by Starla Kaye
She flipped on the dim light for the lanai on her way outside. It gave a romantic feel to the moment, an intimacy he liked. Beyond them, whispery clouds drifted around the dark sky, revealing a bare handful of stars. The air was humid, but not as thick as earlier in the day. A fishy scent drifted on the gentle breeze.
Trevon took a second to inhale deep. Essie’s familiar scent always did it for him. Something soft and feminine, flowery, but not strong. He wanted to move behind her, nestle his head to her nape, and draw in more of the enticing smell. He longed to nibble at her neck. His hands ached to reach around and hold each of those fleshy breasts beneath the sweatshirt top. Lord, his troubles grew by the moment.
Oblivious to her effect on him, she stopped outside for a second and seemed to take in the night. Then she moved to set the glasses on the round patio table in the center of the space. That done, she went to stand against the wrought-iron railing to gaze toward the Pacific Ocean a couple of hundred yards away. She looked even more tempting. But then every move she made, every glance she spared him lured him more and more.
“Have you ever been here before?” she asked without turning around. “Kauai? Or this resort?” The breeze fluttered the short ends of her hair.
He wanted to glide his fingers through that hair. He had always preferred long hair, until now. The erection pressing at his jeans became hard to ignore. She was just so damn irresistible.
To distract his body, keep him from doing something neither of them was ready for, he went about the task of pouring them each a glass of wine.
“Neither one,” he answered, as he remembered she had asked him a question. He stepped next to her, and handed her a glass. “Oahu many times on business. The big island, too. But I’ve been thinking about getting a vacation condo on Maui.”
She faced him, her eyes brightening. “I would love to do something like that, but….” Some of the pleasure in her gaze disappeared.
“But?” he prodded, missing the eagerness he’d seen.
She turned away and took a sip of wine before explaining. “I don’t get away from my work very often. Unless it’s to a conference of some kind.” She shifted, seeming uneasy. “My life is pretty dull, which you might remember. I’m fairly boring.”
He knew all of her family—her father, active on many important boards around Houston; her mother, Amanda, owner of an exclusive interior design firm and involved all over the community; her brother, Montgomery, CFO of the family oil company; and her sister, Samantha, partner in an exclusive tour business. They were all over the social news, unlike Essie, who never liked the limelight. But he had never thought of her as “boring.”
“For the most part mine is, too.” At least his life beyond his duties to represent the company. His personal life was far different from what the world saw of him. Not even his current lady “friends” knew the man behind his public persona.
She angled her head, and her eyes flashed in challenge. “You’re in the papers all the time. If there is a major social event, you’re there.” Irritation slid into place, and she looked to the ocean again. “With a beautiful woman hanging on your arm.”
He winced. “It’s good for business, which I’m sure you understand. You grew up in an important Houstonian family,” he countered in defense. He was trying to get his partner to step up for some of it, but the change took time. “I can’t deny I escort some beautiful women to those events.” His three lovers by arrangement, but she may not have realized that.
She gave an unladylike snort.
His women, his lifestyle…both were sore subjects between him, his twin brother, and his father. He wasn’t as “wild” as they believed. Recently, he’d become ready to rein in certain aspects of his life, although his family didn’t know yet. They would just hound him about it even more.
“Why did you decide to try Madame Evangeline’s services?” he asked to change the subject. “This doesn’t seem like something you would do.”
She shifted around and leaned back against the railing, appearing to weigh her response, studying him. “How about you go first?”
The way her breasts thrust toward him made him lose the thread of conversation. “What?”
“You explain first,” she repeated, puzzled.
He frowned, still a bit embarrassed by having approached the elite matchmaker. “You won’t believe me, but I wanted….” Did he really want to admit his actual reason?
Her expression softened, and she said with gentleness, “You don’t have to tell me. I’m just curious.”
He hesitated, considering what to say, and decided to be honest. “I wanted something different from my normal experiences.”
“Meaning?” She sipped her wine, those warm-brown eyes encouraging.
