by Zara Cox
She shook her head. “I don’t dance. Sorry.” The apology was tacked on, almost as an afterthought.
He suppressed a smile. “Neither do I. But if we stand here any longer eyeballing one another, something will catch fire. And at thirty thousand feet, I don’t think that’s a very good idea.”
She laughed. He caught a flash of silver.
Noah was pretty sure his vision blurred for several seconds. His breath whistled through his teeth as his brain computed what he was seeing.
A stud.
She had a fucking tongue piercing. The thought of what that silver stud could do to his cock froze his thought processes, then blitzed anticipated pleasure though his already-roaring bloodstream.
When he refocused she was staring straight at him, the laughter wiped from her face. Fresh hunger slammed into his gut then clenched tight in a vice as he saw the awareness in her eyes.
“Dance,” he croaked.
“Yes.”
The dance floor was set in a larger circle around the room, making the bar the focal point. Several guests were in the “getting to know each other” process, some a little further along than others.
One of the women he’d considered a possible candidate, a statuesque redhead with enough experience in her eyes to make any guy contemplate a session between the sheets with her, glanced his way. Her gaze swung to his companion and she raised an eyebrow at him.
Noah ignored her. She wouldn’t have interested him for more than a few hours anyway.
Whereas the woman whose scent continued to linger in his nostrils...
He turned abruptly, already starved of the sight of her.
She was right behind him, her gaze seeking and finding his. Elation and deep anticipation roared through him. He stepped closer, ready to take her in his arms.
She raised a hand. “Wait.”
The imperious command wasn’t what made him freeze. It was the brief panic that slid over her face.
What the hell?
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I will be. I just...I just need to initiate contact first. Do you mind?”
Shock slammed into him. Followed swiftly by realization that a, he didn’t mind, and b, she wasn’t really asking him but telling him.
He found himself nodding, every atom in his body on edge and intrigued. “Go for it.”
She licked her lower lip and stepped close. Propriety would’ve dictated that she placed her hand on his shoulder. Or his waist.
Instead she splayed her fingers over his belly. His breath hissed out as heat exploded from the point of her touch.
He stood rock still and let her fingers drifted upward over his chest between his pecs and up the side of his neck. He had no idea what was going on here. But hell if he didn’t want to stand there and keep living it.
The sensation was tortuous. And exquisitely pleasurable in ways he hadn’t experienced for a very long time. If ever.
The song ended and a new, equally suggestive, song took its place. He grew harder as she continued to explore him. Her fingers grazed his shoulder and one forefinger drifted down the side of his neck.
Fuck.
“Honey, if we’re going to dance, we need to get on with it. Before I give in to the urge to eat you alive, right here right now.”
His words plucked her from a dream-state. Eyes turned stormy met his and Noah barely managed to suppress the need to bare his teeth in visible hunger at the need pounding through him.
She nodded and started to sway before him. He remained stock-still, unable to take his eyes from her body as she moves sinuously.
Eventually she noticed he wasn’t moving and raised an eyebrow.
“I’m going to touch you now. Is that okay?”
“Oh. Yes.”
Her finger caressed his neck again. He reached for her, his arms curving over her small waist to bring her closer. She felt warm, soft and firm in all the right places. But he wanted more.
“I’m going to pull you closer.” Like her he wasn’t asking for permission.
“That’s...that’s fine.”
He tugged her into his body. She exhaled sharply and her breath washed his neck. This close with her heels on, she came up to his chin. Without them she would be tiny.
The perfect fuckable handful.
He brought his other hand to her chin and tilted her face up with a finger. “Tell me your name.”
“It’s Leia. Leia Michaels.”
“I’m Noah King. Is there anything else I need to know about you before we get to the eating alive part? I’m especially interested in any steps I can skip because I have a feeling I’ll need to get there quickly.”
Chapter Four
The rough, implacable demand fired another shot of excitement up her spine. Beneath her fingers his pulse throbbed sure, steady and fast, although not as fast as hers. Hers had taken a wild turn the moment his voice had collided with his indescribable hotness, and it showed no signs of abating anytime soon.
Noah King.
His name was manly. Commanding. She heard herself silently repeating it and pressed her lips together. She didn’t trust herself not to say it out loud. To test it. To taste it.
A load of shock jerked through her. Not enough to stop her from swaying against him. Or perhaps she just couldn’t help it; had lost control of her body just like she’d felt her mind going when she set eyes on him.
She wanted to melt into him. To feel more of that incredibly hot body against hers; the unmistakable imprint of his cock heavy against her belly as they moved to the music.
More heat flared up her neck and into her face. His gaze traced it and a small smile curved his lips.
He leaned down and placed his mouth against her ear. “Anyone tell you you’d be hopeless at poker?” he rasped.
“Poker relies on the ability to hold a bluff through the body’s reaction. I prefer games that demand more mental aptitude.”
He raised one eyebrow. “Are you saying you prefer mind games?”
“Not those that deliberately inflict discomfort or pain. I prefer healthy mind games.”
