by Nikki Ash
When I don’t answer, he slips his hand through mine and brings it to his lips, incessantly peppering soft kisses on my skin. “How about we go out after this and I show you just how beautiful I think you are.”
“Oh, really,” I sass. “So, a man calls me beautiful and I’m just supposed to jump into bed with him?”
He smiles sheepishly. “Who said anything about bed?”
“My bad,” I tease, dropping my hands from his neck. “I thought you wanted to sleep with me.”
Gripping my wrists, he places my arms back around him. “Oh, baby. You have absolutely no idea what I want to do with you.”
“Are you guys ready for a bed?” Liza’s voice cuts in on our banter as she returns, and we both look at her, confused. Was she listening to our conversation? “A bed,” she repeats. “For the photos?”
“Oh.” I shake my head. “Yeah, of course.”
I hop off Rosario’s lap, trying to play it cool, and he’s hot on my heels as the three of us silently make our way to the other end of the penthouse.
“Do you guys need to head to the bathroom to get dressed? Or undressed?” Liza asks.
Looking over my shoulder, I watch Rosario watching me and think of how I would usually be so nervous to undress in front of a stranger. But like a gift from God himself, this man looks at me like there isn’t a single thing of interest around him but me. And I don’t want to lose that.
I don’t want to forget what it’s like to be so enchanted by lust.
I don’t care if he's a stranger who feels more like a long-lost part of me. I don’t care that everything about this is unconventional and unexplainable.
I came here for spontaneity and recklessness, and no matter what, I never do anything half-assed.
“That’s fine,” I say, eventually answering Liza. “I’ll undress here.”
“Perfect,” Liza muses. “Rosario, just unbutton your shirt for now. We’ll see how it goes, and if you’re comfortable, maybe I’ll have you unbuckle your belt and unbutton your pants.”
A barrage of images flash through my mind at the mere mention of him and I together, partially clothed. My breathing turns shallow and ragged, my blood pulses hard through my veins.
I can’t remember a time in my life where I so blatantly wanted a man with such fervent need. I’m the woman who falls in love with a personality first; a typical friends to lovers scenario almost every time.
The physical connection is always the last piece of the puzzle.
But not this time.
Not with him.
Standing on either side of this California King, Rosario and I are facing one another, our eyes daring one another to make the first move.
He touches the first button on his shirt, and I mirror his urgency, reaching for the hidden clasp on the side of my dress. His fingers deftly move to undo the second one, and I begin dragging down my zipper.
By the time his shirt is open, I’ve slipped the straps of my dress down my arms, and we’re both watching the material slide down my body and land in a heap at my feet.
Swallowing hard, I nervously raise my head, and my gaze meets his. His golden-brown eyes are blazing, and my breath hitches at the possibility of being wrapped in his heat.
He shakes his head slowly, almost in disbelief, and in a measured breath his words set me alight. “God, you’re beautiful.”
Chapter Two
Rosario
I thought watching the way the material slid down her body like water would be my undoing, but I was wrong. There was no way I could anticipate what lay underneath, waiting for me.
And it was, waiting for me.
Blake herself was waiting for me, the exact same way I’ve been waiting for her. I didn’t know it till the moment she turned around, but the second I laid eyes on her, every part of me shifted.
The woman was breathtaking. There’s no denying that. Natural copper locks of hair framed her heart-shaped face and fell down in layers to the middle of her back. Her eyes were pools of chocolate I was desperate to drown in.
And her skin…
My gaze appreciatively peruses her body and all the creamy white skin that’s on display. The most intriguing parts of her are still covered by an emerald green, lace bodysuit that clings to her every curve. She looks like porcelain wrapped up in the prettiest paper, and my fingers itch to unwrap her. To touch her. Too feel her.
I’ve spent years of listening to my family members spout bullshit about finding the “one”. The Ricci’s were known for their rash decisions that had forever-like consequences. We were led by our hearts, the occasionally untrustworthy organ almost always responsible for our choices. My grandparents’ and parents’ short courtships and long marriages proof of the way it could work. And my recent divorce a painful reminder of all the ways it didn’t.
But this… I’ve never felt this with anyone.
So in tune and familiar at first sight. Like we’d met before. Like once upon a time, I knew her.
“God, you two are killing me with these looks,” Liza says, her commentary the constant reminder of where we are, what we’re doing, and that we’re not alone. “I’m in photo heaven right now. I can’t wait for you both to see these shots.
“Rosario, do you want to sit on the bed? And Blake, if you’re comfortable, you could crawl to him? Maybe straddle his legs?”
The words alone have my dick stirring to life, and I find myself inhaling a lungful of air in anticipation.
“Do you want me to take my shoes off?” I ask Liza.
“I’ll probably cut them out anyway,” she responds. “So do whatever works for you.”
Kicking off my shoes, I climb up onto the bed and maneuver myself till the headboard sits at my back, my eyes are on Blake, and my legs are spread wide in invitation.
Holding my gaze, she awaits no instruction from Liza, slowly slipping off her heels and stalking toward me. She crawls across the bed with a predatory gleam in her eyes, and I’m impressed. The shyness that I anticipated from her is nowhere to be found, and quite honestly, it has no business here. Not when I feel so connected to her.
