Tall, Dark and Charming

by Erika Wilde

  That had been four hours ago, he realized when he peered over her head to check the digital clock on the nightstand and saw it was six thirty in the morning. Clearly, she’d passed out hard, just as he had, he thought with a grin.

  He remained quiet and still, happy to just hold Daisy and relax for the time being—another shock, because he couldn’t ever remember feeling so calm and content with a woman. Normally, he’d chalk up the mellow feeling to sexual gratification, and his dick was definitely satisfied, but this sensation was different. It filled his chest with an emotion that was completely alien to him—a caring and tenderness that went beyond the casual parameters of friendship or being co-workers.

  He knew a lot of what he was feeling was a result of bonding over their pasts—him with his father’s affair that had changed the dynamics of his family and Daisy being duped by a married man. Infidelity in two different forms, but they’d both suffered collateral damage to their emotions, with both of them having to pick up the pieces after the one person they trusted and believed in wasn’t who they’d thought they were.

  Aiden understood her pain, and she related to his. And knowing her story, it was easy to understand why she opted to pour all her energy into her career and why she was so guarded in general. Because despite putting on a carefree, easygoing front, Aiden had always protected his heart, too, and he’d yet to find a woman worthy of the kind of emotion that would require letting down his guard to actually fall in love.

  He’d always believed and lived by the motto that if he didn’t invest in the illusion of love or a committed relationship, there would be no devastating disappointments to endure, and he refused to be vulnerable enough to get blindsided by lies or dishonesty. His father’s extramarital affair and callous disregard toward the wife who’d been dealing with breast cancer had been Aiden’s first lesson in keeping his emotions to himself. And watching his brother, Leo, get dumped the morning of his wedding by the girl he’d thought he’d spend the rest of his life with had been his second.

  But Daisy . . . this Daisy, the vibrant, uninhibited one now in his arms, who he’d spent the night with and had shared his family’s scandal with, could easily test those walls around his heart. She was sexy as hell when she let her hair down, literally and figuratively, but he’d also seen how kindhearted she was, how sympathetic she’d been to his mother’s situation, when Daisy didn’t even know her. She’d allowed him to be his true self, if only for this one night together, and that was a side to him he rarely let show.

  Their arrangement might have started out as a hookup between two people who’d hidden their attraction for the past three years, but in truth, for him, the connection they’d formed had ended up being something far deeper and much more memorable than he ever would have believed or thought possible.

  When it came to his normal one-night stands, he walked away before the sheets had a chance to cool or the high of his orgasm subsided. Hell, he was lucky if he remembered the woman’s name, but there was no forgetting Daisy, and not just because he’d see her at the office during the week. No, she’d left an indelible mark somewhere inside of him, and now he had to find a way for the two of them to go back to just being friends. He had a feeling that was going to be easier said than done after knowing what she tasted like and how she felt beneath him while he was buried deep inside her.

  While there were no company rules against dating a co-worker, they were both smart enough to know that mixing business with pleasure was a recipe for disaster. Besides, she’d established the rules for tonight, he’d agreed to them, and he respected her enough to do exactly as she’d asked—whatever happens once we leave this bar and go up to your room, we never talk about it again. I don’t want anything complicated and messy to interfere with our working relationship, or any expectations from either one of us beyond tonight.

  He absolutely understood her reasoning, even if he did have the urge to break the rules with her. What happened in San Francisco needed to stay there, but until they left, she was still his. And for now, he wanted to commit to memory everything about her—the feel of her body against his, the deep, even sound of her breathing, her soft, warm skin—because once they walked out of this hotel, there would be no repeats allowed.

  He felt her stir ever so slightly, and after a few moments, she carefully tried to lift the arm he’d slung around her waist. She obviously didn’t want to wake him and intended to sneak out, but he wasn’t letting her go just yet if he had his way.

  He tightened his hold and heard her inhale a quick, startled breath when she realized he was very much awake. He moved his mouth to her ear and grinned. “Where do you think you’re going, Ms. Parker?”

  “Back to my room,” she said, looking over her shoulder at him, her face still beautiful even with her makeup washed off. “I need to take a shower and get dressed.”

  He arched a brow and called her out. “We took a bath after I fucked you the last time, so you’re already nice and clean. You smell like the fruity hotel soap we used, and I’m sure I do, too.”

  A smile edged up one corner of her mouth, and he was sure she was remembering all those bubbles that had nearly spilled over the side of the tub because he’d been overzealous with the liquid soap. Or maybe she was recalling the way he’d slowly, lazily fucked her with his fingers, with the two of them laughing because of all the slipping and sliding going on—and not the kind he would have preferred.

  “I still need to get my things packed up,” she persisted.

  Her excuse was weak and one he refused to accept. “You will. We still have a few hours before we need to leave the hotel,” he said, scooting just far enough away from her that he could press her down on her back and tug away the sheet and blanket covering the sexy, curvy body he intended to enjoy a final time. He grinned roguishly at her. “I think we both need one last orgasm for the road, don’t you?” Because he was a greedy, selfish bastard who wanted as much of her as he could get.

