by Nicole James
****
Cole lifted his chin in the direction over Wolf’s shoulder and grinned. “I think somebody’s about to rock your world.”
Wolf twisted to look over his shoulder, and his breath caught, a fist tightening around his heart. His eyes swept over Crystal, taking in every detail. Jesus Christ, she was beautiful.
He found himself turning slowly toward her. His eyes lifted to connect with hers, and he struggled to make his mouth work.
“Hey.”
She smiled at his lame greeting and repeated it back to him. “Hey.”
“You look beautiful.”
“Thank you.”
“Can I get the birthday girl a drink?”
“Okay.”
Mack finally shouldered his way through the crowd to join them. His eyes did one long trip down Natalie’s outfit, and he turned to his VP. Leaning to his ear, he barked, “Go find us a limo. Now.”
Cole frowned at him, not sure he’d heard correctly. “Do what?”
“A limo. One of those stretch jobs that’ll hold all of us. Get one. Now!”
Cole gave him a curious look and replied, “Yeah, okay.”
He jerked his chin at Green, and the two moved out toward the exit.
A half hour later, they all piled out of the hotel and out under the portico where a white stretch limo sat waiting, the driver holding the door open. Cole stood next to it.
“Where are we going?” Natalie asked.
“Get in ladies,” Mack ordered.
“Mack, you’re being all mysterious.” She frowned at him.
His brows rose. “Get in the car, Natalie.”
“Okay. Okay.”
They all slid inside, only to find Green already seated and making himself a drink from the mini-bar.
Mack spoke with the driver, then climbed inside, and the limo pulled out onto the boulevard.
Ten minutes later the limo turned in a driveway and pulled to a stop. The driver got out, came around, and opened the door. Mack slid out, extending his hand in for Natalie. She climbed out, took one look at where they were and pulled back on his hand.
“Oh, no. No way. Not happening.”
The others all piled out and took in the tiny Vegas wedding chapel.
“Mack, you dog. You and Nat tying the knot?” Green asked, still holding his drink.
“Come on.” Mack began pulling Natalie toward the entrance. She pulled back, which wasn’t easy in her silver heels.
“Mack, stop. We are not doing this.”
He came to a stop and whirled on her. “Yeah, we are. We are doing this. And we’re doing this right now.”
“Have you lost your mind?” she asked, her free hand going to her hip.
“No. I took one look at you in that sparkly white dress, and the idea just came to me. You look like a bride. We’re here in Vegas. Let’s do this.”
“And did my running off to Vegas without your permission have anything to do with this sudden idea of yours?”
Mack lifted his chin and grunted, “Maybe.”
Shannon, who’d been busy on her smart phone, looked up and said, “I just Googled this place, Natalie. Cindy Crawford and Richard Gere got married here. So did Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton.”
Natalie whirled on her. “Oh, and is that supposed to make me feel better about this? Just look how those marriages turned out.”
“Yeah, but they also filmed the wedding scene from the movie, Viva Las Vegas here, you know, the one with Elvis and Ann Margret? Come on, Natalie, if that’s not a sign from God, what is?”
“You can’t be serious?”
Mack pulled her around to look at him. “Forget all that. Do you want to marry me, Natalie? Yes or no? I ain’t gonna stand here and beg you.”
“It would be nice to be asked!”
“I just did!”
“The right way!”
“Think she wants you down on one knee, Boss,” Crash advised with a grin, one arm pulling Shannon close to his side as everyone stood watching Mack squirm.
Mack glared at him, and then back at her. “Oh, for the love of…”
Natalie raised her brows, waiting. “Well?”
Mack blew out a breath and dropped to one knee.
Angel scrambled to dig her phone out of her purse. “Wait, I’ve got to get a picture of this.”
Mack gave her a death glare, but she clicked away anyhow, grinning like a fool.
“Natalie, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
“Where’s the ring?” she asked arching a brow.