Rising to her knees, she hooks a leg over my body, and I watch her slowly descend till the apex of her thighs is resting atop my semi-hard cock, her arms around my neck, and the smirk on her face showing she’s not even a little bit surprised at my arousal.
“Now you guys do your thing,” Liza calls out while taking photos. “Pretend I’m not here and let the chemistry unfold.”
Like magnets, my hands gravitate to her hips, and it takes all my willpower not to slide them down to cup her ass. I drag my gaze off Blake and look at Liza. “I don’t think you want to watch me fuck her.”
“Rosario,” Blake hisses, admonishing me while Liza bellows out a laugh.
“Oh, man,” she continues, chuckling. “You’re right, I don’t want to see that, but if my instincts are correct, you’re going to have to work a little harder for it. And that is something I do want to see.”
She raises the camera, snapping some candid shots of us while we’re both looking in her direction.
“When you two are married with a million kids and celebrating your sixty-fifth wedding anniversary, don’t forget to send me a thank you card, yeah?”
“So you’re that sure,” I ask, smiling.
Her face turns serious, and she stops the incessant clicking. “If you two here today isn’t fate, then I don’t know what is.”
I want to scoff. Disagree. Ridicule her observation. But none of that happens. I flick my eyes up to Blake. “What do you think? Do you believe in fate?”
“Not enough to let you in my pants.”
“I could buy you a drink, though,” I suggest. “After this?”
Her body relaxes ever so slightly into mine. “Will you tell me about the girl?”
“Why? So you can tell me about the guy?” I retort. I hold her tighter and shift her closer, my arms wrapping around her middle, pressing her breasts right up against m
y chest. “Wouldn’t you rather forget they ever existed instead?”
“You up for the challenge?”
“Come here,” I murmur. Lightly, I rest my palm on the curve of her neck and raise my head till my lips are in line with hers, my intention to kiss her very clear.
Wordlessly, I give her the opportunity to say no. To look away. But when her eyes continue to hold my stare, and her tongue peeks out to lick her lipstick-coated bottom lip, the small distance between us becomes too much.
Guiding her to me, I gently press my lips to hers and enjoy the feel of someone’s mouth against mine for the first time in over a year. It’s a soft and delicate union that echoes none of the fervent need that’s coursing through my body right now. But it’s perfect. For this moment. For this woman. Because as the kiss naturally deepens, I realize the last thing I want her to think is that this is just about her body and me wanting to be inside of her.
Surprisingly, it’s only a small part of whatever this is. It’s the part I know with certainty that will come easy to us. But everything else, I want to enjoy finding out. I want to peel back all the layers and find out what it is about this woman that has me inside out just by looking at her.
We pull apart, both of us teetering on the edge of more and holding back, because this isn’t really the time or the place.
I watch her eyes flutter open and fall in lust with the red blush that’s currently decorating her cheeks. I did that.
“What’s his name?” I ask smugly.
“What?” she asks in a daze.
“Told you I could make you forget about him.”
Her lips split into the widest grin, and I’ve never felt such satisfaction in being the one to make someone smile.
Tilting my head to kiss her again, I’m reminded that Liza is just a few feet away when her phone rings.
“Shit, guys, we may have to reschedule this,” she says while putting her cell phone to her ear. “Hello.”
Wanting to be ready for my next move, I look back at Blake. “Get a drink with me.”
I don’t say the words as a question, or a demand, but it’s more like the only option I’m giving us, because more hours in her presence is all I want.
“Yeah?” She puts out there shyly.
“Yeah,” I answer with conviction. “Please.”
Nodding, she surprises me when she leans forward and presses a kiss to the corner of my mouth. “Let’s get out of here anyway.”
“You don’t want to finish the photo shoot?”
She shakes her head. “I think I got what I came for.”
Me too.
Just as we’ve decided to move on, Liza comes back in the room looking frazzled. “Sorry, guys, my sister’s water broke and I’ve got to go.”
“That’s okay,” Blake says. “We decided we’d end it here now anyway.”
“What? Why?” She narrows her eyebrows at us. “You’re leaving together, right?”
Chuckling, I hold on to Blake tighter. “Yeah, definitely together.”
Liza slides a hand in her back pocket and flicks a card onto the bed. “Why don’t you two stay here. I was staying here overnight because I had another shoot in the morning, and something tells me you guys will have a lot more fun here than I was going to.”
“We couldn’t,” Blake argues, but Liza isn’t listening. She’s haphazardly packing up her stuff, desperate to get to her sister.
“Here,” I start. “Let me help you pack all your stuff up to say thank you.”
Blake looks at me quizzically, and I kiss the tip of her nose. “Just wait for me here, okay?”
Like the gentleman my mama raised me to be, I hop off the bed, put my shirt and shoes back on and wait for Liza to zip up her collection of camera bags.
Without a second thought, I hike the multiple straps over both my shoulders. “Lead the way,” I say.
“Thanks for this.” She sighs. “I will contact you both in a few days, and if you’re up for it, we can reschedule. You guys have paid and there’s no way I want you to walk away with a less-than-stellar experience.”
