“The Beach Bargain, The Castilian Connection, Call Me Tomorrow.” He rattled off the titles to several of Intertwined’s early novels.
“Seriously?” Pulling her phone out of her purse, Sadie flipped over to the reading app and began searching. “None of the covers show your face.”
But they showed a lot of skin—a muscular torso and abs that made her fingers itch to touch them.
“‘Twice or thrice had I loved thee, / Before I knew thy face or name.’” With a start, she realized that she had not only spoken aloud, but that she had been sliding her forefinger across the image in front of her.
How much champagne had she had? Somewhere along the way, she had lost count of the times the waiters had stopped to fill their glasses, but it was certainly more than she had intended to drink. She could feel the dreaded dull flush climbing up her chest and into her cheeks.
Eyes wide, she glanced up at Jake, half expecting to find ridicule or censure in his expression. Instead, she realized that his attention was riveted to her hands. When he dragged his gaze up to meet hers, the heat in his eyes was scorching.
Slowly, he pushed his chair away from the table and stood, moving to stand beside her without ever breaking eye contact. He held out his hand. “Let’s get out of here.”
Maybe it was the champagne, but suddenly Sadie didn’t care. She was in Vegas, on a date with a man who made her heart race every time he looked at her. For once, she would do what she wanted rather than playing it safe.
And right now, she wanted to go with Jake Blaine—no matter where he wanted to take her.
Chapter Ten
They didn’t speak, but twice on the way back to their hotel, Jake stopped to kiss Sadie, leaving her breathless, her head spinning with desire. As soon as the elevator doors shut behind them, Jake swept Sadie into his arms again, pulling her against him and running his lips down the side of her neck, the slight scratch of his jaw contrasting with the full softness of his lips. As the elevator began to rise, Sadie’s stomach dropped away, and she wasn’t sure if the sensation was from Jake’s kisses or the motion.
He skimmed one hand down her arm and to her waist, then caressed the curve of her hip and snugged her even tighter against him. The tip of his erection pressed hard against Sadie’s belly, and the feel of it sent a shiver through her just as Jake pressed his lips to hers. The shudder seemed to move from her and into him, and a low sound hummed deep in his throat as his tongue pressed lightly against her lips, teasing them open.
She resisted for a moment, certain that once he had gained total access to her mouth, she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from tumbling into his bed.
But she had known—or maybe hoped—that this evening had been heading this direction since he had shown up at her door earlier in the evening. With a moan, she opened her lips. He ran his tongue lightly around the inside of her mouth, causing her to shiver again.
She moved her hands lightly across the shoulders she had stared at all night, wondering how they would feel under her hands. Bringing her fingers to the tie at his throat, she worked to undo the knot by touch alone as she feverishly returned his kiss, pressing herself closer and closer to him.
When the elevator dinged and shuddered to a stop, Sadie dropped from her tiptoes down to the soles of her feet and turned, prepared to leave. Only Jake’s restraining hand on her waist kept her from barreling into the three young men waiting to board.
“Not our stop,” Jake whispered into her hair.
Sadie felt her usual flush flame up her chest and across her cheeks and she looked away from the men—who were, admittedly, far too interested in their own conversation to pay any attention to the couple in the corner. Still, she watched the numbers on the display panel above the door rise higher and higher, and her imagination spun away with them. For an instant, it seemed as if only the heat of Jake’s hand on her waist anchored her, kept her from floating away on a sea of her own desire.
Great. Now I’m waxing poetic.
If sex with a cover model turns me into a bad poet, maybe I should opt out now.
The thought made her snicker, and Jake leaned around far enough to see her face. “You okay, prof?” he asked, the smile creasing his face softening the teasing tone of his words.
“All good,” she replied, her own voice soft and sure.
“Then let’s go.” Jake reached down and took her hand as he ushered her out of the elevator.
“Have fun,” one of the men in the elevator called out, and his friends burst into laughter.
So maybe they had not been utterly oblivious to Sadie and Jake, after all.
Jake offered them a general wave in the direction of his forehead, reminiscent of a salute. “Oh, I plan to,” he said, too quietly for the other men to hear as the elevator door closed on their hilarity.
Halfway to the hotel room, Jake spun her around to face him and pulled her in for another deep kiss. He all but carried her down the hall, his hand slipping under her ass to support her as he moved them toward the room. By the time they reached the door, she could barely stand, clinging to Jake as he pressed the length of him against her, sliding one knee between her legs to hold her steady against the door as he used one hand to fish the room key out of his wallet.
They practically fell into the hotel room, hands roving as their kisses grew more frantic. Jake kicked the door closed behind him, and Sadie began unbuttoning his shirt, her fingers working hurriedly to remove the barrier between her hands and his chest.
Suddenly, Jake took her by the shoulders and held her still, stepping back from her. Sadie’s stomach dropped again, this time in misery. He was going to stop this.
Instead, he stared steadily into her eyes for a long moment.
“I want to make sure we’re on the same page,” he finally said, his voice soft.