  She gave him a stern frown that belied the twinkling in her eyes that told him he’d managed to convince her to stay for a little longer. “Put that dimple away, Mr. Stone,” she scolded, trying to be all prim and proper, though he knew better and had seen for himself just how wanton she could be.

  “Not a fucking chance, sweetheart,” he said, deepening his grin even more as he cupped one of her breasts in his hand. “Not when I know how hot and wet it makes you.”

  She moaned and shifted restlessly as he tugged on a nipple. “You really don’t play fair, but seriously, Aiden, there aren’t any condoms left.”

  “Seriously, Daisy,” he mocked right back as he moved over her so he could lick and suck her breasts. “Have you not learned by now that I’m really good at improvising?”

  He began kissing his way down her quivering stomach, and she gasped and speared her fingers through his hair, her back arching up against his pillaging mouth. “Oh, you really are good at that,” she said, breathless now as she stopped fighting what her body wanted so badly.

  “Exactly,” he said, uncaring that he sounded smug about his ability to bend her to his will. “So open these legs for me nice and wide so I can get comfortable in between them and can give you a nice morning treat.”

  She was willing and eager now, and her knees parted, and once he was lying within that slice of heaven, he slowly, leisurely kissed and nuzzled his way up her thigh and blew hot, damp streams of breath on her skin that had her hands gripping the covers and her hips rising to meet his approaching mouth.

  “Do you want me to lick you, Daisy?” he asked as he pushed his own raging erection against the mattress beneath him.

  “Yes,” she panted.

  He looked up the length of her body, at the way she arched her back to get closer and the way her full breasts begged for his touch. With her legs draped over his shoulders, he reached up and squeezed those luscious mounds in his palms and plucked at her nipples until they were hard as diamonds. “My hands are a little busy right now, so if you wa
nt me to lick your pussy and suck on your clit, you’re going to need to spread yourself open with your fingers so I can make you come.”

  She made a sound of frustration. “Aiden . . . ”

  He heard the slightest bit of reservation in her voice, which was surprising considering all the filthy things he’d already done to her. “If you want me to go down on you, then do as I say,” he demanded a little more firmly.

  A huffing noise escaped her throat, and she lifted her head to look down at him with a glare that lacked any true intimidation factor. “Why do you have to be so damn bossy?”

  He grinned again, deliberately flashing the dimple that made her eyes a shade darker with lust. “Because you like it when I tell you what to do, remember?” he said as he pinched her nipples just hard enough to make her body jolt, then subdued any lingering amusement in favor of the assertive lover she eagerly responded to. “Put your hand between your legs and spread your pussy for me. Do it now, Daisy, or so help me God, I’ll flip you over right now and spank your ass so hard you won’t be able to sit at work tomorrow without remembering what a bad girl you were.”

  That order gave him the results he’d been aiming for. She dropped her head back on the pillow and slid a hand down her belly, and when she reached the apex of her thighs, she used her fingers to expose herself to his gaze and give him access to what he wanted. What he fucking craved.

  Her flesh was soft and pink and already wet, and he rewarded her with a long, thorough lick that made her whimper for more and had his dick pulsing with a deep, agonizing need of its own. Her legs immediately started to shake as he traced the plump folds with his tongue, swirled it around her clit until she was moaning deliriously, then finally closed his mouth over that sensitive pearl of flesh and sucked. He teased her until she was thrashing and begging, her body bucking like a wild thing beneath the onslaught of his lashing tongue.

  When her twisting and gyrating didn’t get the results she wanted, she threaded her free hand in his hair and yanked so hard his scalp tingled. She tried to guide him, to make him speed up his efforts, to dictate the pressure and friction of his tongue. Swearing beneath his breath, he stopped eating her so he could grab both of her wrists and pin her arms at the sides of her hips so she was forced to surrender and enjoy.

  Lacing their fingers tightly, he went at her again, sliding his mouth against her pussy, nipping at her clit, then soothing her with long, hot licks before starting all over again. In less than a minute, she was on the verge of climaxing, panting and trembling, her legs clenching against his shoulders. But he deliberately backed off, intending to make this orgasm so huge it fucking consumed her and she wouldn’t be able to have sex with anyone else without thinking about how hard and how well he could make her come.

  He had no right to be possessive or territorial, but at this moment, he didn’t give a shit, because she was in his bed, so close to splintering apart beneath his mouth, and she was all his.

  “Aiden, please,” she implored huskily, her breasts quivering with every erratic breath she took.

  “Please what?”

  She gasped, then moaned when he slid his tongue inside her, then dragged the tip all the way up to that sensitive knot of flesh that stood out in relief.

  “Let me come,” she pleaded desperately. “I need it so bad. Please, please, please. Give it to me, Aiden.”

  Fucking Christ. Those greedy, demanding words from her mouth were hot as hell and had his dick throbbing against the firm mattress. Done tormenting her, and knowing exactly what she needed to reach that peak hard and fast, he used every oral trick in his arsenal to push her over the edge—the erotic drag of his teeth along her pussy, the dirty, filthy thrust of his tongue inside her, and the sucking, grinding movement of his mouth against her clit.

