But I was standing in front of Owen's hotel room door only a few feet from my own. My gaze kept shooting back and forth between the two and my brain was calculating how quickly I could make a run for it and hide. That's right, folks, because I'm a lily-livered little shit. For all my bluster and talk about control and practicality, what I am is a coward. This was why I avoided romance quite a bit unless the male was truly compelling.
Like Owen. I'd never met anyone like him. Intense and laidback all at the same time. Intelligent and sexy, too.
Here goes nothing...
Raising my hand to knock, I paused for a moment and took a deep breath before rapping firmly on the door. One. Two. Three times.
I heard footsteps on the other side of the door and then it swung open to reveal Owen in a different pair of casual cargo shorts - olive green - and a black t-shirt with white writing over the pocket.
Symphonic. His dating app.
It was a jolting reminder that this man had millions of women at his fingertips. What was he doing with me? If he believed in his test so deeply, wouldn't that be how he'd want to meet the woman of his dreams?
Stop driving yourself crazy. This is how people end up in rubber rooms drawing pictures with non-toxic crayons.
"Emmy, come in." Owen, his hair slightly damp from a shower, stepped back so I could enter. He smelled clean and delicious. "You're right on time. The pizza should be here any minute."
The hotel had pizza delivery and I'd heard it was pretty decent. When Owen had suggested we try it along with a movie I'd quickly said yes. Then I wondered whether I should have said no, or even just played hard to get.
No, I hated games and wasn't the type. If I wanted to have sex with a man, then I did it.
What I didn't understand was why I was having so many issues with this man. Practically from the first moment I'd laid eyes on him I'd been thinking about what it would be like to make love with him, but for some reason I was reticent to simply go for it. While putting on my makeup tonight, I'd given myself quite the talking to.
If you want to have sex with him, then just do it. Why are you acting so strangely?
"I'm starved," I replied, realizing he'd been waiting for me to say something. The silence had stretched on until it was awkward. "I went to the gym when we came back from the picnic."
Then took a shower and promptly fell asleep for a two-hour nap.
"Ambitious. I'm afraid I just worked a little. I had a few calls to make."
I settled onto the surprisingly comfortable couch. "Who runs the business when you're not there?"
"I have a terrific team of people that can handle pretty much any emergency. At this point, I've stepped back from the day to day business operations to concentrate on my research and refining our matching process."
"The test?"
He nodded and sat down next to me, his thigh brushing mine. I fussed with the throw pillow to cover up my shiver in response.
"The test is our differentiator. We're not just a dating app. We're truly trying to help a client find the love of their life."
"A soulmate."
His smile widened and he reached out to brush the hair out of my eyes. "We're not going to do this again, are we? I don't want to argue with you tonight."
"I don't want to argue, either. I didn't think we were arguing before," I said. "It was more like a healthy debate."
A knock on the door, far more tentative then mine had been. "There's nothing wrong with that unless it upsets the digestion."
"Think I might win the debate?"
Owen stood and headed for the door. "I didn't realize how competitive you are, Emmy, but I like it. I'm not afraid of losing, if that's what you're asking. If you want to know about our methods, fire away. I have no secrets. From you. Now our competitors are a different story. You're not planning to start a dating website, are you?"
"Not in the least. I'll let you put them together, and then I'll get them married."
"We make a good team."
It was a dangerous thought.
Owen
Emmy asked good questions. Intelligent, thoughtful, and yes, challenging at times. If I hadn't already been attracted to her, I would be now.
We'd finished dinner while chatting about my work. She appeared to be genuinely interested and honestly, I loved talking about it. She might be sorry she'd brought up the subject.
I placed the food tray outside the hotel room door. "How about a movie?"
When I'd issued the dinner and a movie invitation, I hadn't really been thinking all that clearly. My brain's blood supply had still been pooled in my cock and I'd blurted out the first thing that had come into my mind so that I could continue to spend more time with her. It was only later that I'd realized the implications...
Netflix and chill.
As if I was expecting to get laid tonight.
To be completely accurate? I was hoping to, not expecting. I still wasn't sure if I hadn't ruined it all on the beach today. Emmy had been quiet during the picnic lunch, although she'd brightened back up later.
"That sounds fine."
Picking up the remote, I paged through the offerings. "Action? Comedy? Romance?"
"Choose whatever you'd like to watch."
"You don't want to watch a film?"
"It's fine," she assured me, tucking her legs under her. She'd kicked off her shoes and her bare toes peeked out, painted a bright cherry red. "I'm just not picky. You can choose."
"You're not in the mood to watch television."
I didn't phrase it like a question because it wasn't. I was a psychologist and supposedly I could read people. Honestly, Emmy was an open book. She shouldn't quit her day job to take up professional poker, if you know what I mean.
She opened her mouth to correct me but then sighed. "No, I'm not. Is that okay?"
"It's fine. What do you want to do?"
That question hung heavily in the air between us, flashing on and off like an annoying neon sign.
Shit.
"I could call the front desk and see if they have a deck of cards or a board game," I offered hurriedly. In less than a minute, the tension had shot through the roof, as had the temperature. I was sweating through my t-shirt. "Or we could just talk. I'd like to hear more about your business."
Emmy didn't look at me, seemingly fascinated by the hem of her shirt. Pleating it between her fingers, she dared a glance at me, then her gaze dropped again.