“I’ll take you to the jeweler tomorrow, and you can pick one out. Anything else, woman?”
“Just one more thing.”
“Yeah? What’s that? Ask away, because swear to God, this is the last time you’ll have me on my knee, baby.”
She smiled down at him. “Tell me you love me.”
“I love you, Natalie, with all my heart.” He stared up at her and with typical Mack impatience ruined it by adding, “Now, you gonna marry me or not?”
“Yes, Mack, I’ll marry you.”
A half hour later, they all emerged, Natalie holding a big bouquet of white roses, with Mack’s silver pinky ring around her finger.
CHAPTER TEN
Wolf stood at the hotel suite window, one arm propped high on the glass, looking out over the lights of the Vegas strip below. But his mind wasn’t on the view. It was on Crystal.
They’d been doing a dance all evening. Flirting. Seducing. Getting to know each other again. It was almost like they were strangers, hooking up for the very first time. And at the same time, it kind of felt like they were picking right up where they left off.
But one thing Wolf realized for sure, he needed to treat her gentle, careful, like a man testing the waters. She needed to be seduced, slowly, all night long. And he was up for it. Hell, yeah. He’d give her whatever she wanted. Whatever she needed. And that was what he believed she wanted.
Until she walked out and blew that belief all to hell.
Crystal walked out of the bathroom, and he caught her reflection in the glass. Twisting his head, he looked over his shoulder at her and forgot to breathe. She was in a black satin short kimono-style robe, belted at the waist, but with enough gaping open to reveal the matching black satin bra underneath. His hand slid from the glass, his eyes tracking her movements as she padded barefoot across the room to the mini bar. He slid his hands in his pockets, watching as she filled a short tumbler with bourbon. The ice in the glass tinkled as she turned and stalked slowly across the room.
It seemed tonight, Crystal wanted to be the seducer. A grin pulled at his mouth. He was fine with that. Oh, yeah. He was definitely fine with that.
Wolf pulled his cut off, tossing it over a chair, his eyes never leaving her.
She stopped at the side table, her hand moving over her smart phone. A moment later a slow sexy saxophone sound filled the room as she pulled up some music and set the phone back down. Wolf’s eyes lingered on the phone, a phone he had helped himself to while she was in the bathroom, quickly downloading an app to track her movements. Something he wished he’d done six months ago. If he had, then he wouldn’t have had any trouble finding out where she’d fled to when she’d left town. He swore to himself he was never going to get caught in that position again. That app was his insurance policy. Insurance that no matter where she tried to run or where she tried to hide, he’d always be able to find her.
Crystal’s eyes lifted and met his as she moved toward him. Coming to stand in front of him, she took a sip of the amber liquor, and his eyes slid over her body and down the smooth tan length of her legs. He was distracted from his slow perusal when her free hand cupped the back of his neck, her fingers sliding into the hair at his nape. His eyes met hers and saw the slow burn begin in them.
She handed the glass to him. He took it, taking a slow sip, his eyes never leaving hers, even as she twisted, her knee coming up and her inner thigh sliding along the outer side
of his jean-clad leg, the sole of her delicate foot stroking along the back of his calf from his knee to his boot top buried beneath the leg of his jeans. She rubbed against him like a cat in heat, seducing him slowly and seductively, enticing him with every tantalizing touch.
Holding the glass in one hand and still not breaking her gaze, his free hand moved to cup the back of her knee as it brushed against him, and then his hand slid up the outside of her thigh slowly, inch by inch until his fingertips were skating under the satin robe. Her head lifted, her lips almost brushing his. When he dipped down to connect that last few inches, she pulled back, just out of reach, and a slow smile pulled at the corner of her mouth.
And with that, their crazy dance began. One of teasing and taunting.
She stepped back, her eyes sliding closed as her body began to move to the music, her hips swaying, her body undulating from side to side. Her hands lifted the hair off her neck and then slowly let it fall.