  Her cry of release was so loud it verged on a scream, and he didn’t let up or release her hands until he’d wrung every last ounce of pleasure from her body, until those blissful aftershocks became too sensitive for her to bear and she finally begged him to stop.

  He came up on his knees and wiped the back of his hand across his wet mouth, his body so tense and his cock like granite at the sight of her all spread out in front of him, so soft and sweet and sexy, and her pussy so ready to take every inch of his aching shaft. Except they were out of condoms.

  Coming inside her warm, willing body was his preference, but there were always other creative ways to get off, and with that in mind he straddled her hips with his knees bracketing her body. She blinked up at him in surprise, and he grabbed her right hand and licked her palm and fingers, getting them good and wet and slick before wrapping them around his erection.

  Jesus. Just having her touch him had his cock already weeping with pre-come, and his stomach muscles clenched in reaction. “Squeeze my cock tight while I fuck your hand,” he said, bracing his forearms on either side of her head but still giving her space to jack him off. He started to move, sliding against her soft palm and groaning when her hand reached the head of his cock and closed over it, then stroked back down his length again, nice and firm.

  He looked into her eyes as he thrust his hips and she worked his dick, the desire and need in her gaze not for her own body’s release . . . but for him and his pleasure. The connection was so intimate even though he wasn’t inside her, and he wondered how he was going to spend the next fifty years never experiencing this, or her, ever again. The thought was so extreme, so unlike anything he’d ever imagined he’d feel for a woman, and his heart gave an odd twist in his chest.

  “Aiden.” The whispered sound of his name slipped past her lips, as if she knew what was going through his mind, as if she felt the same way.

  That sensation in his chest tightened, almost hurt, and he had to find a way to make it stop. He tangled his fingers in her hair and pulled her head back so that her mouth was tipped up right beneath his. Their breath mingled and their gazes remained fixed on each other’s right before he claimed her mouth with his own. Knowing he was most likely tasting her for the last time, his kiss turned hungry and desperate and demanding, and she returned it with just as much fervor and passion.

  He groaned as the start of his release began in the base of his spine and quickly gathered momentum as he pumped harder and faster into the snug clasp of her hand. His balls drew up tighter, and with another surge of his hips, his orgasm slammed through him, his entire body jerking uncontrollably as his release jetted all the way up to her breasts and left a sticky trail down to her stomach until there was nothing left in him.

  With a rough, satisfied groan that felt ripped from the depths of his soul, he collapsed on top of Daisy, somehow managing to keep most of his weight off her with his arms while he recovered from such a debilitating release.

  When he finally managed to pick up the fragments of his sanity, he pushed himself back up so he was straddling her hips again. He smirked at the milky fluid pooling on her skin. Did it make him an asshole that he liked seeing his come on her like that? As if he’d marked her as his woman? Probably, but it was hot as fuck, even if she wasn’t his to claim.

  “Jesus, Daisy,” he said in a chastising tone. “Look at what you did.”

  Her eyes widened. “What I did?” she asked incredulously.

  He frowned at her, trying not to laugh. Because that’s what Daisy made him want to do . . . laugh and enjoy every moment with her, and those minutes were ticking away quickly.

  “It was your hand stroking my cock that made me come, and now there’s a big mess,” he said, making his voice stern. “Looks like we’re going to need to take a shower together to get cleaned up.”

  Her lips quirked at his idea, which was clearly a ploy to spend more time with her before they really had to part ways and leave all this behind. “You’re shameless, Aiden Stone.”

  “Yeah, I am, Daisy Parker,” he admitted freely as he spontaneously leaned down and kissed her soft lips before sitting back up again. “And you fucking love it.”

  He’d been
teasing, but that last comment hung between them as if they both feared the goddamn word love, which clearly they did. The context of his remark had nothing to do with that vulnerable emotion, yet the unguarded look in her big, soft green eyes and the rapid beat of his heart in his chest made him wonder if a part of each of them hadn’t gotten out of this one-night stand unscathed.

  It didn’t matter either way, he purposely reminded himself as he broke eye contact with Daisy, then moved off of her while inhaling a slow, deep breath to ease the tight sensation in his chest. He held out a hand to help her off the bed while forcing himself to revert back to charming, easygoing Aiden, to the guy who didn’t do relationships or invest his heart when it came to women for a very good reason . . . even if this particular woman was suddenly testing his years of logic.

  “Come on,” he said with a grin that showed off his dimple and diffused the too serious moment that had settled over them. “I’ll wash your back if you’ll wash mine. Oh, and I’ll wash that mess I made on your stomach, too,” he teased, winking playfully at her.

  “Deal.” She smiled back at him, seemingly as relieved as he was that they were back to fun and casual.

  * * *

  Daisy barely recognized the well-fucked woman in the mirror staring back at her. Oh, she was very familiar with her wavy brown hair that was a whole lot disheveled and the facial features that were hers, but her glowing complexion from a night of indulging in an excess of orgasms, the reddened lips puffy from Aiden’s demanding kisses, and the chafe marks on her neck from his scruff were completely foreign to her. She even had matching beard burns between her thighs, and that was a first for her, considering no other man had ever gone down on her in a single night as much as Aiden had.