Undenied

by Maya Banks

  Chapter Nine

  Payton sat across from Wes at the small table, watching him as he ate. The food was good. Chinese takeout. But she’d be lying if she said she remembered that much about the taste other than the preliminary flavor as it hit her tongue. She was way too absorbed in the moment, in wondering what he planned next.

  He watched her too. Chewing slowly, he held his gaze on her, his eyes dark with the promise of what was yet to come.

  The towel had loosened before he sat, barely staying up on his hips. She wanted to see him, wanted to see just how far that towel had fallen, but his lower body was hidden by the table.

  She bit her cheek to staunch the impish grin that threatened to take over as an idea came to her. With careful nonchalance, she raised her foot, stretching her leg until she brushed against the inside of his thigh.

  He flinched as her foot traveled higher, and he leveled a baleful stare at her.

  When she reached the hard line of his cock, he grabbed her foot, holding her there.

  “How am I supposed to eat with you doing that?”

  She grinned innocently.

  He continued to hold her foot as he ate. He cupped and massaged the instep, kneading with his fingers.

  She all but wilted in her chair. Forgotten was the food (or anything else for that matter). She leaned back and propped her other foot between his legs.

  “Like that?” he asked as his hand closed around her other foot.

  “I like anything that has to do with your touch,” she said softly. “My hands, my feet, my body. I’m like a cat. Pet me and I’ll purr.”

  He set her feet gently back down on the floor then scooted his chair back and stood. The towel fell completely away, and she could see his cock, semi-erect, thick and heavy. He stepped around the table so he was catty-corner to her and held out his hand.

  “I plan to do a lot of petting tonight,” he said.

  She slid her fingers into his and stood. He reached down and untied the belt of her robe. When the ends dangled to the floor, he impatiently shoved it over her shoulders, baring her naked body to his avid gaze.

  She stepped forward, closing the short distance between them. His cock brushed against her belly, and she grasped the turgid flesh. Like iron encased in silk. Hard, rigid, strong, the epitome of all a man should be. Yet soft, silken, warm and velvet in her palm.

  She cupped his heavy sac, running her fingers up and down the soft underside, feeling the separation of his balls when she pressed inward.

  “I think I like being petted too,” he said in a strained voice.

  She reached up on tiptoe to kiss him. He caught her, cupping the area of her neck underneath her jawline. His fingertips brushed the lobes of her ears as he melded his lips to hers.

  His tongue met hers, warm, melting. His thumbs pressed into the hollows of her cheeks then slid to the corners of her mouth. He pulled his head away as she sucked in mouthfuls of air. His hands relaxed and slipped away for a brief moment before he grasped her hips and yanked her against his body.

  With slow, deliberate movements, he walked her back toward the bed. Midway, he reached down and swept her up. She hooked her arms around his neck and stared up into his eyes.

  Their gazes were still locked as he lowered her to the bed. He came down with her, putting one knee on one side of her hips then finally straddling her body.

  “We’re going to operate on the honor system tonight,” he said.

  “Oh? This sounds interesting. Which of us is supposed to have the honor, because I’m really hoping it’s not me.”

  He smacked the side of her behind, sending a delicious, naughty thrill through her groin. “Smartass.”

  He slid his fingers up her sides, and as they glided over her curves, she shivered and flinched.

  “Ticklish?” he asked with a grin.

  She gave him a dirty look.

  He continued his path up her body until his fingers lodged underneath her arms. He pushed, raising them up and over her head.

  “Yes, definitely the honor system. You’re going to stay exactly how I put you. No cheating. No touching. This is my show.”

  An excited flutter chased circles around her stomach and into her throat as he threw her own words back at her.

  “I can live with that,” she said casually, but her voice shook and betrayed the adrenaline coursing through her veins.

  He let her arms go with a stern look to make sure she heeded his directive.

  “Touch me,” she whispered. She ached for him, wanted him so desperately. He cupped her breasts, plumping and kneading. His thumbs brushed across her nipples, sending currents of fire through her chest. He plucked the points until they were stiff, erect and tingling. Applying firmer pressure, he pinched each peak.

  She arched into him, crying out, begging for more, needing more.