One corner of Sadie’s mouth crooked up. “If that page includes ending up in bed together, then yes. Absolutely. I want you, Jake Blaine.” Her stomach tightened again in anxiety, but she kept her gaze steady. She might be terrified of being rejected by this man who was so far out of her league, but that didn’t mean he ever had to know it.
Jake threw his head back and laughed. “I do love a direct woman.”
Then he definitely should never know about the butterflies dancing in her stomach because of her own boldness.
I can keep this up. It’s just for the night. He’ll never need to know who I really am underneath all this bravado.
Narrowing her eyes, Sadie tilted her head and said, “Now that we have that out of the way, can we get back to what we were doing?”
“Oh, yes,” Jake practically growled as he pulled her to him.
One perfect night.
That’s what every Cinderella wanted, right?
Sadie was going to make sure she had hers. Right up until the clock struck midnight—whatever time that might actually be in Vegas.
…
Jake slipped the strap of her gown off one shoulder, marveling at the ivory perfection of Sadie’s skin even as he ran his mouth across it, determined to taste every inch of her before the night was over. She tasted sweet and cool, like peppermint and peaches, with just a hint of the champagne they had shared at dinner, and her fragrance seemed to slip right past his defenses, sliding right to the very center of him.
She’s like the perfect dessert. Sweet and light and completely edible.
The thought of her spread out before him, ready for him to devour, pulled a moan out of him. Her nimble fingers had finally unbuttoned his shirt, and she pushed it back off his shoulders, dropping tiny kisses across his chest and flicking her tongue lightly across his nipple. He growled deep in his throat and spun her around to unzip her dress. It dropped to the floor with a silky swoosh, and she stepped lightly out of it, glancing back at him over her shoulder.
Even as he placed both hands on her tiny waist, he pulled far enough back to see every glorious inch of her. Black lace panties left both creamy white ass cheeks most
ly bare, and he slipped his hands down to cup them. She sighed and pushed back against his hands, and his cock jerked in response.
He pulled her back until he had settled himself right in the lace-covered cleft, the soft material scraping lightly against him, the soft noises she made in her throat making him even harder.
With one hand, he unclasped her bra and slid the straps from her shoulders and down her arms until it fell to the bed in front of them. Leaning forward to kiss along the line of Sadie’s jaw, Jake used his fingertips to trace along the sides of her perfectly formed breasts. Her skin felt as soft and smooth to the touch as he had known it would, and every soft whimper from her made him want her more.
Gently, he ran his fingertips back down to her hips and hooked his thumbs into the elastic at her waist. At the same moment, he dropped a kiss at the top of her neck. As he pulled the lace down, he sank to his knees, running his lips from the top of her spine to the small of her back. She shuddered under his mouth, and he smiled against her skin, then tugged the panties away as she stepped out of them.
Settling back on his heels, he pushed against one hip and she turned, following his silent direction. When he looked up the length of her, she watched him with her serious gaze, her dark-brown eyes giving nothing away. But when he ran his hands up the sides of her legs and brushed his thumbs across the dark curls nestled in between, her breath caught in her throat.
“Sit down.” Jake’s voice rasped with desire. He followed up the request with a slight pressure against Sadie’s legs. She dropped to the bed as if her knees had given out from under her, and, still kneeling, he pushed himself in between her knees and slid one hand up to skim against her, brushing his thumb against the swollen nub waiting for him.
She was hot and wet, and the scent of her enveloped him as he followed his hand with his tongue, flicking it against her clit until she gasped for breath. Without changing the rhythm of his tongue, he slid his finger deep inside her, sliding it back and forth in time with his mouth. He’d been right—she was soft and sweet, and the more he tasted her, the more he wanted. Sadie arched up on the bed, pushing herself ever closer to him. When she came, he felt it in shuddering waves against his hand and mouth.
When the shaking had subsided to slight trembles, he kissed the damp curls lightly and began to pull away.
“Your turn,” Sadie whispered, sitting up on the bed as Jake stood. His cock leaped in response, and Sadie laughed, a deep, throaty sound that ran across Jake’s skin like a hot touch.
Sadie slid off the bed and stood, pressing herself against him as she unzipped his pants and pushed them to the floor, along with his boxers.
Then she spun him around to sit on the edge of the bed and dropped to her knees. With one hand, she caressed the tip of his cock, sliding her finger across the slight wetness there and circling her finger around the head. With a suddenness that startled him, she took all of him into her mouth, going down on him until the tip of his cock bumped the back of her throat.
It was all he could do to keep from spilling himself into her right then, even though the sight of the tightly wound schoolteacher’s lips surrounding him almost made him lose control. Staring down at her head as she moved up and down, taking him deep into her mouth and making tiny noises of enjoyment as she did, made him want to pump harder and harder. But he held himself back, determined to draw the experience out as long as he could.
He wouldn’t let this end until he could slide inside her and make her scream his name.
At that thought, he had to stop her.
“Come to me,” he whispered.
Chapter Eleven
Barely able to believe her own boldness in dropping to her knees in the first place, Sadie allowed Jake to guide her up, but she lingered long enough to let her mouth drag across the silky hardness of him one last time. Encouraged by his harsh intake of breath, she played her fingers down his cock, pressing it against her as she stood so that it trailed down her chin, between her breasts, and against her stomach.
