Not a damned thing.
“Hey, Chuckles?”
Noah, dammit. His name was Noah.
He shoved off the balcony ledge and walked back inside the room. “Yeah?” he called out as he slid the screen door closed and latched it. Not that he expected anyone to scale the building to get into their room three floors up, but old habits died hard.
Noah turned around and practically swallowed his tongue. Standing in the space between the mirrored closet doors and the bathroom stood Alyssa, steam billowing out behind her. He blinked, and couldn’t help being stunned into silence. The sight of Alyssa wearing nothing but a stark white towel and a smile nearly drove him to his knees. She looked ethereal, like a mirage. A very tempting, sexy mirage that had him moving sex up to the top of his list of immediate needs.
Alyssa might not be an expert at much of anything, especially the bodyguard business, but she knew the look of a man when he wanted a woman. And the heat blazing in Chas’s eyes had her reading him loud and clear. He wanted her.
Talk about arousing. Endless possibilities ran though her mind with lightning speed, each one more erotic than the last, making her breasts tingle and her inner thighs grow damp in anticipation. Need awakened inside her with a vengeance, demanding to be quenched. Denial was not an option.
The words she’d been about to speak upon exiting the bathroom evaporated into the thin, humid air surrounding her. When she opened her mouth, no sound came out, no protest, no acknowledgment of her body’s answering call to his. She couldn’t even manage a sigh. She just stood there staring at him, wondering where he’d been all her life.
She knew the answer. Up until eight hours ago, he’d been busy living his own life three thousand miles away. His life was on the other side of the country; hers was here, in Los Angeles. She didn’t believe in long-distance relationships. In her opinion they were a waste of time and money because in the end, they were rarely successful.
What the hell was she thinking? She’d only just met the man and she was already hot for him. The word slut hung on the fringes of her consciousness, but she pushed that annoying bitch aside and concentrated on Chas and the sexual awareness radiating from both of them. For the space of a half a dozen heartbeats, she didn’t care that he’d just walked into her life. In those few brief seconds, she was blissfully conscious of a variety of intense sensations rippling over her skin, and not a one of them unpleasant.
With agonizing slowness, he walked toward her. Never in her life had she been so wholly aware of another human being as she was this man. She didn’t understand it. She wasn’t sure she wanted to. A blushing virgin she was not, and she’d been to the rodeo a time or two. But this was different. Exactly how she knew that, she couldn’t say, but she knew. Deep inside, she just knew.
He stopped in front of her and slid his hand along her jaw, settling it at the back of her neck. He must’ve taken up all the oxygen in the room, because all of a sudden she couldn’t breathe.
His green eyes simmered with desire, making her body ache—for him. He dipped his head and skimmed his mouth along her jaw to her ear. “I’m going to kiss you,” he said, his voice all husky and hot.
She melted. Her vocal cords continued to fail her, so she nodded. Yes, she thought. Kiss me. Kiss me now.
Bless his heart, he did, gently at first, with a soft, tentative brush of his lips against hers. But then he moved his tongue along the seam of her lips, changing the tempo. She opened her mouth and he swept his tongue inside to tangle with hers.
Her world spun out of control. Without an ounce of hesitation she wreathed her arms around his neck and hung on for dear life. With her body pressed up against his, the knot from the towel she’d tied at her breasts dug into her tender flesh, but she didn’t exactly care. All that concerned her was that Chas keep kissing her.
He shifted and urged her even closer. She had no trouble discerning exactly how aroused he was, either. That was no gun pressing against her. She knew because she’d spied the holstered weapon slung over the back of the chair when she’d first come out of the bathroom and couldn’t find him.
Immediately, she’d thought the worst, that the bad guys had tracked them to the hotel, snuck in and taken him while she’d been in the shower. Panic had gripped her. She’d feared for his safety, and that had shaken her composure. She didn’t even know him, yet the thought of losing him had rattled her enough to traipse around in nothing but a towel without a thought for the consequences.
Now she was kissing him. Letting him kiss her. God, what was she thinking? Yes, there was definite chemistry between them, but he was a client, and a rat. No, a man with a conscience, she amended. And one with a very talented tongue.
She toyed with the hair at the nape of his neck, the thick, short strands silky against her fingertips. Before long, she was threading her fingers through his sable hair.
His big body was warm and hard and nudged against her in all the right places. He even smelled good. Intoxicating. All masculine with the barest hint of some faint, woodsy scented aftershave added to the mix. And she wanted more. A lot more. If the dizzying sensations of being held and kissed by him continued, she’d never want him to stop.
Who was she kidding? She didn’t want him to stop. Ever. Because it had been too long since she’d had sex. Because he was hot and ready, and based on the rather impressive erection straining against his pants, more than willing.
His hand cupped the back of her head while his thumb traced lazy circles on the side of her neck. Good heavens, the man could kiss. She’d known she was attracted to him from the minute she’d laid eyes on him, but nothing could’ve prepared her for the acute sense of abandon bubbling up inside her.
He shifted their positions, walking her backward until her bottom brushed up against the dresser. Deepening the kiss, her tongue mated with his in a scorching, ardent dance, emulating exactly what she wanted him to do to her. She moaned and allowed her barriers to fall momentarily, giving herself permission to become lost in the delicious, sizzling heat building up inside her.