  His hands slid to her ribcage, and he lowered his head until his lips pressed against the spot between her breasts. Wet, warm, languid, his tongue swept out to taste her. The rough texture of his taste buds rasped across her belly as he moved lower. She spasmed uncontrollably.

  He backed down the bed as his tongue swirled lower. It was becoming harder to obey his dictate and keep her arms still. She wanted to touch him, to clutch at his shoulders as he drove her mad with his lips.

  He parted her thighs and kissed the inside of her leg tantalizingly close to her throbbing clit. Then he burrowed his fingers into her curls and stroked down the seam of her folds, coaxing them apart until she was bared to his touch and to his gaze.

  When he lowered his head, she closed her eyes in anticipation of feeling his tongue on her most sensitive parts. He blew gently over her slit, and her groin muscles clenched in response.

  She felt hot, needy, restless, like a snake ready to shed its skin. Her blood danced in her veins to a frantic rhythm in tune with the song he played with her body.

  “Please,” she whispered. “I want your mouth on me.”

  His tongue flicked out over her clit, sending a red hot bolt of flame spearing through her abdomen. Her nipples puckered. Her breasts plumped and swelled, aching with need.

  His fingers further parted her folds, and he gently sucked the sensitive nub into his mouth, holding it there while he licked it repeatedly with the tip of his tongue.

  The constant state of anticipation coupled with her heightened arousal was too much. Her orgasm flashed upon her with the speed of a bullet. One moment she was poised on the precipice of a canyon. The next she was doing a swan dive over the edge, feeling the rush of exhilaration as the world raced by.

  Just before she hit the ground, she slowed. The world blurred around her, and she floated like a feather blowing with the wind, drifting down to rest in the arms of her lover.

  She opened her eyes to see Wes looking at her. His hands were planted on either side of her shoulders, and he used his knees to nudge her thighs farther apart.

  Had she been so insensible? How had he gotten the condom on and positioned himself between her legs so quickly?

  He smiled at her obvious confusion then leaned down to kiss her. “Enjoy yourself?” he murmured.

  She stretched and reached for him, allowing the deep-seated contentment to invade the rest of her body. “If I enjoyed myself any more, I’m not sure I’d survive.”

  As she wrapped her arms around him, she realized she wasn’t supposed to have moved them. She started to withdraw, but he caught her elbow in his hand and held her there.

  “No, I like it when you hold on to me.”

  She let her fingers wander over the bunched muscles above his shoulder blades then down to the small of his back as he shifted his hips in preparation.

  With a gentle nudge, he was inside her. She sucked in her breath at the exquisite fullness. Slowly, patiently, he allowed her to adjust to his size then inched forward, burying himself in her bit by bit.

  A line across his forehead attested to what his patience was costing him. His jaw set in a firm position, an
d he took deep, steadying breaths.

  She withdrew one hand from his back and feathered it across his brow, wanting to ease the tension etched there.

  “Ride with me,” she whispered. “Come with me. Love me.”

  He groaned and dropped his forehead to hers. The position was tender and intimate and allowed their lips to dance back and forth in playful harmony.

  Soft smooching sounds filled the air to mingle with the soft smack of his hips against the backs of her legs. Their lovemaking was unhurried, measured. Instead of feeling like she was racing down the side of a mountain, she felt as though they were lying on a warm beach, the surf lapping gently at their bodies.

  Mellow, like jazz on a hot summer night. Soft, like the whisper of a spring breeze at the back of your neck. Aching, like the yearning of young love.

  She floated on the waves of something truly wonderful, a feeling of completion like she’d never known lulling her, enveloping her, holding her tight.

  Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, and she shut them, holding them back, not understanding their presence. All the longing of youth, of that night when she was sixteen came back on the wings of a bittersweet memory.

  It was the same yet different. They were the same people yet older, mature, no longer desperate to grasp the trappings of adulthood. That they could revisit, redo, was a chance most never got.

  She opened her eyes again and stroked his cheek. He closed his eyes and nuzzled into her palm, kissing the inside.

  Their bodies rocked as he moved between her legs. Her release built not as an unbearable explosion but as a gradual swirl. Like a hand dipped into a pool of water. The ripples started small then grew bigger, rolling across the surface.