He turned to glance toward the ocean, uncomfortable with what would sound ridiculous. “I wanted a chance to seduce a woman. Take my time with her.” He sighed. “That’s not what my sexual relationships are like these days. They’re all about rushing, getting the deed done. And I realize how harsh it t sounds.” He shrugged. “It’s the truth, though.”
“Sad,” she murmured.
He heard in what she didn’t say—that was what she remembered of their relationship, too. At least in the end. God, it made him feel worse.
“I wanted a chance to find the romantic in me again.” He faced her, and the sadness in her eyes tore at him. “Essie, I know it’s still there.”
She shrugged, in disbelief, maybe in challenge. “Want to know what I originally requested?”
He nodded, more than curious.
“I requested a ‘sexy beast’ to give me one night of orgasm after orgasm, a memory of a lifetime.” She made the admission with a jut out of her chin, a hint of daring.
He blinked at her. She’d never pushed in bed, seemed satisfied with anything. He must have missed some major signals. Idiot.
He took a long swallow of wine. He hated the idea of her being with some other man acting the “sexy beast.” He’d tried hard not to ever think of her being with another man. “Why did you decide to accept this date with me?” he asked quietly, nervous about her answer.
She took several seconds before answering. “Curiosity. I’d thought I wanted some kind of payback from you for how we ended. But I was wrong about that.” She lowered her gaze. “We wanted different things back then. Maybe me, more than you. In a relationship, I mean. ”
Her bluntness touched him. He’d been an ass to let her walk away from him. They should have talked it over. He shouldn’t have just let their struggling relationship stop so easily. She deserved his reasoning about his choice to be here. “I wanted another chance to be with you.” He didn’t add he wanted much more than that.
“Really?” Something like hope flittered in her eyes, vulnerability.
“Yes.”
He set his glass on the table, took hers and set it down as well. Stepping in front of her, stocking-covered feet to bare toes, he reached out to cup the side of her face with his right hand. She sucked in a nervous breath. With a reassuring smile, he smoothed his thumb over her lips, making her tremble. Her response left him aching, but he wouldn’t push her. Not yet.
“Just give me a chance, Essie.” When one of her eyebrows lifted and her breath hitched, he held his thumb over her lips to keep her from speaking. “Please.”
To his surprise, she inched out her small tongue and licked his thumb.
His heart skipped several beats, and his gut tightened. “Whoa, baby. Don’t play with fire so soon.” He drew in a deep, settling breath. “Be patient with me.”
As he dropped his hand, she grinned, a hint of playfulness in those expressive eyes. “I’m a chemical engineer who works on endless new formulas. Patience is my second nature.” She lifted a hand to stroke the stubble on his chin. “But, in this situation, I can’t wait for long.”
Blood pulsed to the wrong spot, making his erection even harder. Making it difficult to think. He fought hard not to drag her into his ar
ms and abandon his plan.
“Maybe we should go to bed now…I mean to sleep. We…we’re both exhausted. Right?” He looked past her toward the main room, thought about the big bed. “Maybe we should sleep in separate places tonight. The sofa makes into a bed. I can sleep there.” Say no. God, please say no.
To his regret, she nodded and picked up the glasses, heading for the sliding doors. “That might be a good idea.”
No, it isn’t. He ached to take the suggestion back. Give the lady time. He doubted he would sleep a wink, thinking about Essie in bed all alone, wanting to be there with her.
Chapter Five
Movement on the bed jarred Essie from deep sleep. As if drawn to the heat beside her, she turned to her side and snuggled close to the warmth. Her brain couldn’t seem to connect the dots, but something was off about the situation.
Still, she inched closer without fully waking, nor wanting to. Her arm snaked over a very naked, very masculine body. At the touch of skin not as soft as hers, at the feel of wiry hair over a rock-hard abdomen, a shudder shimmied through her. As her hand moved lower just a bit, something thick and semi-hard nudged her fingers, wanting attention.
