had to say his name more than once. “Sorry. What did you say?”
She laughed. “I was asking what you thought of that last idea, but it looks like your mind is a million miles away.”
He looked into her eyes and shook his head. “No. Not a million miles away. My mind has been firmly in this room since the second you walked through the door.”
“Hmm, then what did I say?”
He leaned forward. “I didn’t say I was paying attention to what you were saying. I said my mind was right here, the whole time. And it was. I was just thinking about you.”
He wasn’t sure what reaction he expected from her. Righteous indignation? Surprise? Intrigue? Embarrassment? There might have been a touch of all of those in her rosy cheeks as her gaze burned into his. But mostly, all he saw was a heat to match his own.
“Come here,” he said, his voice deep with desire.
She didn’t hesitate. She gathered her dress up in one hand so she could rise up onto her knees and close the distance between them. Her face was set in determined lines, her eyes blazing with intensity. She didn’t drop her gaze until she was pressed against him. She glanced down for a moment, leaning in. He parted his legs so she could wedge herself between them, getting as close to him as possible. Since he was still sitting on the edge of the couch, their bodies were almost flush with each other.
Just watching her come toward him had made him rock hard and ready. She leaned in closer. The full length of him pressed into her belly, and he fought the urge to close his eyes and groan. If he touched her, he would have an extremely hard time leaving it at a few kisses. She set his blood on fire. His entire body nearly screamed at him to touch her, taste her, make her his. But if that wasn’t what she wanted, he needed to nip this little game in the bud.
She rose higher, dragging her body up the full length of his.
“Lena,” he said.
She stopped moving and looked at him. He ran his thumb over her lips, which parted to drag in a breath that was ragged with need.
“Are you sure?” he managed to ask.
She came in a little closer, rubbing her body down his. “I want you so badly I’m aching. I want you so deep inside me I’ll remember you every time I move tomorrow. I want you to make me come so hard I see stars. I want you to make me scream your name so loudly the neighbors call security. I want you, Elliot.” She punctuated her words with gentle bites along his neck. “Right. Now.”
His mouth opened in a silent gasp. “Fuck,” he groaned, capturing her face between his hands.
His restraint disintegrated. He wrapped his a
rms around her waist and lifted her off the floor as he leaned back onto the couch. She spilled across his lap, half lying on him, kissing him in earnest now. Yanking at her dress, she pulled it out of the way so she could straddle him. The moment her heated center settled over him, she gasped and threw her head back, rocking on him. He grasped her thighs and ground his hips against her.
She cried out, leaning forward to kiss him again. He was pretty sure his heart stopped for a few seconds before it resumed pounding. If she kept it up, he was going to lose it right now, like he was a newbie with no control.
He dragged his hands up from her hips to tangle in her hair, holding her to him. His lips molded to hers, their tongues thrusting together, mimicking what his body longed to do. She crawled farther up his body, settling more firmly over him. He grabbed her hips again, this time to keep her from moving, and pulled away from the kiss, his chest heaving to drag in a breath.
She looked down at him, her eyes narrowed in confusion.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing. I just want to make sure you’re really up for this. Because I’m not sure how much longer I can hold out.”
Her confusion evaporated, replaced by that look a woman gets when she knows the guy is putty in her hands. Well, not putty. Something longer and infinitely harder.
She rocked on him again, and his breath hissed through his clenched teeth. She leaned forward, her lips moving over his as she spoke. “I hope you can hold out at least long enough so I can get you out of these clothes.”
He pulled back, his heart beating against his ribs hard enough to hurt. His whole being screamed at him to keep his damn mouth shut and accept what was being offered like a good little boy. But he wanted no mistakes here. Lena wasn’t some one-night stand he could screw and walk away from. It wouldn’t be a screw at all. The words “making love” floated through his head, and for the first time he actually meant it.
“Are you sure?”
She gazed down at him. “More sure than I’ve ever been.”
She eased her hand between them and cupped him, wrapping her fingers around him through his shorts. He sucked in a breath and jerked beneath her, thrusting into her hand. She squeezed him harder, smiling against his lips.
“Oh, that’s how you want to play, huh?” he said.
Her laugh turned into a squeal when he surged up, keeping her legs wrapped around his waist as he carried her.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“The bed. I need a little room to work.”
“Wait.”
He froze.
“Do you have…in my pack…I have, you know…in case you don’t have…”
He laughed. “No worries. I’ve got a box.”
Her face fell for a second, and Elliot realized that she probably assumed he’d come to the hotel prepared to have a little fun with some random hookup.
“I made a little stop in the gift shop earlier.”
“Was I that sure of a thing?” she asked, a slight frown creasing her brow.
He kissed her forehead. “Not even close. But a guy can be hopeful,” he teased. “I wanted to be prepared. Just in case.”
Before he could say anything else, she squirmed in his arms, reaching up to pull him down for another kiss. He didn’t wait for her to say yes again.
Chapter Eight
They made it inside the bedroom, but not much farther. Lena’s legs clenched around him and Elliot sucked in a ragged breath. He spun, pressing her against the wall. His mouth worked over hers, and she moaned into his mouth. He ground his hips against her. She whimpered, desperate for more. His teeth grazed a trail down her neck.