  Wave after wave of sweet pleasure rolled across her as he gathered her in his arms, murmuring endearments in her ear. His entire body went rigid as he thrust once more then held himself against her as a great shudder worked its way over him.

  He eased down on her, his muscles still quivering against her. His warm, comforting weight was the perfect conclusion to their lovemaking. She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him closer. When he tried to pull away, she murmured her protest in his ear.

  “Let me clean up,” he whispered. “I’ll be right back.”

  She reluctantly let him go, and as soon as he left her, she regretted that loss of intimacy. A few seconds later, he crawled back onto the bed and pulled her into his arms.

  She snuggled closer, pillowing her head on his arm. His free hand drifted down her body, stopping to rest on her hip. He stroked her skin for a moment then traced a path back up her side until he reached her shoulder. There, he fingered the strands of her hair, gently pulling them back.

  “Get some rest,” he said as he pressed a kiss to her hair. “I want us to have fun tomorrow.”

  She smiled against his chest and sighed in contentment. He reached down to retrieve the covers that lay in disarray. When he’d tucked the comforter snugly around them, he wrapped his arm around her and laid his head on the pillow beside her.

  It wouldn’t take her long to fall asleep. But as her eyelids fluttered closed, her last conscious thought was that she already dreaded spending the week ahead without him. And they’d only just started the weekend.

  Chapter Ten

  Wes’s heart did a funny little two-step in his chest as he watched Payton throw her head back and smile as a ray of sunshine hit her full in the face.

  She reached for his hand, curling her fingers around his like an excited kid and hurried toward the zoo entrance.

  “Do you know I’ve lived here for years and I’ve never been to the zoo?” she asked after he’d paid their fees.

  He grinned. “I’ve lost count of the times I’ve been. I’m just a big ole kid at heart.”

  “Ohhh, I want to get ice cream,” she said right before she let go of his hand and strode toward the vendor’s hut.

  Chuckling, he followed behind her.

  She chose chocolate, and he got vanilla. As they started to walk away from the little shop, he reached out and reclaimed her hand, sliding his fingers over her palm and downward until they intertwined with hers.

  She looked over at him and smiled then tightened her fingers around his. She licked at her cone, her tongue swirling around the ice-cold treat. It was an exercise in torture because he could too easily imagine that delectable pink tongue circling his cock just like it circled the tip of the ice cream.

  He thrust the cone toward his mouth, hoping the cold would put a stop to his hot, lusty thoughts.

  “Let’s go see the monkeys first,” she piped up. “They’re always the most entertaining. I’d just as soon skip the reptiles.” She gave a delicate shudder.

  “Snakes don’t do it for you?” he teased.

  “The only good snake is a dead snake,” she muttered.

  He laughed. “Well, on that we agree. I once shot a water moccasin out of the backseat of my patrol car. Got wrote up for destruction of city property.”

  She gaped at him. “You’re kidding!”

  He shook his head. “Nope. No idea how it got in there, but I damn near flipped the car when I looked in my rearview mirror and saw it slithering across the backseat.”

  An all-over shudder wracked her body. “I think I’d need therapy after that.”

  “Some might argue I needed therapy long before the snake incident,” he said with a grin.

  She rolled her eyes but laughed and shoved an elbow into his side.

  They acted like goofy teenagers out on their first date. They held hands, traded ice cream and laughed at the antics of the zoo animals.

  By the time they made their way back out to his truck, they were flushed from the heat, but Payton glowed from head to toe.

  “Have a good time?” he asked as he started the engine and turned the air conditioning on full blast.

  “The best!”

  “Want to go back to the hotel, grab a shower then get something to eat?”

  “Mmm, only if I get to choose the place,” she said, flashing him a sideways look.

  “Bear in mind the fanciest thing I brought was a pair of unfaded jeans and a newer T-shirt,” he warned.

  “Oh, I think you’ll be fine. There’s a casual place a few blocks from my apartment. It’s small, intimate, a little dark, and they have the best jazz band on the weekends.”

  Small, dark and intimate sounded real good to him right now. He wanted to be closer to her. Wanted to touch her and enjoy the feel of her in his arms.