Sharp eyes bore into hers, speculation narrowing them. Hell, she should’ve kept her mouth shut. Now she sounded like some mind control freak.
“You haven’t answered my question yet.”
“Your question—Oh, right.” She scrambled for ways to explain without scaring him away or opening the floodgates for more questions. “I have a small thing about being touched.”
Blue eyes that defied coherent description pried her words apart. After several seconds, he said, “I don’t think it’s a small as you make it out to be.”
She shook her head and shrugged, afraid of driving him away. “All I needed was to be the one to touch you. That’s all. I won’t need to do it again.”
“You mean now you’ve touched me I can touch you back anytime I want?” There was a mixture of puzzlement and pleasure in his voice. The former made anxiety flare deep within her. The latter send her pulse soaring even higher.
“Something like that.”
His answer was his arms squeezing her tighter. Her pressed into his chest and he exhaled. “That’s good to know, Leia Michaels.”
She looked up and he stared down at her. Assessing.
They gave up any pretense of dancing in time to the beat and just swayed to the music. His hand drifted down her back to the waistband of her pants.
The knowledge that his hand was a few scant inches from touching her ass slowly coiled tension in her stomach.
Whatever she’d imagined when she signed herself on this trip had been blown to smithereens in a few short minutes. Clawing hunger sank its hooks deeper into her, sending sparks to her heated sex.
There was a time when she’d thought she would never feel this way. Never get over her past to even contemplate the idea of sex again. So much so that she’d been surprised when the hunger had started a few months after she turned twenty-one.
At first she trie
d to ignore it. When she hadn’t succeeded she’d bought a few self-pleasuring gadgets.
Dr Sutton had even encouraged her to use them on a regular basis. But even they hadn’t kept the need at bay. The more she tried to push the feelings away, the deeper they dug into her.
She’d reached the point where she couldn’t close her eyes without dreaming about hot hands on her body. Or a hard cock pounding into her.
Except reality was different. She couldn’t just go out and hunt down the first willing male she came across.
Aside from her very real triggers that could flare up at any time, she was Leia Michaels, heiress to a fortune most people only dreamed about...
Warm lips brushed the side of her neck, forcing reality and sensation through her body.
She gasped and shuddered hard.
“Easy, baby. Your finger has been caressing my neck for the last few minutes. I had to take something before I lost my mind.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.”
“Fuck, baby. Don’t apologize. In the interest of getting to know one another, I like your fingers on my neck. And I hope you liked my mouth on yours?”
It was framed in a question but she had a feeling Noah King new exactly how his touch affected women. With a body like his and the confidence that draped him like a second skin she could guess he knew his way around a woman’s body.
They hit a pocket of turbulence and the plane dropped. Her nails dug into his neck and his eyes darkened dramatically. His lips parted and she caught a glimpse of his wet tongue.
Her nipples puckered into hard, painful nubs, imagining that wetness flicking against her sensitive peaks. Blood roared through her ears as she tried to stop herself from picturing herself kissing him.
“Do you want to kiss me, Leia?”
The question was forceful, demanding an immediate answer.
She was nodding before she could stop herself. “Yes.”
“Then do it.”
She gasped, and looked around. “Right...here?”
“I don’t think you want to go anywhere private with me just yet, honey. I won’t stop at just kissing you. I’m into a lot of things but I’m not into voyeurism. So yes, right here. Where you’re safe from me tearing your clothes and fucking you until one of us passes out.”
The images reeling through her mind had her tightening her hold on him as her knees sagged a little. She didn’t think it was the place that had the man giving in to his dirty side. She had a feeling Noah King spoke with that raw sexuality and intent wherever he was.
She thought about who else he might have said those words to and a sharp feeling joined the alien emotions swirling through her. No, she didn’t like that feeling. Not one little bit...
Sure fingers speared into her hair and tugged firmly, redirecting her focus back to him. He wasn’t giving her the option to back out. She realized that. Not that she wanted to. She licked her lower lip and he puffed out a breath.
“You can take it as slow as you want. But you need to get on with it. You don’t want me to take over, baby.”
“Why not?” she asked breathlessly.
“Because I’m a greedy bastard and I probably won’t be gentle.” There was a trace of apology in the response but not enough to reassure her that he didn’t mean every word.
The pulse between her legs hammered like a frenzied drumbeat. Again Leia wondered why she wasn’t running, why her insides continued to fizz with excitement when a guy like this was the last person she needed to be around.
Her stomach hollowed out with another sudden drop followed closely by another. His grip tightened around her, restricting her breathing.
His mouth dropped to hers and she could almost feel the firm and warm texture of it on her own.
“Kiss me. Now.” He breathed the words over her mouth.
Fresh tingles shot up her spine and down to her toes.
She sucked in a breath, started to rise up on her toes.
Ladies and gentlemen, we’re going through an area of turbulence. We expect this to last between five to ten minutes. If you’re already seated we request you to remain seated with your belt fastened. Otherwise please ask your valet to escort you to the nearest seat. Thank you.
