by AJ Riley
“I didn’t know.”
The questions seemed to come from his lips in rapid fire. “How on earth did you book your vacation then? Have you been to this hotel before?” He saw her start to measure her answers and he ground his back teeth together. He wanted to get to know her better but every time he tried she seemed to shut down on him.
“Oh, an agent booked it for me.”
He turned to look at her with a smile. “That was very trusting of you. What if she sent you to some run-down place and charged you an outrageous amount of money?”
Amanda laughed. “I’m not that trusting. I have used the same agent for all my travel. She was told I needed to relax and unwind and, here I am.”
“Lucky me.” He said as he gave her hand a slight squeeze content to let it go for now.
Russ stopped walking when he felt Amanda tug on his hand. Turning to look at her she slowly stood on her tip toes and pressed her lips to his. When he felt her tongue slide against the seam of his lips he parted them to give her access. If she wanted to explore his mouth with hers then he was more than ok with that.
He slid his arm around her waist and pulled her flush against his body showing her what her simple kiss had done to him. When she slid her hand up into his hair, gently scraping her nails against his scalp he knew that they had to get off of this beach or else. Russ felt Amanda shiver as he slid his hand over her hip and pulled her against his hardened cock.
If he didn’t stop this now he was tempted to strip her naked and make love to her on the sand. That was not how he was going to get her trust him. Anyone would be able to walk by and see them. He was not willing to put her through that embarrassment no matter what his raging libido told him. Pulling back from the kiss he leaned his forehead against hers and tried to catch his breath.
With one last quick peck against her lips he told her, “Let’s head back. I felt that shiver and I wasn’t thinking about the breeze off of the ocean. I should have brought you a sweater.”
CHAPTER 15
Amanda didn’t want to tell him that the shiver was due part to his kiss and part because she was relieved. Whatever magic walking on the beach had done she would thank whomever was necessary. It seemed to get him out of his funk and put their evening back on the right track. The track that lead them back to her room.
Walking with her hand in his hand become the natural thing whenever they were together. She didn’t think it was even a conscious decision they just gravitated toward each other. She wouldn’t complain, just that small gesture had her body tingling in anticipation. She couldn’t wait to get back upstairs.
As they stood waiting for the elevator she looked over at Russ. He seemed to be more relaxed now. The twinkle was back in his eyes and the brooding look had been washed off his face. If walking in the moonlight was all he needed she would have gladly skipped dinner and asked him to take her to beach earlier. As they walked hand in hand back to her room she felt the smile spread across her face.
For a moment she wondered if she was meant to be here. If she was supposed to be at this resort to meet Russ. She had long ago stopped believing in fate but what else could this be? For some inexplicable reason fate had decided to send her to Russ and she sure as hell wasn’t coming to complain.
At the door Rus stopped at looked down at her. “What’s with the grin?”
How could she explain it to him? Could she, should she tell him how she was feeling? No, she didn’t want to ruin this so instead of answering she stood on her tip toes and placed her lips gently against his, “I’m just happy. I couldn’t image a better way to spend an evening than with you.”
He smiled back at her, unlocked the door, and ushered her through. She was surprised to find that dinner had been cleared away and in its place, was a bottle of chilled champagne and a platter of fruit that included chocolate covered strawberries. She looked at Russ in silent question.
“The hotel is known to anticipate the guest needs.” Was his smug answer. The smile that played on his lips had his eyes dancing.
“Oh, and what does champagne, and strawberries mean? What kind of an assumption is that?” she asked playfully. Loving this side of him.
He pulled her close and almost whispered, “That was my assumption. I told them that if we were to leave to come in and clean up. I asked them to leave some snacks just in case we wanted something sweet. I’ll have to thank them for thinking of the champagne.”
“Was there a contingency plan if you left the room alone?”
He smiled at her “I didn’t need to put that into place because the thought that we were not going to spend the night together never crossed my mind.”
She playfully smacked his arm and giggled, “It’s a good thing I find you mildly attractive and am not put off by a take charge man.”
“Oh, only mildly attractive? While here I think you are the most breath takingly beautiful woman that I have ever seen? I’m going to have to try harder to up your impression of me.”
His words had her sobering and she stared into his eyes. “You think I’m beautiful?” she asked shyly.
He brushed his lips against hers. “I can’t think of anything but you. I can’t think of anyone but you. You are so beautiful that you take my breath away and I feel like the luckiest man alive that I am holding you in my arms.”
She couldn’t take it anymore. She stood up on tiptoe and pressed her mouth against his while she pushed her hands into his hair. She heard him groan and it embolden her to continue. She rubbed her breasts against his chest trying to ease the ache in her hardened nipples. She let out a gasp as he lifted her against him. Trying to wrap her legs around his waist was impossible because of the damn pencil skirt, what the hell had she been thinking when she put it on.
She registered the feel of his hand as it reached around behind her. With a sudden ripping sound her legs were suddenly free to wrap around him. He slipped his hands under her now torn skirt and growled. He pulled away from the kiss. “You don’t have any panties on?” he asked with a lift of his eyebrow.
