by Kayla Wolf
And before she could say anything, his arms were around her—and she squealed, half in fear and half in delight, as he hoisted her into the air as though she weighed nothing. Laughing, she clung to his neck as he walked them away from the dance floor, drawing amused looks from the crowd around them.
”I think we’d better get home,” Alice said reluctantly. “If my shoe breaking isn’t a sign…”
Daniel nodded, heading for the stairs to the club, and she giggled a little as he carefully maneuvered them up the stairs, taking great care not to bump her head on anything. Was he really planning to carry her all the way back to the hotel? It seemed so. She wasn’t complaining. The night air was a little chilly when they emerged, and the warmth of his body was a welcome shield against the cold. And it was undeniably, almost unbearably pleasant to be pressed against him, his powerful arms holding her close, carrying her home … she resisted the urge to shut her eyes, the pleasant warmth of the alcohol and their night of dancing making her feel incredible. She’d long since given up on fighting her feelings for Daniel. She was head over heels—there was no denying it, especially not with the alcohol functioning like a kind of internal truth serum. She couldn’t fool herself anymore. She’d fallen for him … hard.
And if he only saw her as a friend, well … that was fine. She’d suffered in silence this long. For now, she was just living in the moment, delighted to have his time, his attention, and his company … as well as his arms around her as they wove their way back to the hotel. He finally set her down in the elevator, and she giggled a little at how unsteady she was on her feet. As she staggered a little, he grabbed her hand, supporting her on her uneven feet—she reached down to pull off the other shoe, feeling the cool tile of the elevator on her bare soles. Then she looked up into his face.
They’d been close all night—it had been necessary, in the noisy club, to lean in to be able to hear one another. She’d almost gotten used to the feeling of having his face so close, those beautiful eyes of his always crinkled in a smile or bright with whatever joke he was telling. But here … here in the quiet of the hotel, there was no need to lean in like he was. And yet, here he was. Close. Far closer than he needed to be, with a strange look in his eyes as though he was trying to hold himself back from something. She opened her mouth to speak, feeling an overwhelming urge to say something to break the tension, to duck away from him, to break the strange spell that had come over them … but before she could speak, he was kissing her.
Her instinct was to freeze. Every time she’d been kissed, on the handful of vaguely successful dates she’d been on in her life, her body had locked up, paralyzed by insecurity. Maybe that was why she’d never been much further than a goodnight kiss with any of the men she’d seen—they’d read that paralysis as disinterest or a lack of chemistry. Maybe they’d been right. Because none of those awkward encounters had felt anything like this one. When Daniel kissed her, it felt like the tide was coming in, knocking her legs out from under her, overwhelming the fragile walls of sand she’d built up against feelings like this.
And to her surprise, her body wasn’t frozen. Far from it. Her hands were on the back of his neck, her fingers burying themselves deep in his gorgeous hair—it was as soft as she’d daydreamed it would be. Her whole body was responding to him, her torso pressing against his chest—she’d risen up on her tiptoes to get closer to him, such was the enthusiasm with which she was returning his kiss. And god, it felt … it felt unbelievably right. Like the first sip of water when you hadn’t even realized how thirsty you were. Like finally letting your breath out after holding it for your whole life.
The elevator doors opened with a soft ding, and they both jumped apart as though they’d been shocked. She’d forgotten where she was, she thought dizzily, staring up at Daniel, who looked exactly like she felt—like he’d been utterly shell shocked by the kiss they’d shared. They stared at each other for a long moment, frozen … then Daniel cleared his throat.
”We should get back inside,” he said, his eyes dark and full of unspoken things. The way he was looking at her … she’d never felt so vulnerable, so seen.
“Yeah,” she said softly. They walked down the hallway together, a foot of space between them that seemed to crackle with electricity. She waited by the door as he swiped his keycard to let them both in, her whole body still, her heartbeat frantic in her chest but her mind calm, almost empty … and then they were inside, the door closing behind them. The room, just as they’d left it, a little messy (though room service had come up to take the plates away, she noticed distantly). Strange, how a place could feel the same when so much had changed.
He moved close to her now, slower than he had in the elevator, his eyes on her face. They were lit by not much more than the moonlight spilling in through the open curtains, and the shadows danced across Daniel’s face as he moved closer and closer to her. She stood her ground, her body trembling not with fear but with need, with desire, with the unmistakable urge to take him into her arms and … what?
She was about to find out.
This time when he kissed her, she took the lapels of his jacket in her fists and pulled him down to her, missing the extra height that her heels had given her. She felt his hands settle on her hips, ever so gently … but still, the feeling of them sent lightning through her body, and a small gasp escaped her as his hands slid up her lower back to press her against him. Almost without her permission, her hands were unbuttoning his shirt—she’d have flushed with embarrassment at her forwardness if her whole mind wasn’t currently occupied with kissing him as hard and deep as she could. There was an animalistic need in her, long-dormant, finally waking up … it felt for all the world as though she had fire in her belly, something aching to be let free. It felt, she realized with a strange jolt, a little like magic. Like the power that rippled through her when she changed shape.
