by J. Kenner
“Just like I’ve said all along. I want you, Megan. But I don’t want a fast fuck.”
He reached out to gently stroke her cheek, the contact scorching her skin and making her breath shudder.
“I’ve had a lot of women over the years, but not anymore. What I told you about rebuilding my reputation, I meant it. I don’t fuck around anymore. And I’m damn sure not making it a game to see how many women I can get into my bed.”
Her brows rose. “Did you ever?”
“A game, no. Though some of my friends did.” A self-deprecating smile played at his lips. “I was more of a collector. I’d date beautiful women, and there would be an attraction. But I never got close. For the most part, I never wanted to.”
He met her eyes, then held her gaze as the heat of that moment charged the air between them and awareness curled through her, all the way down to her toes. “I want to get close now, Megan.”
Her head was spinning. “I—”
He cut her off with a gentle finger to her lips. “For years, I was given everything I ever wanted. When I walked away from my family’s money, I learned that the only things I value are the things I’ve worked for. Or the people who also value me.”
“Are you saying that I’m of value to you?” Behind her, the elevator doors slid open.
“Aren’t you?” He took her arm, then steered her out.
“I don’t know.” She understood him wanting sex, but what about her caught the eye of someone like Parker? Not only wealthy, but talented and ambitious. And she was just a makeup artist scrambling to keep her head above water.
They walked in silence for a moment until they reached the room. He opened the door and they stepped into the living area of a stunning suite, with bedrooms on either side.
She stood still, not interested in the room. Only in him. “I really don’t know,” she repeated.
“Then let me answer the question. You are, Megan. You’re of great value to me.”
She tilted her head so that she could see his face better, trying to discern if this was the truth or a line. But all she saw was sincerity. And there was nothing evasive in his voice.
“Why?”
“Maybe because I think you might understand what I’ve accomplished. What I’m still trying to accomplish.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Well, look what you’ve done. You left a job at Sephora at an Oklahoma City mall at twenty-one and went to LA by yourself with nothing but a dream and a little bit of cash.”
“How did you—”
“You worked three jobs while you got your cosmetology license, then you ordered a box of business cards and offered a card to pretty much everyone you met. The business grew slowly, but it grew, and by the time you turned twenty-six, you had a solid career working with portrait photographers before shoots and name brand celebrities before events.”
She hugged herself, each of his revelations hanging heavy between them as she thought of Carlton and his fixation on her. “How do you know all that?”
His smile seemed entirely innocent. “I collect information, Megan. As far as business goes, it’s my secret weapon.”
“Business,” she repeated. “You mean the contest?”
“I wanted to get a sense of you. And I happen to know a few of your clients. They all like to gossip. I asked, they told.”
She nodded, somewhat mollified. After the flyer fiasco, she could understand him wanting to know who had screwed up and plastered his picture around town.
“I was left with a pretty good sense of your career path,” Parker said. “And what you built wasn’t shabby.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t have much of it left now.” Immediately, she regretted the words. She hadn’t told him why she’d run from LA, and she hadn’t asked him to not tell Carlton where she was. But now he was probably going to ask why she bolted, and she really didn’t want to talk about it.
But all he said was, “That’s why they call it a fresh start, sweetheart. You’ll build it up again. After all, you already know that you can. And gaining the confidence is the hardest part.”
She peered at him, trying to discern if he knew why she’d wanted that fresh start. She couldn’t tell. But at least he seemed to respect it. Which meant that he probably wasn’t sending telegrams back to Los Angeles announcing where the long lost Megan Carter had got off to.
Even so, she should probably specifically mention that she was keeping a low profile and ask him not to post on social media, too. Just to be sure.
After all, loitering black cars made her twitchy. How much worse would it be if she suspected that Carlton knew where to find her? Assuming he even still cared. Which he probably didn’t. It had been months; surely he’d moved on.
“It’s late, Megan,” he said before she’d gathered her thoughts. “And I’m tired. But here’s the bottom line. I’m not interested in a fast fuck. I don’t do that anymore. But I’m also not proposing marriage. Hell, I’m not even asking you to go steady. All I’m saying is that I want you for more than one night. You fascinate me, Megan. You always have. You light a fire inside me, and unless I’m mistaken, I think I make you burn, too.”
He ran his fingers through his hair, looking both sexy and exhausted. “If I led you on, I’m sorry. But it was worth it to spend the time with you. And I’ll get you back to Austin first thing in the morning.”
He reached out and took her hand, then lifted it and pressed a soft kiss to her palm. “Your bedroom’s over there. Goodnight, Megan. I’m sure I’ll see you in my dreams.”
Chapter Nine
Needless to say, Megan couldn’t sleep.
She was in his dreams?
Boy, could she beat that. Because Megan didn’t even need to go to sleep for Parker Manning to fill her head.
Was he lying in his bed, sound asleep, while she tossed and turned, a mess of sensual longing and unfulfilled need?