“Ah!” she gasped, tightening her legs around him so she could press herself closer.
He groaned and kissed her again, walking them backward until his legs hit the bed.
They tumbled back, and he rolled them over so he was pressing her into the mattress, his mouth and hands stroking her into a frenzy. Her blood raced, igniting every nerve ending in her body.
He sucked at her nipple through her dress, and she struggled for breath.
“Tell me what you want,” he said, his hand massaging her other breast¸ rolling the nipple between his fingers.
She flung her head back, her body twisting under the delicious torture his mouth and hands were inflicting.
“I want you,” she said, arching up so she could capture his mouth. “Inside me,” she whispered. He rocked against her again and she moaned. “Please. Now.”
“Hmm, so impatient.” He nipped at her neck. “I want you naked first.” He sucked her earlobe into his mouth. “I want to see every inch of you trembling for me,” he breathed into her ear.
She quivered, turning her neck to give him better access. “You’re a little overdressed yourself,” she said, hungry for the sight of him.
“Very true.”
He knelt in front of her and dragged his shirt over his head. Her mouth went dry as she stared at all his muscled goodness. She sat up onto her knees so she could stroke the hard lines of his stomach. He popped the button on his shorts. In moments, those were gone, too, and she was left with no question whatsoever about how happy he was.
“Your turn,” he said.
She grabbed the hem of her dress and pulled it over her head, leaving her kneeling in front of him. In nothing at all.
His eyes widened as he took her in, and she was glad she hadn’t chickened out on going commando. The look on his face was worth every draft that had blown up her skirt.
“You are so beautiful,” he said, his voice deep and raspy.
He leaned over her, pressing her back until she was flat beneath him. He lay to the side of her, his hands playing with her breasts while he kissed her. She pressed into him, trying to get as much flesh into his hand as possible. God, it had been so long since she’d been touched like this. She’d forgotten how amazing it felt.
He stopped long enough to take a sip from a glass of half-melted ice water on his nightstand. Before she could say anything, he was back, a wicked gleam in his eyes. He leaned over and sucked at her breast. She gasped at the sensation of the ice cube swirling around her nipple. The alternating sensation of the ice and the heat from his mouth had her clawing at the sheets beneath her, panting for more.
His mouth left her breast and trailed down her body. He stopped to get another cube from the glass and then settled himself near her thighs. His hands slid up her legs, pushing them farther apart. He trailed the ice around her folds, gripping her hips to keep them still when she squirmed beneath him. The ice circled her clitoris, once, twice, before he pushed it inside her. Her heated core melted it almost instantly, leaving her tingling and desperate for his touch. The heat of his tongue replaced the cold sensation of the ice, and her hips left the bed, aching to take more of him.
He licked her in long, sure strokes, holding her hips against him so she couldn’t escape, tormenting her with every touch of his mouth.
Two could play at that game.
He was lying on his side, his head toward her feet while he feasted on her. Only fair that she do the same to him, since he’d left himself within reaching distance. All she had to do was lean forward.
He tensed and then groaned as she took him in her hand and guided him into her mouth. She sucked him in, wrapping her lips around him and taking him as deep as she could before dragging her mouth back over him, her tongue swirling around his sensitive head.
His breath hissed through his teeth, and he renewed his onslaught of her. She pressed closer to him and sucked him down harder, faster, until he thrust into her mouth with a moan.
“Fuck!”
He sat up, hauling her back beneath him and kissing her until she whimpered. The taste of her on his lips made her quiver beneath him while he drove her insane.
“Oh, God! Please,” she begged.
He ran his hand down her side, following the line of her hip to the spot where she most wanted him. He slipped a finger
inside her, rubbing against that bundle of nerves. She cried out and lifted her hips, trying to bring him deeper. He slid another finger inside.
“God, you’re so wet.”
He kissed her, his tongue and fingers stroking her in tandem until that warm pressure built to a raging storm deep inside her. His mouth left hers and moved back to her breast, sucking her nipple between his lips while his fingers increased their tempo. She bucked under him, no longer thinking of anything but that delicious ache that was almost more than she could stand.
His teeth lightly grazed the sensitive bud in his mouth and she shattered. She grasped his hand, keeping his fingers deep inside her while wave after wave of her orgasm crashed over her.
He rolled over and got a condom out of the box in the nightstand, then slipped it on while she lay back and watched. Her body still convulsed in little aftershocks, her pulse pounding in her ears.
He leaned over her, kissing his way back up her body. “I want to feel you around me when you come next time,” he said.
“Yes,” she whispered, lifting her hips to try and bring him closer.
The tip of him rubbed at her entrance and she gasped, the sensation almost overwhelming with her body still trembling from the first orgasm.
He sank inside her, one slow inch at a time, and she grabbed at his back, trying to keep her nails from digging into his skin.
“Oh, God!” she said.
He eased back, retreating until he was almost all the way out, then with one thrust, filled her completely. She rose to meet him, wrapping her legs around his hips. He dragged himself out and back in again, over and over, rubbing that sweet spot that made her quake beneath him with every thrust. The pressure began to build again, deep within her. She couldn’t remember if she’d ever orgasmed twice in the same night, let alone mere minutes after the first one. Her body was still on fire from the last go around, making every stroke that much more intense.