Not that she really believed she had any choice in the matter. Her breasts were tingling, her nipples tight and hard and begging for attention. They rubbed against the soft terry cloth, but she didn’t want to feel fabric against her skin, regardless of the high thread count. She wanted his hands on her, his mouth. She wanted Chas, hot and hard and naked.
She ended the kiss long enough to pull her arms from around his neck. Tugging at his shirt, she freed the tails from his pants. Thank goodness he took over the unbuttoning process, because she kept fumbling the jobd was half a second away from popping the damned things.
He shrugged out of his shirt and tossed it aside before yanking his T-shirt over his head. Slipping her arms around him, she smoothed her palms over his torso. Her fingers kneaded the firm flesh and she marveled in the sheer pleasure of touching him, of exploring the hills and valleys of his sculpted and toned body.
He was masculine perfection to the nth degree.
She wanted more.
He grabbed a handful of her still wet hair and gently tugged, tilting her head back. He trailed delightful little kisses and nips that he soothed with his tongue down her throat to her chest to the slope of her breast. When his tongue dipped into her cleavage, she arched her back and let out a low, slow moan of pleasure.
He leaned back and she stared in curiosity at the mirror reflection of her own desire in his gaze. Sweet Mary, how was it possible to be so completely enraptured by a man she’d only just met? She didn’t want to consider what that said about her.
She couldn’t worry about what would come next. If he left tomorrow, so be it. Where was the risk? She hadn’t exactly known him long enough for him to break her heart. Still, the thought of his leaving threatened to fill her with sadness.
No, she thought. With a firm dose of determination, she refused to let that possibility weigh her down in misery. This was not the time for sorrow or melancholy or wondering how man
y times they could make love between now and the time he did leave. She’d made herself a promise a long time ago to always live in the moment, and dammit, that’s exactly what she planned to do.
Slowly, she reached for the knot holding her towel in place. The green in Chas’s eyes deepened to a rich emerald color, encouraging her. She untied the knot and held the ends of the towel slightly open, just enough to give him a tempting glimpse. With what she hoped was her most seductive smile on her lips, she glanced pointedly at his pants.
“I’ll show you mine, if you show me yours.”
CHAPTER 5
Noah swallowed. Hard. He summoned every ounce of control available to him to keep from pushing Alyssa’s hands away and letting the towel fall so he could look his fill. The brief glimpse of her silky-looking flesh, of her full breasts and flat, tanned stomach, was nothing short of sweet torment and nowhere near enough.
He wanted more. He wanted her. Need, deep and primal, clawed at his insides. He wanted to taste, to touch, to feel her body moving against his.
He was out of his pants in record time. Standing before her in just his boxer-briefs, he knew he’d never walk away from her now, a decision that defied every ounce of his common sense.
“I can’t resist you,” he blurted honestly. They were strangers, thrown together by bizarre circumstances, but even that knowledge failed to lessen his need to have her.
“Do you hear me saying no?”
Heat surged through his veins at her sexy admission. He moved closer, her fresh scent wrapping around him. Dipping his head, he tasted the tender flesh below her ear with his tongue, knowing this was only the beginning and wouldn’t be nearly enough. He wanted so much more from her.
She tilted her head, giving him better access. With a low growl, he dragged his mouth along her jaw, then kissed her deeply. When she returned his kiss with equal hunger, she slipped her arms around his neck, allowing the towel to fall. He wasted no time in touching her, skimming his hand down her spine to rest on her bottom, where he gently kneaded her firm flesh with his fingers. Her skin was softer, silkier than he’d imagined.
Without breaking the kiss, he carefully lifted her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and held on tight. His dick throbbed painfully in answer to the nearness of her sex pressed enticingly against him. Heaven help him, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d wanted a woman as much as he did Alyssa.
How was it possible that one woman, one he hardly knew, could wield that much power over him? She had his insides twisted in knots he didn’t think he’d ever unravel. He set her atop the dresser, then broke the kiss long enough to take a step back. If he didn’t regain his control, now, he’d ended up embarrassing himself.
The smile curving her lush mouth nearly drove him to his knees. Sweet, sassy and sexy all rolled into one intoxicating curve of her lips.
“So beautiful,” he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. She was exquisite. Dressed, she was fun and flirty with curves in all the right places. Bare-assed naked, she was smoking hot and sexy as hell.
She took hold of his hands and brought them to her lips. Pressing kisses against each of his palms, she held his gaze. “Touch me,” she demanded, then moved his hands to her breasts.
He palmed her fullness, testing the weight of each globe against his hands. When he scraped his thumbs lightly across her tight, pink nipples, she moaned and closed her eyes. Letting her head fall back, she arched her spine, thrusting her breasts more firmly into his hands.
He’d never known a woman so genuinely confident and comfortable in her own skin. Every inch of her was exposed for his pleasure and she didn’t attempt to hide herself from him. She stole his breath and made him forget everything but her.
She braced her hands behind her on the dresser and opened her legs. “More,” she whispered in sexy demand.