Or was he, like her, lost in fantasies? Was he imagining coming to her door and slowly turning the knob? Was he closing his eyes and picturing the way she’d respond if he reached for her in the dark and gently stroked her shoulder before sitting on the edge of the bed and tugging down the sheet to reveal her bare breasts, her nipples tight and hard with desire?
She sighed, unable to ignore the insistent warm glow spreading over her body in response to her decadent thoughts. And since they’d come without luggage, she was naked under the sheet, and the cool cotton felt incredible on her overheated skin.
I want you to want me.
Was that what he’d said? Because oh, God, she did want him.
Not a fast fuck. Not a one-time thing.
Her stomach did a little flip at that. She’d been doing fine on her own in Austin. She had friends. A nice life. And she didn’t have to worry about her boyfriend turning possessive and weird and creepy.
But still…
There was no denying that Parker had gotten under her skin—heck, she’d been intrigued by him even back in Los Angeles. Now they were both in Texas, and Parker Manning was even more compelling. After all, she could hardly forget Parker’s heated demands and sensual descriptions of all the things he intended to do to her.
So, yeah. She wanted him.
And, yeah. He wanted her.
Which begged the question of why she was in this room and he was in the other when the whole point of coming on this trip in the first place was sex. Wild and hot and intense and Parker.
She sat up, the thought blinking in her head like neon.
Parker.
And that was her answer, wasn’t it? Like Parker had said, it wasn’t just sex that she wanted. No, she was craving the man she’d laughed with. The man whose career and history intrigued her. Whose naughty words had aroused her. Who had valued the work she’d done and understood the sacrifices she’d made.
The man who wanted her.
So, yeah, she was going to him.
Thankfully, the hotel had stocked h
er closet with a robe so she didn’t have to wrap herself in a sheet like an Egyptian mummy. Instead, she snuggled into the spa-style material and then padded barefoot into the living area. The lights were off, only a single lamp on by the bar to help guide her way to his door.
And his lights were off, too, if the lack of glow from under the door was any indication.
He was probably asleep. And if he was, she probably shouldn’t wake him. Because that meant he wasn’t simpatico with her. Wasn’t tossing and turning and thinking all sorts of wicked thoughts.
But if he was awake … if he was simply lying there in the dark…
Before she could talk herself out of it, she lunged for the doorknob, turned it, and pushed open the door.
“Megan.”
Every muscle in her body relaxed at the sound of his voice, thick with a desire so familiar it seemed to burn through her.
“Did you mean it?” she whispered, standing still in the doorway. “Or was it just a line? To make you seem all honorable and awesome?”
“Not a line,” he said, propping himself up in bed, his face and chest illuminated by the thin glow of light that crept in from the living area. “But if you’re asking if I want you, then God yes. I’m hard as steel from thinking about you in the other room, and I swear I was about to lose my mind knowing there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.”
She leaned against the door, amused. “I’m pretty sure there was something you could have done about it.”
“Maybe,” he agreed. “But why fly solo when I can have a copilot?” He stood up, the sheet falling away. She drew in a breath, mesmerized by the way the light and shadows played on his rock-hard erection and the tight, hard muscles of his body.
“Please,” she said, not sure what she was asking for, just knowing she wanted it all. Needed it all.
His eyes swept slowly over her, his inspection so intense it seemed to burn through her robe, leaving her skin prickly in its wake. “Take it off,” he said.
The words were a command, and she wouldn’t dream of disobeying. She let the robe fall back, and she heard his groan of appreciation as he stepped toward her.
“Christ, you’re beautiful.” He moved to within inches of her, his scent enveloping her, making her even wetter. Her body was on fire, every cell primed for his touch. And when he reached out and traced his fingertip over the swell of her breast, she arched back and cried aloud.
“So damn responsive. Baby, you’re amazing.”
“Parker.”
“Tell me what you want.” His soft voice caressed her, as intimate as his touch. “Why did you come here, naked in the night?”
“I want you,” she said, because she had to be honest, and that was as real as it got. “You promised me so much, but the only thing I really want is to feel you inside me.”
His mouth curved up as his finger eased down along the swell of her breast before continuing down, making her bite her lower lip when he gently traced her navel. Then lower and lower, until he brushed her clit, and she gasped, then sucked in air as his finger thrust deep into her core. “Is that how you want me inside you?”
Her hips moved of their own volition, and she ground against him. “Yes. No. I want everything.”
“Oh, baby,” he said. “So do I.” For a second, he met her eyes, and she almost stumbled, knocked over by the intensity of the passion she saw there. “Right now, I need to taste you.”
A shiver curled through her as he moved closer, then slid his fingers into her hair to hold her steady. He kissed her, his mouth claiming hers. The kind of kiss that stole reason and fired passion and made her entire body ache.
She didn’t want it to stop, but when he pulled away, he continued to do such amazing things with his lips and tongue that she couldn’t quite manage a protest. He suckled her neck, making her crazed, then drew his mouth lower, his lips grazing the fine line of her collarbone before moving down to her breast.