He could feel it too, she realized, looking at his face, at the tension in his jaw, the way his hands shook as he gently caressed the back of her neck, drawing her closer to him. He could feel the same wild desire she could.
”Don’t,” she murmured, her hands roaming across his body, urging him to be more forward with her, more rough. “Don’t hold back.”
”I don’t want to hurt you—”
She growled her impatience, seizing him by the wrist and dragging him towards the bed with her. A remote part of her marveled at her courage, at her forwardness … a few hours ago, the idea of even touching his hand would have set her heart fluttering. She wrapped her arms around him … and before he could stop her, she pulled him down onto the bed with her, feeling the full length of his body press her down into the soft quilt.
Finally, he seemed to get the message, and she whimpered with desire as his hands—faster now, more firm—roamed across her body, finding the zip on her dress and tugging it down with the ease of practice. She wriggled out of the garment, kicked it across the bed, desperate to feel his hands roam across her skin unfettered by fabric … she moaned as he bent his head to scatter kisses down her throat and across her chest, nipping at her collarbones, his hot breath skating across her chest as his hands roamed down, caressing the sleek expanse of her legs, her thighs, creeping agonizingly close to the heat that was building between her legs but always shying away before making contact … she groaned, her body writhing beneath him as he returned to claim her lips in a deep, bruising kiss.
How had she spent so many years without touching him like this? She’d pined for him for decades, never getting closer than a few feet apart … and now, with his body pressed against hers and his hands all over her, she felt like she was going to explode if she didn’t get more of him right this second. She yanked at his shirt, finally freeing his gorgeous torso from the confines of the garment, ran her hands over the planes and contours of his well-muscled form, and grinned to herself at the way his breathing hitched and caught as she found his sensitive spots. It seemed she wasn’t the only one who was grateful to be un
clothed. In a burst of boldness, she reached around and unclasped her bra, hurling it across the room, and his eyes widened as he gazed down at her, a look of wonder mixing with the clear lust on his face.
”God, look at you,” he ground out—and before she could respond, he was kissing her throat again, sending her mind spiraling into oblivion at the intensity of the sensation. He took one of her nipples into his mouth, and she gasped, arching her back at the shock of pleasure it sent down her spine … and before she could regain her senses, she felt one of his hands slip under the waistband of her panties and into the wet heat of her sex. With a perfect mixture of roughness and tenderness, his hand explored her body, parting her folds, sending hot spikes of pleasure shooting up her spine, mingling with the full-body shivers that he was drawing from her as he toyed with her nipple with his lips, teeth, and tongue. She buried her hands helplessly in his hair, aware she was making hoarse, desperate sounds of need and unable to control them. It felt like her body wasn’t her own anymore … she’d never known this kind of feeling was possible, that the potential for such pleasure lurked in her synapses. His fingers pressed gently inside her, and she bit her lip hard, feeling her hips rock up against him, out of her control entirely, her body possessed with the need for more of him, his touch, the unbelievable things he was doing to her with such simple, deft gestures …
His lips were traveling down her body—she realized with a dizzy rush that he’d managed to ease her panties off at some point. She’d been so thoroughly distracted she hadn’t even noticed. She propped herself up on her elbows, breathing hard as she tried to get control of her senses again. He was still wearing his boxers. That didn’t seem fair. And though part of her would have been more than happy to lie back and let him do exactly as he pleased to her for as long as he wanted to … well, it wouldn’t really be fair to take all the pleasure for herself, now would it?
She sat up, shifting forward on the bed to reach for him … and when her fingertips caressed his hip, she felt him go still, his eyes clouded with desire as he looked at her with an unspoken question on his face. In answer, she tugged his boxers down, taking a sharp breath as his manhood sprang free. She was a doctor … Daniel was far from the first naked man she’d ever seen. But context was everything, wasn’t it? In her exam room, she was in control. Here, with unfamiliar feelings coursing through her—chief among them a desperate, screaming desire she’d never felt before and was struggling to understand—well, it was a little intimidating.
But that wasn’t going to stop her wandering hands, it seemed. It was all too easy for her hand to curl around his shaft, pleasantly surprised by the warmth of it, the firmness … and the reaction it drew from him was utterly delightful. He choked out a groan, his eyes fluttering shut, his whole body thrilling to her touch—just like her back had arched when he’d pressed his fingers inside her. She caressed his cock gently at first and then more firmly at the wordless encouragement of Daniel’s shaky breathing and the soft groans he was uttering. He moved in closer to her, lying down on the bed beside her to give her better access—she kissed him, losing herself to the sensation of his lips as she explored his body with her hands.
She brought him almost to the edge of climax before he reached down and pulled her hands away from him, his breath shuddering and his whole body tense as he fought to get control of himself again. He pulled her into a deep, bruising kiss—she followed an instinct to press herself against him, felt the hard length of his cock against her thigh, and as naturally as breathing, she adjusted her position until the tip of his manhood was pressed against her folds. He caught his breath, then, and she could feel him vibrating with tension as he held himself back from her, his eyes wild in the darkness.