“Oh, I knew I had forgotten something when I got dressed.” She smiled.
“If I had known that, we would never have left this hotel room.” His voice was husky with need.
She smiled against his lips in satisfaction that he liked her little surprise. She wasn’t able to suppress the giggle that escaped her as she felt him whirl them toward the wall and her back was pressed against it. He slid two fingers in her and she moaned against his mouth. She knew what he would find. That she was wet with wanting him, her need was so great that she ground against his hand seeking relief but what her body really wanted was to feel him buried deep inside her.
The position they were in didn’t give her access to remove his clothes, so she had to make her mind and lips form words. Tearing her mouth from his she panted. “Russ, I want to feel you inside me.” She rasped out. “Please” she begged, as he continued to pleasure her with his fingers.
As if her mind wasn’t already spinning he walked the few steps toward the bed and laid her on it. He pulled away from her and stared tearing at his clothes. She was doing the same thing, cussing at her skirt when the zipper didn’t slide free fast enough for her. At last when she had the skirt removed she yanked her top above her head and she was completely naked to his gaze.
She could read in his gaze all his thoughts. He let her see everything. All his need and desire, for her. No one could fake that kind of desire, she was sure of it. “Russ, I need you.” She said finally reaching out to him.
“Whatever I have that you need I’ll gladly give it to you. All you have to do is ask.” He told her as he started to kiss his way up her body.
Was he being serious, she wondered. “Russ, wait.” She said and felt him freeze.
“What’s wrong?” he began but she cut him off.
“Are you serious? All I have to do is ask?”
She caught him off guard when she suddenly turned shy. What is it that she could possib
ly want? He waited a heartbeat before she spoke so softly he had trouble hearing her, but her words set his blood on fire.
All Russ wanted to do was plunge into her and satisfy them both, but he could feel that she needed him to actually listen to her. That it took a lot for her to open up to him and make herself vulnerable. Wasn’t that what he had been wanting the whole time?
He cupped her face and had her met his eyes. The vulnerability reflected there made his chest ache. What is it that she could possibly want? “What is it you want? If it’s within my power its yours.”
“Can I be in charge tonight? I want to taste you like you did me last night.”
If the reddening of her cheeks were anything to go by she was embarrassed by the request. Whoever had made her feel self-conscious for asking for what she wanted in the bedroom was a fucking idiot. He couldn’t get on his back fast enough. Hell, he was so wrapped around her finger if she had asked him to fly her to the moon he would have been checking his options on how to get her there.
Her smile stole his breath, if something as simple as a bit of control made her this happy then he was happy to give it to her. As she eased over him and straddled his hips he reached up and pulled her face to his, just shy of being able to kiss her lips. “Anything you want it’s yours. All I have, is yours. I’ll be your willing slave if that is what you want, and I’ll enjoy every damn minute of it.” He grinned and gently pulled her lips to his.
CHAPTER 16
Amanda stretched and reached for Russ. When her hand slid across the cold bed sheet she bolted upright. Grasping the sheet to her chest her eyes scanned the room and immediately swept toward the balcony. He was nowhere in sight, taking a deep breath, she flung herself back onto the mattress and stared at the ceiling with a sigh.
Last night was one of the best nights of her life. From dinner, to a walk on the beach, to the incredible sex. Each night with him keeps getting better. She smiled in disbelief, who was this woman who was bold enough to ask to take the lead? True to his word Russ had let her. Hearing his moan when she had wrapped her lips around his cock and tasting the saltiness of him on her tongue had turned her like nothing she had ever experienced before.
She only had to slow him down twice when he wanted to regain control, but he didn’t seem to be upset. When his control had finally snapped, and she could tell that he wouldn’t be reeled back in she willingly gave control back to him and the man did not disappoint. These last few days had been the best of her life.
Okay so the man wasn’t here this morning. For all she knew he had an early shift and didn’t want to wake her. Nothing to panic about. Right? Last night when he had told her that anything she wanted and was within his power to give her, he would, made her wonder if that included his heart because he already had hers. The brevity of the time they had known each other should have scared her but it didn’t. It made her even surer that he was the one.
Amanda flung the covers back and headed for the shower. She would play it like it was no big deal that he wasn’t here when she woke up. Secure in the fact that he was sure to have an explanation she decided to get ready and head downstairs for some much-needed breakfast and coffee. If she ran into him perfect if she didn’t she was positive that he would turn up. The last thing she wanted was to come off as needy and scare him.
Amanda rushed through her shower, threw on a baby blue sundress, white wedges, grabbed a matching white sun hat off the shelf and out the door she went. As she rushed out the door, her mind on Russ, she wasn’t watching where she was going and literally walked right into Janice. Of all the rotten timing. She had been in such a great mood as she got dressed, now she could feel the anxiety start to invade her body. Waiting for Janice to start spewing acidic comments over her had her on edge but she was desperately trying not to show it.
Janice pushed away from Amada with a smirk. “Rushing somewhere?”