The tip of his tongue teased her nipple, but it was when he closed his mouth over her and sucked hard that she almost lost it. Her hands were on his shoulders so she could hold herself steady, and in that moment, she squeezed so hard she was certain she’d leave finger-sized bruises.
He pulled back, her nipple popping free from his lips, and the sensation of cool air on her damp skin made her tremble with fresh need. “You like that,” he said, and since it wasn’t a question, she didn’t answer. Words were too much work at that point.
“Let’s see how you like this.” Slowly, he eased to his knees, then used one hand to hold her steady while the other gently urged her legs apart. She moaned, but complied, then gasped as his head dipped, and his tongue teased and explored her pussy, laving and stroking and working her clit.
She twined her fingers in his hair, using the contact to anchor herself, because God knew her legs had gone week. She kept her eyes closed until she was certain she could control the waves of pleasure crashing through her. But when he added to the sensual onslaught by thrusting a finger deep inside her, finding her most sensitive spots, she moaned, and made noises she didn’t even know she could make. And when his tongue hit exactly that spot, the only reason she didn’t either fall to the floor or fly up to the heavens was that he was there to hold her tight.
For what felt like an eternity, pleasure accosted her, making her dizzy. And, yes, making her crave even more of him.
“My turn,” she said when the world had righted and she could manufacture a coherent thought again. And before he had a chance to ask what she meant, she fell to her knees.
“Oh, no, Angel,” he said, pulling her up. “I like the idea, but let’s take this to the bed.” He led her there, and she straddled him, then took him into her mouth, his cock growing even harder as she licked and sucked, the low groans of pleasure he was making as arousing to her as his touch had been.
She didn’t want to stop—he was so close, but he tangled his hand into her hair, and pulled her up to him. Their eyes met, and for a moment she thought she saw the future reflected in his gorgeous eyes. She was being ridiculous, of course, but the thought didn’t scare her. Nothing about Parker scared her.
“Is this real?” she whispered, but it was only when the words had passed her lips that she realized she’d spoken aloud.
“As real as it gets.” He brushed a kiss over her lips.
“And tomorrow? When we get back to Austin?”
“Are you asking me if this is a one-off? If I like to fly my one-night stands to New Orleans and show them a good time at my favorite hotel?”
Her cheeks burned. “Please don’t tease me. Not like this.”
“Oh, baby.” He stroked her cheek. “No, I shouldn’t tease you. And no, this isn’t a one-off. Not if I have anything to say about it. And no, I don’t usually fly my dates out of the city.”
“Really?”
His kiss was featherlight. “Really.”
She licked her lips, his sweet words clinging to her, adding a new dimension to the heat that flowed in her veins. “Those things you said in your office,” she began. “Will you—I mean, will you take me higher?”
Her cheeks burned, but she didn’t regret the words. She wanted everything he’d teased her with. The full on-slaught of pleasure.
He tilted his head, then inspected her naked body. And as she watched, his expression changed. Still aroused, still lit with the fire of passion. But there was something else, too. Something possessive. Controlling. And for the first time she understood what he meant when he’d said he wanted her submission.
“All right,” he finally said, and the intensity in his voice sent a shiver rushing through her. “On your hands and knees. On the bed. Facing the headboard.”
Anticipation cut through her, making her core clench and her breasts ache. And when he stepped away, only to return with his belt, she bit her lower lip as she wondered what he intended to do with it.
“Lean forward on your elbows,” he ordered. “Wrists together.”
&nb
sp; She complied, and he used the belt to encircle her wrists and then bind her to the slatted headboard.
“I thought about tying your legs, too,” he told her as he got behind her on the bed. “But I think I like your ass just where it is.”
She did, too, she realized when he eased up behind her, his hard cock sliding between her thighs so that the shaft rubbed her intimately.
“Baby, you are so wet,” he said, and as he spoke, he rocked his hips, so that his erection just barely teased her clit and his fingers stroked her perineum, teasing her a little by rimming the tight muscle at her ass.
She gasped when he slipped his finger tip inside her, and he made a soft sound of approval. “I think we’ll have to save that for later. I don’t want you to come too quickly.”
He was right; the unusual sensation had pushed her that much closer to the edge, and now she was fully aware, every cell in her body primed to go over the edge. And when he bent over her, his chest to her back and his hands on her nipples, she thought that the only thing she wanted was to be bound to him forever.
His lips teased the back of her neck, a spot more erotic than she’d ever imagined, and his fingers pinched her nipples, the pressure tight—almost too intense—and though she tried to twist away, with her hands bound, there was only so far she could go. Only so far she wanted to go, really, because with each pinch and tease, she felt the hot wire of pleasure zing down to her core.
She was throbbing now, and she was certain she was dripping with need. Her pussy clenched in a sensual rhythm, wanting him inside her. Wanting to be filled.
He pinched her nipple tighter, and she cried out, a deep, pleasure-filled cry of, “Yes!”
“I like the way you respond,” he said. “Have you ever been spanked?”
She shook her head. Carlton wanted to, but she’d refused. Even then, before the weirdness, she couldn’t go there with him. But with Parker…