  He couldn’t ever remember enjoying himself as much as he had this weekend and the last. He was at a loss to explain why, but nothing in his past compared to the reality of Payton.

  Being with her made him feel happy. Carefree. In a way no one else made him feel. He was comfortable. At ease. He loved the way she lit up, the way she expressed delight over the smallest things. He found himself wanting to do things to make her smile, because God, she had a gorgeous smile.

  He watched her from the corner of his eye as he drove out of the zoo parking lot. Then he eased his hand over to take hers. She turned to him and smiled, and he swore he went positively weak. Their palms brushed and she clutched his fingers with hers.

  They made a quick run by Payton’s apartment to get a change of clothes for her, and then they headed for the hotel.

  There they showered together, and he made love to her against the shower wall, the warm water cascading over their bodies. Afterward, he dried them both off and they dressed for dinner.

  It only took a few minutes to drive to the club, and as Payton had warned, it was small, housed in the very end of a tiny strip mall.

  They walked into the darkened interior, and Wes gazed appreciatively at the intimate setting. There were about ten wooden tables sporting simple tablecloths and adorned with flickering candles. In front was a diminutive platform that must serve as the stage.

  To the right a bar with three stools lined the wall, and a waitress wearing a slinky black
dress stood arranging drinks on a tray.

  Payton looked down at her watch. “We have about fifteen minutes before the band will start. Time enough to sit down and get our food.”

  He nodded and let her lead him to the far right of the room. She chose a table that afforded them the most privacy while still giving them the ability to view the stage.

  When they sat, another waitress in a similar dress as the other server he’d seen walked up with a broad smile.

  “Payton! It’s good to see you again,” the waitress exclaimed.

  Payton glanced up in surprise. “Hey, Laura, how are you?”

  “I’m great. Did you go to Brenda’s wedding last weekend?”

  Payton nodded. “Laura, I want you to meet someone. This is Wes Hoffman. He and I knew each other from high school.”

  Wes fidgeted in his chair, bothered by the introduction. Why, he wasn’t sure, but it made him seem like nothing more than a passing acquaintance, a catch-up session with an old friend.

  And maybe that was what it was.

  “Hi, Wes,” Laura said brightly.

  He gave her his best killer smile. “Very nice to meet you, Laura.”

  Her eyes widened appreciatively before she cleared her throat and turned back to Payton. “You guys going to eat?”

  Payton nodded.

  “What’ll you have to drink then?”

  “I’ll take a glass of the house wine.”

  Laura turned to Wes. “And you?”

  “I’ll take whatever beer you have on tap.”

  “Okay, I’ll get your drinks right out,” Laura said before she walked off at a brisk pace.

  Wes looked at Payton in confusion. “But we didn’t order food. Or get a menu even.”

  She laughed, the rich, husky sound floating over him. “They only serve one thing here. Prime rib, medium rare, with a house salad and baked potato. For dessert they serve pecan pie.”

  His mouth watered. “They’re speaking my language.”

  “Somehow I imagined you wouldn’t object to steak.”

  “I need the protein,” he protested. “You’ve worn me out. No telling how much muscle I’ve lost.”

  Her cheeks went decidedly pink in the soft candlelight, but she only smiled and winked. “There are worse ways to get your exercise.”

  He burst into laughter. “You got that right.”

  A minute later, Laura returned with their drinks and a few minutes after that, the band began setting up. By the time they got their food, the first strains of music filled the room.

  He stared at Payton as they ate, watched how she focused in on the musicians, how she seemed to enjoy every aspect of the experience. She was obviously a person who derived pleasure from even the simplest things. Their trip to the zoo had delighted her, and she’d spent the entire afternoon with an exuberant smile on her face.

  He’d found himself wanting to do more, using any excuse to make her light up.

  “Let’s dance,” she said, her blue eyes glowing in the dim light.

  And here again, he wanted to do whatever would put a smile on her lips. He wasn’t a dancer by any stretch of the imagination. Two left feet didn’t exactly cover his lack of grace. But if she wanted to dance, then he’d dance. He’d use any excuse to get close to her, press her body to his.

  Wes stood and held out his hand to her. She took it and stood in front of him. Without a word, he pulled her into his arms right there by the table.