Without any real thought, she wrapped her hand around it. Soft, yet hard. Still, yet beginning to pulse within her grip. Half awake, she was intrigued. Trained to experiment, she moved her thumb up and down a protruding line. A vein? At her action, the whole length jerked, expanded in her grasp. Her fingers crept upward again, and she thumbed across the tip, making the man tremble. Making him give a quiet moan.
Her heart raced, thumping hard against her chest. Reality slipped closer and teased at her budding consciousness.
“Hmmm, that’s real nice,” a familiar deep voice growled. A large hand covered hers and gently squeezed. “Best wake-up enticement ever.”
For a second, the words didn’t make sense. She had been dreaming, right? Experimenting in her lab. Even though what she played with seemed not right in her work place.
“Oh, Lord!” Essie’s eyes flashed open. Her gaze shot to where her hand lay. What it touched. “I-I-I….” When did she crawl onto the sofa bed with Trevon? Why? Sometime in the wee hours, she must have lost all her good sense.
She stared at her hand, at his thick shaft. Let go of it!
Her traitorous fingers didn’t uncurl. And his hand held hers in place. Not with force, but enough she couldn’t just pull it away. Truthfully, she didn’t want to. This was …so wicked, so naughty. She had never acted this way with any other man, and only a few times with Trevon. Even then, she’d been timid about it. She liked this new brazen side of her.
In the daylight slipping through the partially open Cape Cod-style shutters on the sliding glass doors, she noticed his blue eyes were almost navy as he stared at her. Amusement danced in their depths. “I guess we’ve moved beyond those first meeting again jitters.”
She studied the stubble on his square jaw, found it as appealing as ever. The dimple at the side of his mouth still fascinated her, too. There was a whole lot to enjoy about the six-foot-three, naked man she clung to like plastic wrap. She should un-cling herself. They weren’t ready for this step yet. Right? Well….
He chuckled, the rumbling sound making his chest rise and fall oh so nicely. The thick erection in her grasp grew even more, pulsed. “It’s been a long time since you…uh…examined me so thoroughly.” His sexy mouth so sinful and tempting grinned at her. “Ever the curious one, aren’t you, sweetheart?” His dimple deepened. “I’m not complaining.”
His teasing got to her, and she released him, which he allowed. “Sorry.” Her face heated, and she frowned in confusion. “I have no idea how or when I ended up here.” She forced her gaze to stay on his face, instead of drifting lower again. “Or why.” Lie. The why was because she wanted him, no matter the problems of their past.
Heat flared in his eyes, like the spark in a fire taking hold. He gave her a gentle smile. “Exhaustion must have kept me from noticing you joining me here. Maybe those few drinks helped, too.” He reached over to stroke the side of her face, causing her cheek to tingle, an ache building inside her going all the way down to her toes. “I sure don’t mind. As I guess you’ve noticed.”
She had, and that was one of their many problems. Okay, she couldn’t control her gaze any longer. It slid down and found his cock appearing even longer, thicker. Had he been so large back in their day? How could she have forgotten? Would that possibly fit inside her? She worried her lower lip.
“It’ll fit just fine,” he said with gritty promise. “It always did.”
She dropped her head to his chest, mortified. “I said that out loud?”
“I’m pretty sure you didn’t mean to, but, yes.” He trailed fingers ever so softly up and down her back, making her shiver all over. “Since we’ve gotten past the undressing part—”
She groaned. “I’ve become a slut,” she mumbled against his chest, unable to look at him. She had gone past being bold to fondling a man without his permission. And she was certain she’d worn her new nightie to bed. What had happened to it? Was she now sleep undressing? Sleepwalking?
“I’m embarrassed.” They knew each other’s bodies well, but they hadn’t been like this together in a long time. Besides, weren’t they going to take things slow? Although, she did remember telling him she didn’t want to wait too long…for whatever they were going to do. Sex, she hoped. Definitely sex.