Wolf sipped his drink, watching her every move, taking it all in, enjoying the little show of feminine enticement. Every move she made designed to tempt and seduce. Her eyes opened, her head tilted to the side as she continued to move. He did a slow blink, their eyes connecting.
His baby wanted to play. The fine art of seduction by Crystal. And she was a master at it. Every move, every look, every touch, designed to tempt him like Eve tempted Adam in the Garden of Eden.
He sipped his drink, twisted and then set the glass down on the dresser. Taking her in his arms, he dipped his head low to bring his face down to hers. She looked up at him, her arms sliding up his chest to his shoulders. His hand lifted to shift through her hair and cup the back of her head, bringing her close and kissing her, slow and soft. That’s how she wanted it tonight. A slow, erotic seduction. He was all too happy to give it to her the way she wanted it. Right now that was exactly how he wanted it, too.
His hand reached for the satin belt tied around her waist. As he pulled, she slowly backed up and the belt slid free, her robe falling open down the front. He followed her, tracking her as she continued her slow retreat across the large hotel suite, the whole time her eyes never breaking contact with his. When she got to the big platform bed, she stopped and he closed in, his hands sliding into the opening of the robe where all that smooth flat belly was exposed and her navel peeked out. Her skin was warm and soft under the heat of his large hands. He looked down into her face, saw her mouth part, a soft intake of breath at the touch of his hands. He stroked over her hips to her ass then back. Then he pushed the robe back off her shoulders, its slick satin sliding off her skin to pool on the floor.
She stood before him now in a matching black satin strapless bra and panties. His eyes skated down the length of her and then back to her face, their eyes connecting again. He saw his own hunger reflected back in her eyes. She sat back on the end of the bed, looking up at him and then slid back to recline on the pillow, one knee lifted, the sole of her foot sliding seductively over the sheet as her body gently writhed in invitation.
He stood there with his weight on one hip, his eyes moving over her, admiring all that silky tanned skin. His head dipped down to look at her from under his brow. He took it all in, her body all laid out for him like a feast for a starving man. And he was most definitely a starving man at that moment. Did she know how badly he wanted her? Did she even have a clue?
Dragging out the moment, he watched as her chest rose and fell with her accelerated breathing. Perhaps she was as aroused as he was. Perhaps she needed him just as badly as he needed her. He hoped so. He prayed so.
At his continued hesitation, she whispered his name, beckoning him softly, pleadingly.
“Wolf.”
It broke the spell, and he moved toward her, his knee coming down on the bed between her legs, one palm in the mattress, the other sliding up the calf of her bent leg, his fingertips barely brushing. And he knew the light sensation was setting sparks of reaction firing along the nerve endings in her skin. Determined to string out the anticipation as long as possible, he moved slowly over her, his hand skating up her thigh, over her hip, the indentation of her waist, loving the feel of her silky skin under his palm. He lowered himself on top of her, his weight coming slowly down on her, his hips settling into the cradle of her thighs. She looked up at him, her eyes wide, filled with desire and want, her mouth parting, her lips soft, inviting.
That look. That look in her wide eyes said it all. It was one of wonder. He’d never been this gentle, never held back like this, never moved so slowly, and he could tell it had her off balance.
Good. He liked when Crystal was off balance. It meant she was unguarded. It meant maybe she’d let him back in.
He had her full attention. Her full awareness. And he loved watching her increased responsiveness to his soft touch.
She had begun all this attempting to seduce him, but perhaps he was turning the tables on her and seducing his way back into her heart.
****
Crystal gasped as the cold metal of Wolf’s belt buckle came in contact with the warm bare skin of her belly as his weight settled down on her.
His mouth muffled her moan as his hands slowly stroked over her skin. His mouth gentle, probing, asking, not demanding.
This was all about giving, not taking. Every touch, every movement, every soft word whispered in her ear designed to please her. Tonight it was all about her. Giving her pleasure.