He grinned. “Not a problem.” Moving closer, he kissed her again, long and slow and deep, before he moved on to her breasts. When he took one nipple into his mouth, she released a sigh that had his libido soaring even higher. Smoothing his hand down her stomach, he let his fingers brush against the honey-blond curls at the juncture of her thighs. She rolled her hips in response, silently begging for an even more intimate exploration.
He wasn’t about to disappoint her.
She let out a slow hiss of breath as he dipped his fingers deeper into her curls, opening her slick folds, exposing her. She was so hot, so wet, she had him rock hard and aching and struggling to keep his control in place.
He dragged his mouth from one breast to the next, where he caught the tight bud between his lips and suckled her. And still he wanted more. He wanted her on her back, her legs spread wide. He wanted to make her come with his mouth. He wanted the taste of her on his tongue as she cried out his name. He kissed her then, a hungry, scorching kiss. God, would he ever get enough of her? He didn’t think it possible.
Using the pad of his thumb, he applied a slight degree of pressure. He stroked her, teased her already swollen and throbbing clit. She moaned a sexy little whimper into his mouth and thrust her hips against his hand.
There was nothing gentle or tender about the way she kissed him. She demanded and took and that was just ine by him. She was primed and ready and had his entire body burning up with white-hot need.
When she shifted her body, opening her legs even wider and exposing her core, he slid his finger inside her. She gave a deep groan of pleasure and he nearly came right then. She was so tight, so damned hot.
Needing a distraction, he tore his mouth from hers. “Look at me,” he demanded, his voice hoarse. He continued to stroke her, easing two fingers inside her slick heat.
She opened her eyes for him, her irises the color of dark sapphires, highlighted by tiny flecks of gold, her lids heavy. “Don’t stop,” she whispered to him before she bit her lip and groaned her pleasure again. With her hands braced on the dresser behind her for support, she lifted her hips to meet the long, slow thrusts of his fingers.
She held him spellbound with the intensity of her gaze. No way was he going anywhere. “Never,” he answered as he slipped his free hand around to her bottom, supporting her weight in his hand.
Her lips parted slightly and he was struck by an urgent desire to see her take his cock into her mouth, to watch her pink swollen lips slide over the length of him. The image haunted him and fueled the passion burning him up inside until he couldn’t stand it another minute.
He let go of her bottom and wrapped his arm around her waist, gently urging her off the dresser. She made a sound of protest when he turned her so she faced the mirror, her back to him.
He braced her hands on the dresser so she was leaning slightly forward. “Spread your legs for me,” he whispered in her ear.
She did, but she closed her eyes. She rubbed her bottom against his erection. Exquisite pleasure roared through him. She was trying to kill him, he was convinced of it.
From behind, he eased his fingers inside her again and pumped, going deep. The low keening moan that escaped her lips was nearly his undoing.
“Watch,” he said roughly when her eyes remained closed. The mirror rested low enough on the dresser, giving them a perfect view of her riding his hand, of her parted lips, of her breasts, her nipples tight buds, begging for his mouth.
When she opened her eyes, he reached around with his other hand and teased her clit. Her moans immediately became sharper, more insistent, escaping with each hard pant of her breath. “I’m going to come,” she rasped with urgency, her voice husky and filled with sex.
“Let it go, babe.” He pushed her, gliding his finger over her sex until her moans became louder and even more insistent.
“Come on my hand,” he whispered in her ear.
Her body tensed around him seconds before she let out a sharp cry of pleasure. She pressed down and rode his hand, her hips thrusting forcefully with the strength of her orgasm.
He held her close while the aftershocks of her climax shoo
k her. Once her breathing returned somewhat to normal, he scooped her into his arms and carried her to the bed, where he gently laid her upon the mattress. He dropped to his knees and carefully positioned her bottom on the edge of the bed, then settled her legs over his shoulders.
He parted her dewy folds and drew his finger over her throbbing clit with agonizing slowness. He leaned over her, kissing her mound, the satiny smooth flesh of her inner thighs. Taking care in her overly sensitive state, he tenderly lapped her.
Her breath exhaled on a long, slow hiss when he circled her clit with his tongue. As he eased a finger inside, her crie and came more frantic, more needy. Her legs trembled. The climax he drove her to grew closer until finally, he pushed her over the edge and she came in a rush of heat on his tongue. She cried out, unintelligible sounds of pleasure intermingled with a name that wasn’t his own.
His passion receded as if she’d tossed a bucket of ice water over his head. Yes, he still wanted her. He didn’t think that would ever change. But that was the problem. He wanted her. Noah Temple. Not “Chas.”
My name is Noah, dammit.
With care and more regret than he’d believed possible, he slowly brought her back down to earth. He ached for her and there was little doubt in his mind he would’ve had sex with her, but hearing another man’s name on her lips was simply wrong.
She believed he was someone else. The lie he’d perpetrated went against everything he believed in, and now he regretted what he’d done.
When she learned the truth, she’d hate him. Period. He knew enough about women to know that much. Women didn’t take too kindly to being deceived, especially when it came to intimacy. She’d kick him to the curb for sure, which would be no less than he deserved.
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