His long fingers moved lower, dipping to trail along her butt crack. She stiffened, pulled in a breath, and then shivered even more. Every cell in her body knew something was coming, something wonderful.
“First, you’re not a slut.” He lightly spanked one bottom cheek and snagged her attention. “Don’t ever think that again.”
Startled and more than a little excited at the light tap to her bottom, she blinked up at him. “And?” she prodded, curious about what else he would tell her. Warmth curled inside her, everywhere.
He went back to gliding his fingers over her quivering buttocks. “And I think you’re a woman with powerful needs, more so than in the past. Which captivates me.” He slipped a finger to her crease, slid it lower, then lower, and stopped.
Her entire body felt tight, enjoying sensations she hadn’t experienced since being with him. It screamed in protest. She felt cheated. Annoyed, she frowned at him. “Why did you stop?”
One corner of his mouth quirked up, and devilment shone in his eyes. “Because I think we should take this to the real bed.”
Fine with her, but maybe she should insist on going slower—ignore that she’d already slid naked into bed with him. Didn’t she want to talk to him about what went wrong between them before? Even if she fought with every breath the desire to just jump his bones, or have him jump hers.
“Such deep thoughts, Essie,” he said, huskiness echoing in his voice, desire. “Trust me. Give me a chance.”
She’d come here for reasons that were fading in importance in her mind. She’d been wrong, anyway. They hadn’t even been together a full day yet, certainly nothing about her heart was involved. She’d admitted to him about approaching the matchmaker because she wanted to let her inner wild woman out, to be with a sexy beast of a man to give her one special night to remember forever. He’d shared about his request for a chance to bring out his seductive side that had gotten lost along the way in his current relationships. Surely, they could satisfy both of their goals. Besides, she was more than interested in experiencing his “seductive side,” which she hadn’t seen much of in the past.
“So, you’re willing to compromise on why you sought out Madame Evangeline’s help? Showing a romantic side instead of only your aggressive sexual side?” She glanced back at him. “To at least partially meet my request for a man to show exactly that…his sexy beast, his aggressive sexual nature.”
“Can’t we both compromise on our goals? I’ll give you a taste of the intensity you think you want. And you’ll accept my efforts to seduce you.”
/> Not a bad compromise, from her point of view.
She pushed his arm away and shifted around to sit up beside him. “I would be getting pretty much a win-win.”
“So would I.” He looked with determination at her.
She should be rational, instead of letting her needs be in control. “Maybe we should leave our situation alone. We went our separate ways already, and maybe we should keep on that path.” She sensed going their separate ways this time would be harder. She shouldn’t have agreed to this arrangement.
His brow furrowed, but she decided to offer him a way out of making things between them more complicated. “We could just spend some friendly time together here. Go sightseeing.” Not really her preference. “Go see the famous Grand Canyon of the Pacific, Waimea Canyon.”
He sat up, shaking his head, looking at her with a lot of heat. A very firm erection stood out like a flagpole in front of him. He gripped it and grinned as she struggled not to stare. “No. We are not playing tourist, which I don’t think you really want to do.”
“But—”
“Do you recall my hand slapping your bottom in teasing? It could spank your sweet ass for real if you don’t stop being so stubborn.” He stroked his length, holding her gaze. “You were always stubborn; that much about you hasn’t changed.”
She gulped, and her buttocks clenched, a heat building inside her. He kidded her, right? Still, the wicked concept teased her mind. Could he tell his threat stimulated her? She blushed, remained silent, but couldn’t stop watching him, fascinated by what he was doing.
Another long, slow stroke. “The only ‘sight’ I’m interested in ‘seeing’ is you, Essie. Stretched out over a nice big bed. Spread open for me to feast on.”
Her eyes widened, and she pulled in a shivery breath. She worried her pounding heart would cause a heart attack or something. Her clit throbbed, begging to be touched. Not to be outdone, her labia quivered, making her anxious with a more powerful ache than she had ever experienced. “That sounds….” She couldn’t put a word to it.