This was a side of Wolf she hadn’t seen in a long time. Maybe never. And it threw her. She wasn’t sure what to make of it. And maybe her mind was a little clouded by alcohol, because she didn’t want to risk examining it too closely. To be honest, she was terrified she’d pin too much meaning to it, and that in the end, it wouldn’t mean what she hoped it did.
But Wolf wasn’t letting up. He wasn’t teasing, he wasn’t playing. He was unwavering, resolute enticement, determined to tear down every wall she tried to keep up, every barrier she’d crafted to protect her bruised heart. She’d meant for this to be just a fling, just a taste of what they’d once had. She’d never meant to rekindle a flame she knew was likely to burn her again.
But she couldn’t help falling under the spell he was weaving over her.
And for the first time, it wasn’t all about him. He wasn’t thinking about what he wanted, because if he did, this would be completely different. It would be rough, demanding, playful and teasing, maybe, but never this tender show of emotion, never this gentle expression of things he obviously couldn’t say.
Her hands moved to his belt, and one of his came down to help her, yanking it free, his mouth never leaving hers.
When he finally broke free to breathe, she whispered in a voice frantic with need, “I want you naked.”
He rose up to look down at her before moving back off the end of the bed just long enough to shuck his clothes. Then his hot hard body was coming back down on top of hers. His hand moved up, his palm closing over her satin covered breast, gently squeezing.
“Need you naked, too.”
Her back lifted off the mattress to help him as his arm moved beneath her, his fingers snapping the hook free. And then he was pulling her bra free to toss it aside. His mouth pressed kisses along her jaw, down her neck and across her collarbone to climb to her nipple. His tongue lapped gently, until she was threading her fingers into his hair to pull him against her, needing more. So much more.
He latched on, giving a deep tugging pull that had her back arching, her neck going back in the pillow. But he wasn’t letting her lead, he wasn’t letting her set the pace, no matter how badly she wanted him to move faster. He spent what seemed like hours lavishing her breasts with attention until she couldn’t take it anymore and had to plead with him.
“Wolf, please, I need you.”
That didn’t hurry him any, either, he just trailed his mouth down her belly, transferring his attention to another area. She felt his hands move to her panties, and then they were down her legs and gone. He settled lower, between he
r legs to take up his torment again, only this time with even more determination to drive her crazy. His wicked mouth moving over her again and again and again, tongue delving, probing, tormenting, torturing, teasing. Until her head was thrashing on the pillow as she climbed toward orgasm.
“Wolf,” she gasped.
“Come for me, Crystal. Let me see all that beauty.”
His growled words, edged now with raw need worked to push her over the edge with a ragged moan. A moment later he was over her, brushing her hair back, his eyes moving over her face as her eyes opened to barely a slit.
She looked up at the tender look on his face, a look filled with love.
“Baby,” he murmured, pressing kisses over her face as her rapid breathing slowed. “Let me in.”
As he said the words, his leg moved between hers, his thigh coming up to press against her, his intention clear.
“Yes,” she moaned, opening to him as he settled between her thighs.
His mouth came down on hers as she felt his body lift, and then he was at her entrance, gently probing.
“Let me in,” he repeated.
She wrapped first her arms and then her legs around him in response, and pulled him deep in one sweet motion. She felt and heard him groan as he settled deep.
“Oh, God, baby. I’ve missed this. I’ve missed you.”
Her arms clutched at him as her throat closed, afraid to reply, afraid this fairytale was going to burst like a soap bubble, and she’d awaken alone in her bed.
He began to move inside her, with achingly loving care. Gentle, slow, unhurried, every stroke drawn out, lingering over every sensation. And the deep rumbling groan he emitted gave away the toll this was taking on his need. But he maintained a tight control on his urge, she could tell by the tremor in his arms and the tick in his clenched jaw. He was determined that this be all about her.
His body worshiped hers with such devotion in every touch. He seemed completely consumed by her, with such attentiveness and awareness of her in every move he made, every groan, every growl, every whispered word of love, praise and devotion.