When she was again standing, she simply stared down at him, waiting to see what he would do next. In the soft lamplight, his green eyes were hooded, but there was no doubting the hot need she saw burning there. Without taking his gaze from hers, he reached into the drawer of the bedside table and pulled a wrapped condom from the shaving kit inside.
“Let me,” she said, plucking it from his fingers and tearing open the package. As she unrolled the latex down over him, Jake continued to hold her gaze. Placing both hands on his shoulders, she slid one knee onto the bed beside him, then the other, until she knelt over him, pressing her forehead to his.
In that moment, she couldn’t have said what it was about this man—this gorgeous, smart, articulate man, so far out of her league as to be laughable at any other time—that made her feel so beautiful. So wanted. But even if she hadn’t been able to feel the evidence of his desire brushing against her sex, she would have known from the sheer heat of his gaze that his need for her was real.
For just an instant, she hovered there, reveling in this strange, newfound power that mingled with the burning hunger swirling through her as she stared into Jake’s eyes, seeing the same feeling reflected there.
She sank down onto him, slowly drawing every inch of him deep inside, feeling the stretch as he filled her completely. Equally slowly, she rose up onto her knees again. Jake wrapped one arm around her waist, placed the other hand flat in the center of her back, and pulled her back down, holding her tightly against him as he pushed up to meet her. The next time she rose up, he reached under her knees and pulled her legs out from under her, wrapping them around his waist and taking control of the rhythm, moving faster as he lifted her up and back down, while she clung to his shoulders and wrapped herself as tightly around him as possible. Slipping one hand between them, he slid his thumb against her clit, stroking it in time to their motion, pressing harder every time he trapped his fingers between their bodies.
Part of Sadie wanted to close her eyes, concentrate on the sensations Jake was creating in her, but his intense gaze held hers, drawing her in further and further, until she couldn’t distinguish the waves of pleasure running through her from the passion in his eyes. As she shattered around him, she heard his name ripped from her throat even as his lips claimed hers, taking all of the pleasure pouring from her into himself.
…
Sadie’s shudders still throbbing around him, Jake lowered his mouth from hers to suck her breast into his mouth, sliding his tongue against the hardening nipple. She threw her head back and whimpered, somewhere between pressing herself against him harder and pulling away. Without breaking their connection, Jake stood long enough to spin them around and lay her on the bed beneath him.
Her hair had escaped its careful arrangement, and loose curls spilled out across the pillow. Jake pulled back to look at her, spread beneath him, her ivory skin flushed and damp, even more delicious than he had imagined.
When his gaze met hers, he seemed to fall into the darkness of her eyes, his entire being held as warm and secure as her body held his cock, the entire universe pulsating around him in a moment like nothing he had ever experienced before. From the wonder in her eyes, in her slightly parted lips, she felt it, too.
Groaning, he buried himself deep inside her again, her delicate hands grasping his ass as she rose up to meet him. With every thrust, he claimed her—and with every pull of her hands, every tightening of her legs around him, she returned that claim. Mine, their bodies declared.
Mine.
The thought drove Jake to the edge, heat throbbing through him as her inner walls, slick with her desire, squeezed his cock, holding him tight even as he drew out, moving in time to the thump of the headboard against the wall. Sadie’s panting gained momentum, the tiny whimpers growing louder as he pounded against her, harder and harder, until his own orgasm poured through him, pulsing against her and triggering her own release.
Jake didn’t even know that he had been calling
out her name over and over until the haze of pleasure faded a little, and he realized he was still whispering it. “Sadie.”
If he could have, he would have stayed there, held inside her for as long as possible.
Instead, he pressed a kiss to her lips as he withdrew, then pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her.
As he drifted to sleep, he realized that for the first time in a long time, he wasn’t worried about anything—not keeping his secrets, not Ian’s campaign, not even what the next day would bring.
One last thought floated across his mind right before darkness enveloped him.
What does it mean that she’s mine?
Chapter Twelve
Sadie listened in the dark as Jake’s breath grew even and deep. She snuggled in close to him, amazed at how perfectly her body fit against his. He radiated heat, and she wiggled around until practically every inch of her was touching some part of his body, overcoming the air-conditioned chill of the hotel room. Then she drifted in and out of sleep, contented for the moment.
When she woke again, the clock on the nightstand next to her said that it was five. She ought to be exhausted, and yet when Sadie tried to close her eyes and go back to sleep, she found she couldn’t.
For a few moments, she considered waking Jake, but that seemed rude, at best.
She had a new book on her phone’s reading app—the latest one Jocelyn Dellarivier had edited. If she couldn’t sleep, at least she could read.
Slipping out of bed as quietly as she could, she wrapped a coverlet around herself and felt around in the dark for her purse, certain she had dropped it on the floor when they had crashed together next to the bed.
Oh, I dropped it all right. Upside down, so everything fell out.
And then Jake’s pants had landed right on top of the scattered contents.
With a sigh, she resecured the coverlet and sat down on the floor to better sort through things.
Hot on His Heels (What Happens in Vegas) Page 7