“It’s okay,” Blake soothes. “Worry about your sister, we can work whatever’s easier out when your niece or nephew is born.”
Her kind words don’t shock me, but rather, they add one more thing to the list of reasons it’ll be very hard to walk away from this woman.
When we finally make it to the lobby, Liza turns to me and reaches for her bags. “I’ve got it from here,” she states. “I really appreciate you helping me.”
“Of course.”
“I’m really sorry I had to cancel,” she reiterates while walking to the concierge. “But something tells me today hasn’t been a total bust.”
When she pulls out a credit card, I place my hand on her shoulder and stop her. “I’ll pay for the room.”
“No.” She shakes her head. “That’s completely unnecessary.”
“Seriously.” I drag out my wallet from my back pocket. “I think you may have just changed my whole world. I owe you.”
“You know, I do these shoots often, and each time my romantic heart plots out a happy ever after for each couple. It almost always eventuates into nothing. But this, with you and Blake, this could be it.”
“So it wasn’t all in my head?” I ask, confiding in a complete stranger.
“Oh my God,” she exclaims, placing her hand over her heart. “Definitely not. Just wait till you see the photos, because trust me when I say a picture really is worth a thousand words.”
Liza’s honesty, as well as her understanding, fills me up with hope that I can trust myself and the way I’m feeling. That maybe after a horrible marriage, and a shitty year, I can make the leap and Blake could catch me.
Finally, it's our turn at the reception desk, and Liza explains the situation to hotel staff. Without too much hassle, they switch over the credit card details on file to mine so it can be charged upon checkout.
Once we’ve signed off on everything and said our goodbyes, I race back to the room, desperate to get back to Blake.
I rush in as soon as the door unlocks, taking big, purposeful strides to the main bedroom.
“What are you doing?” I ask, a flutter of panic settling in my bones as I lean on the door jamb. I watch her meticulously step back into her dress and slide it up her body before zipping it up. “Where are you going?”
“I can’t do this,” she breathes out, her voice full of indecision. “I just don’t do things like this. On a whim, you know? That isn’t me.”
Pushing off the wall, I stalk toward her. “I know we just met, and this is an impossible ask, but please, please, don’t walk out that door.”
Looking pensive, she chews on her bottom lip, and I take the fact that she’s still standing before me as a sign that there’s a chance she might stay.
“We can keep our clothes on,” I state. “And I can sit on the opposite end of the room if it makes you feel better. But, please, Blake.” Needing even the simplest of touches, I step forward and grab her hand, lacing my fingers with hers. “Please don’t leave me wondering,” I beg. “If you leave right now, every part of me knows I could be missing out on potentially the best thing that’s ever walked into my life.”
Chapter Three
Blake
I should be running for dear life. And before he walked back in here, that’s exactly what I was going to do. Any sane woman would walk right out of this room and away from this man. But I can’t.
Logically, I know the things coming out of his mouth are impossible. They’re too much, too soon. Too… everything.
But my heart… my soul. They feel electrified at Rosario’s insistence. Everything about him is inviting and welcoming, and everything about that should scare me.
Strangers don’t feel this way about one another.
Not this quickly, and possibly not ever.
His hold on my hand tightens. “What do you say?”
“I’ll stay,” I say, trying to sound w
ay more put out than I feel. “But can we move whatever this is to the living area? Take the pressure off and keep it light?”
I don’t know why I expect his mood to change, as if taking the possibility of sex off the table would turn him into a grumpy, unsatisfied prick, but he remains unfazed by my decision to keep my legs closed.
“Of course. We’ll order room service and find something to stream.”
“And no sex,” I repeat.
“Oh, Blake. Baby,” he croons, pulling my hand and moving me closer to him. “Tonight is just the beginning.”
I raise a questioning eyebrow. “The beginning of what?”
“Of us.”
The words roll off his tongue without hesitation or preamble. The expression on his face and the sincerity in his voice add to the honesty of the statement.
In truth, the words are perfect. They’re promising. They’re words I would’ve expected and accepted from the man I devoted three years of my life to.
But from this stranger?
From this stranger, they should be comical. Absurd. One hundred percent unbelievable. But even as my mind tries to talk me out of this unrivaled connection, my heart starts to beat to a new rhythm. One made up of two words and a stream of endless possibilities.
Bringing my hand up to his cheek, I lean into his mouth and softly kiss his lips. “You have one night,” I tell him. “One night to make me want and see and feel what you do.”
Mirroring my actions, it’s his turn to kiss me, except his lips linger, and his hands wander, and I almost forget all the reasons why we were already not doing a rough and tumble in the sheets together.
As if he can read my mind, he drags his mouth away from mine.
“Let’s eat first,” he suggests breathlessly. “Food would be a nice distraction right now. Are you hungry?”
Knowing we need to put the brakes on the physical touch, I find myself leading us out of the bedroom and away from temptation. “I don’t know if I could stomach anything right now,” I tell him honestly.
“You’re not one of those people, are you?” he asks, stopping mid-stride, a hint of worry in his tone.