”Alice—“ he choked out, his voice hoarse. They’d been quiet for so long that his voice surprised her. “Do you—”
”Yes,” she breathed, impatience flaring. “Please. I want you to—”
She didn’t know how she planned to finish that sentence … and thankfully, she didn’t have to. He rolled her on her back and buried his face in her throat with a groan and pulled her to him, his hands firm on her hips … and she uttered a breathy groan as his manhood slid inside her, impossibly deep, filling her completely. She’d never felt anything like it—but somehow, at the same time, nothing had ever felt more natural, more right. Was this really what she’d been missing out on for all these years? God, she thought dizzily as he moved inside her, cautious, letting her grow accustomed to the sensation of him inside her. She’d wasted so much time …
And she was determined to make up for it. She wrapped her arms around him, urging him to go deeper, move faster, to make love to her with all the vigor he could summon … and it wasn’t long before he gave her exactly what she wanted and more, that power and strength she’d always admired about him driving him deeper and deeper into her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, shocks of pleasure washing through her like waves, building and gathering in every cell of her body as he drove himself into her, again and again, bringing them both closer and closer to an inevitable climax that was rushing all too quickly towards them … but she was powerless to resist, powerless to slow the frantic motions of their bodies, even if she’d wanted to, even if she’d been able to summon the willpower to slow them down … she didn’t want to slow down. She’d spent her whole life slowing down. For once, she was going to be greedy.
Her orgasm exploded through her like some great star going supernova—she could feel Daniel groaning against her throat as his climax followed close behind hers. They lay in a sweaty tangle of limbs as the aftershocks rocked through her, making her whole body tingle, her toes curl, goosebumps stand out on her arms, her legs, her breasts … and his arms were around her again, drawing her close, pressing soft, gentle kisses to her face, her forehead, her closed eyelids. They lay there for a timeless moment. It must have been three in the morning at least, some part of her thought distantly. The responsible thing would be to go to sleep now, to make sure they got at least some rest before the rest of the conference in the morning.
Alice opened her eyes, taking in the sight of the gorgeous naked man in bed beside her. He was still breathing hard, his hands tracing circles on her bare shoulder, his expression soft but watchful … and she felt her desire stir in her like a living creature, not yet sated.
She’d had a lifetime of being responsible. For now, she was going to do what she wanted. And what she wanted was to make love to this man until dawn.
Chapter 10 – Daniel
Daniel had never been so happy to be so sleep-deprived. It was their second day at the booth and, powered by three cups of industrial-strength coffee, he was doing his level best to keep up with the crowds. Alice was doing a lot better than he was—he marveled at how composed she seemed, how put together she was as she greeted visitors to their little booth, handing out flyers as she explained their resort to each new visitor. If it wasn’t for his very, very vivid memories of the night before, he’d almost think that it was a regular day. That the woman at his side hadn’t spent almost the entire night with her hands all over his body.
God, was he blushing? He excused himself, ducked away from the booth for a moment to grab a bottle of water from the refreshment station, and take a few deep breaths. The whole day he’d felt like he was dreaming. The whole night, too, actually … basically, every minute since he’d given in to some strange impulse and kissed Alice in the elevator on the way up to their room. Had it been the alcohol, he wondered? No—the more he thought about it, the more he was beginning to suspect that these feelings had their roots a lot earlier in his friendship with Alice than just this weekend. Hadn’t he always felt a little strange around her? Hadn’t he always had an odd sense of self-consciousness? He’d assumed it was concern that she was judging him … but was it something else? Something deeper? Something that had woken up completely that night on the dance floor when he’d pulled her body closer to his as the lights flashed and the music pulse
d?
And last night … god, he could barely think about it without losing control of himself completely. He sipped his water, trying to stop the grin that was spreading across his face. He’d had his share of passionate nights, of course, but … well, at the risk of insulting his former partners, he’d never felt anything close to what he felt when Alice was with him. It was as though every single touch went straight to the core of him. Being with her was electric. He could tell she wasn’t as experienced as he was when it came to sex … but god, she was clearly determined to make up for lost time. He’d been sorely tempted to skip the rest of the conference and spend the day in bed with her … but he was honestly worried that she was going to wear him out completely.
So they’d headed down to breakfast together, a strange new intimacy added to their relationship. He kept looking at her and smiling … she seemed a little hesitant around him (which was pretty funny, considering how voracious she’d been the night before), but they’d shared a pleasant meal before heading into the hall again for day two of the conference. He’d been fighting the urge to keep touching her all day … it felt like every time he looked at her, he wanted to reach out to caress her face, to put his arm around her waist, to kiss her forehead, or hold her hand. It was ridiculous. He’d never felt like such a teenager before.
He headed back to join her at the booth, resolving to try to focus on work—at least until the conference ended at four. They had another night together in the hotel before heading home tomorrow morning … and though there was a goodbye dinner planned, he had a suspicion they might skip it. He was determined not to waste a moment of the time they had together—especially not with such an enormous, comfortable bed at their disposal … Daniel shook himself as he rejoined her, trying not to let the quick smile she shot him over her shoulder distract him too much. Focus on work, for now, he told himself firmly. No sense being unprofessional. What was wrong with him? He was never this distracted after spending the night with a woman.