“Fuck.” One corner of Noah’s mouth tilted up. “This would be the perfect time to take this somewhere more private. But I don’t think I’ll make it back to my suite without kissing you.”
She tensed. “You assume I want to return to your suite with you.”
His laugh was tight and rough. “No, I don’t. But I think we both agreed a kiss is somewhere in the cards.” He stepped back and linked his fingers with hers.
She missed the presence of his body against hers immediately but she was glad for the momentary reprieve. Although the way his fingers curled around hers and pulled her behind him told her he didn’t intend for them to remain parted for very long.
“Shouldn’t we find a seat?” she asked.
He looked around and back at her, blue eyes intent as they swept over her face. “All the seats are taken in here. Come on, I know where we can go.”
He left the dance floor and headed for the door. The plane dipped again, making her stumble. His fingers tightened around hers.
For once, she was glad she had a reason for her clumsiness. From the corner of her eye she saw Bjorn straighten from where he’d been leaning against the bar, watching them.
Noah must have clocked him too. His eyes narrowed a fraction as they zeroed in on him before his gaze swung to her.
“You won’t be needing him anymore,” he said.
“Have you dismissed your valet too?”
He tugged her in front of him as he reached the hallway and kept his hand on her waist. “Not yet, but she was never going to be an issue.”
She looked over her shoulder and smiled at Bjorn who now lingered in the doorway.
“I like my attendant, he’s sweet.” She waved at him and he nodded and went back inside.
Noah’s nostrils flared. “Yeah, right.”
They hit a particularly large pocket of turbulence and the plane seemed to free-fall. She lost her footing and Noah caught her, bracing her against his body with one hand splayed over her stomach. Behind her the distinctive outline of his cock pressed into the crease of her ass. The move was so possessive and hot, desire flared wildly. He held her like that several seconds, the blaze of lust firing up between them.
Leia grabbed around for something to say. Something besides begging him to push his hips deeper into her ass so she would feel even more of his thick cock. “You don’t think he’s sweet?”
“Baby, as long as he stays far away from you, I don’t give a fuck whether your attendant is the sweetest guy in the whole fucking world.”
Her breath fractured. “You have a dirty mouth, Mr. King.”
“I can do even dirtier things with it if you ask me very, very nicely. But right now I need to get you secure and safe.” His mouth brushed the side of her neck again and another shiver coursed through her.
His large hand returned to her waist and urged her down the hallway in the opposite direction of where she’d come earlier with Bjorn. After a few feet the hallway widened into six separate alcoves, three on either side, each holding a thick fold-up leather seat. He pulled down the nearest one and pushed her into it.
It was only after she sat that Leia noticed the couple in the seat farthest from them.
Her mouth dropped open when she saw what they were doing. The man was seated with his trousers around his ankles and the woman, with her dress bunched up around her waist, was on her knees in front of him. One hand was buried in her hair and the other fondled her naked breast as she sucked on his engorged length. The plane jerked through another series of turbulent air. They both groaned as if the tinge of danger was adding to their pleasure.
“Leia.”
She jerked away to find Noah on his knees in front of her. Even at his diminished height he still towered over her. She looked up and
her breath caught at his expression. “Yes?”
“Eyes on me, baby. When we’re together you watch me and only me. Is that clear?” There was an implacable command in his voice that held her attention.
The man gave another loud moan and Leia swallowed.
Noah caught her chin in his hand. “Answer me.”
“Yes.”
He nodded. “I’m going to secure the belt around your waist. Tell me if it’s too tight.”
She looked down in surprise and noticed two wide belts hanging from either side of the chair. It wasn’t the standard issue airplane seatbelt. It was made of leather and three times wider but with a release catch in the middle of the buckle-like fastening.
He slipped the ends through their holes and pulled. The belt gripped her in place from below her breasts to the top of her pants. The corset-like effect pushed her breasts out and her aroused nipples pressed boldly against the material of her top.
With quick movements he secured the second and third buckles, then looked into her face. “Okay?”
“Yes,” she responded, struck all over again by the intensity in his stunning blue eyes and the rugged beauty of his face. “Aren’t you...going to take a seat?” she asked to cover the fact that she was fighting the need to reach out and touch him again, make sure he was real.
The plane jerked sideways and she gasped. He smiled, shook his head and ran his hand down her waist to her hips. “No, baby, I’m staying right here until I collect what you owe me.”
“The kiss?”
His hand drifted down her thighs leaving a trail of fire on her skin. He stared at the movement as if he was mesmerized by the friction between them. He reached her knees and raised his head. “Yes. You still owe me a kiss. Are you ready?”
Breathlessly, she nodded. “Yes.”
“Good.” He hooked his hands behind her knees and gripped her tight. “Open for me, Leia.”
Chapter Five
Noah studied her face to see her reaction to his rough command. He needed to know very quickly how well she responded to commands. How far he could push before her walls went up.
He knew she had walls. Hell, her body practically screamed their presence. Just as he knew she was here to fight some demons. There were too many shadows in her eyes for that not to be the case. His every sense screamed at him to go slow.