“Actually, I was just on my way to grab a bite to eat.” Without inviting her Amanda headed toward the elevators and Janice unfortunately fell into step beside her. She had to invite her to breakfast, but she didn’t want to. As unwelcoming as she could make the invitation sound she offered. “Janice, have you eaten? Did you want to join me?”
“Yes, actually that would be great.”
Crap. Couldn’t Janice take a hint. She didn’t want to spend any time with her, but she couldn’t take the invitation back now, so they headed toward the elevator.
Pissed off didn’t even to begin to explain the mood he was in. When his phone started to vibrate at 6:30 this morning, he had tried to ignore it. By the third call back to back he was furious. He pushed back the covers and tried not to wake Amanda up. He jabbed the answer button but didn’t speak immediately, whoever it was could damn well wait. He strode toward the balcony doors and slid them silently open. Stepping through them he barked into the phone. “What?”
“Well good morning to you too sunshine.” Greg said, “Someone sounds like he needs coffee, or did I interrupt something?”
No way in hell was he going to admit to anything. He knew that Greg wouldn’t let it go until he had all the details and Russ wasn’t going to share them with him. “I was sleeping and you’re disturbing me. This had better be important.” He walked to the far end of the balcony knowing full well that if Amanda happened to wake up and come near the door she would hear him. He tried to lower his voice but in his agitation, it didn’t seem possible.
“Haven’t seen much of you lately, some hot guest capture your attention?” Greg asked in jest.
“Did you really call me to ask me that?”
“I wanted to know a time frame when things on the island would be wrapped up, we have other things to focus on. We need to meet with Garrett and Sons to finalize the plans for the ad campaign launch. I need you to approve some of the ideas. I sent them over days ago and still have not heard a word from you.”
Russ paced on the balcony. Running a frustrated hand through his hair he pulled on the ends. If he didn’t get the details on this launch wrapped up soon he was going to be bald. Releasing his hair, he laid a hand on the balcony and looked out over the waves. He had to go to work, there was no way around it, but it didn’t make it any easier for him to leave her laying in there. He had to do it yesterday and doing it a second day in a row felt wrong.
“Yeah okay I remember seeing them on my desk. I’ve been too busy to look at them.”
Greg chuckled. “Yeah I bet.”
Feeling his grip on the railing tighten he looked down at his fingers, his knuckles were turning white in anger and it shook him for a moment. When was the last time he had been angry with Greg? It had been so long he couldn’t remember. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing, don’t get defensive. I was in the bar talking to Steph while you were having a drink with a beautiful woman. Who is she? What’s her name? She seems vaguely familiar.”
He could detect the interest in Greg’s voice and he felt the jealousy race through him. He was not going to discuss the details as if she was just some woman he had picked up in the bar. Shaking his head, he wasn’t angry with Greg, they had shared everything with each other, but Amanda was special. There was no way in hell he would share the intimate details of their relationship with anyone, not even his best friend. “Don’t worry about who she is. Just do your job and I’ll get the approved ideas back to you today.”
Without waiting for a response Russ ended the call and headed back into the room. If he wanted to spend the day with her he had to get this campaign handled. These new ads for the hotel were supposed to take it in a different direction than the rest of the hotels. If it was done right, then this would become the resort that all other exclusive resort standards were held against. If it wasn’t done right, then he would have wasted months on some new company that Greg pushed him to try, and they would have to scrap the whole thing and start over.
Russ ran his hands through his hair and quickly got dressed. Deciding against waking her h
e let thoughts about last night spur him into action. The quicker he got this business handled the faster he could get back to her. If he were lucky he would be able to get into the office, approve his choice and get it to Greg before she woke up.
Talk about the best-laid plans. He was trapped in his office on the phone and before he knew it, it was almost lunchtime.
“Greg” Russ barked into the phone. “It was your idea to use a new agency. You said it was going to have new and fresh ideas. What is this crap that is sitting on my desk? I said no sunsets, no fake beach shots!” he demanded. “You had better get ahold of whoever it is you are working with over there and get this shit fixed. If it’s not done ASAP, I’ll go with someone else. You and I both know that we don’t have time for this crap. Handle it.” Russ listened to Greg splutter.
“The woman I deal with for the agency is out of the office for a few days. I don’t think I can reach her. Maybe someone else in the office will be able to help.”
Greg was trying to appease him, and it wasn’t getting the job done. He didn’t want excuses he wanted to get this shit done and get out of here. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger and prayed for patience because he was all out.
“Greg, listen to what I’m telling you. I don’t care what you have to do to get this woman to do her job. It was your idea to use this new company. It was you who assured me that they would have fresh ideas and be able to deliver what I was looking for. I even went so far as to tell you to make sure they understood that I didn’t want to see one fucking palm tree or sunset on this design. I’m sure I made that clear. Didn’t I?”
“Listen, there is no need to be an ass. I know you’re under a lot of pressure, so she screwed up. I’ll get it fixed. Haven’t I always?”
“I don’t want someone else to start over, so this is what you’re going to do. You call this company that you insisted on using and tell them they have a choice because my patience is wearing thin, they either get the original person you were working with to schedule a meeting as soon as humanly possible or I will contact the agency we have for the other hotels and get this done.”