"We could...go to bed."
She'd said the words so softly I almost wasn't sure that I heard them correctly. It was my vivid imagination that had conjured up that statement. A wishful mind had twisted my hearing.
The problem was that all the blood had immediately rushed down to my cock and my mind was sluggish. Forming words was tantamount to a miracle.
"What?"
Okay, I wasn't eloquent. Hell, my vision had gone blurry and I was sure that I'd had a stroke.
This time she looked up, our gazes colliding. Licking her lips nervously, she said it again.
"We could go to bed. You know...together."
Did she honestly think I was going to say no? Hadn't she noticed that I'd been following her around with my tongue hanging out?
Fuck yes, we could go to bed together. If I had anything to say about it, I wouldn't let her out until our flight Monday morning.
Play it cool. Act like you're not ready to jump up and do an end zone dance. She'd hate that.
"We could do that."
Damn straight. I was the luckiest son of a gun in the Caribbean tonight. I loved it when a woman went after what she wanted. It was sexy as hell.
Emmy Grant was full of wonderful surprises.
Chapter 12
Emmy
I'd done it. I'd said what I wanted. Inspired by Shelby's book, I'd opened my mouth and told Owen that I wanted to have sex with him. I hadn't been particularly assertive about it but we were now lying on his bed so it must have worked.
To be honest, w
ith as much tension as there was between us, plus what happened on our picnic, I think he was feeling the same way. He'd simply been too much of a gentleman to say it out loud. As he'd offered me movie choices, I'd realized that we were going to sit there watching a film that neither one of us was particularly interested in all because we were too scared to make the first move.
What had Shelby's book said? It had said that we fool ourselves. We think we're going after what we want, but in reality we're sitting back hoping that somebody else takes all the chances. So, I took a leap of faith and now Owen is standing by the bed stripping off his t-shirt.
Ohhhh.... Nice.
He always looked and smelled good to me but watching him stand there and strip was incredibly erotic. Just the mere sight of his naked chest was sending tingles to all the right places.
Did I mention his chest? Wide shoulders, flat abs, with those indentations near the hip bones that made females stupid. What was it called? Oh right, the Adonis Belt. Aptly named, might I say.
He'd popped open his shorts, the sound of his metal zipper loud in the quiet room, the only sound the whirring of the air conditioner. The garment slid down his muscular legs and pooled at his feet. He kicked them away without a backward glance. All he was wearing now was a pair of navy blue boxers.
Scratch that. All he was wearing was a pair of navy blue boxers with a huge imprint of his quite large cock.
I'd seen my share of male anatomy through the years, starting when I was nine and me and Tommy Gibbs from next door had played "doctor" in my garage. I'd played a version of that game on and off with a few boyfriends in high school before losing my virginity in my senior year to a budding thespian who had played Romeo in the school play. I'd been dating fairly regularly in my adult years as well.
Yet never in my life had I wanted a man more than I did Owen Campbell. Right now, at this very moment. It was a physical ache in my belly that was only going to be eased one way.
I wasn't sure I was going to be able to take it slow and savor the moment, to be honest, because I had the sudden urge to grab the waistband of those boxers and rip them down, exposing all the bounty that lay beneath the cotton fabric.
Take chances. Go after what you want.
"Come closer."
I could hear Owen's indrawn breath at my bold words and then he practically ripped off his boxers, tossing them over his shoulder. His hard cock bobbed free and I gulped at what had been revealed. Long and thick, it reached almost to his bellybutton.
Tugging at his hand, I pulled him down on the mattress with me, our bodies tangling together as our lips met in a carnal kiss that was hotter than lava. It was so good it almost made me forget all the things I wanted to do to him. But not quite.
Pressing his shoulders to the bed, I threw my leg over his thighs so I was straddling him. His hands came up to grasp my hips.
"What are you–"
Leaning down, I dropped a few kisses on his chest. "Relax, I'm just having some fun."
His eyebrow quirked and his smile widened. "Fun? Far be it for me to object to that. Have all the fun you want."
He tucked his hands behind his head and grinned up at me. He was laid out naked as the day he was born. All for me.
My goal was obvious but I decided to take my time getting there. I was supposed to be savoring this and so far, I hadn't done a great job with that. Beginning my journey at his neck, I pressed kisses and nibbles on the strong cords of his neck, over his shoulders, and then down to one of his flat male nipples. Swiping my tongue around the circle, I heard his swift intake of breath and then a strangled moan. I liked it so much that I repeated the action on the other side before kissing a path down his flat abs all the way to his treasure trail.
Another part of a man that was aptly named.
His fingers had tangled in my hair and he definitely was urging me to move faster. Tossing aside my determination to make him wait, I instead ran my tongue up his cock from base to tip. Then I did it again, loving the groan that was torn from his throat.
"Honey," he said hoarsely, his fingers tightening in my hair. "It's not that I don't love what you're doing because damn, I do, but if you keep doing it this evening is going to come to a much earlier conclusion than I'd originally planned."
"We could just start all over again," I replied playfully, dropping a kiss on the wet tip and then swiping my tongue in a circle, drawing another moan from him. "I'm okay with it."
His chuckle was deep and dark. "I'm fine with it too, and I sure as hell like your enthusiasm. But I still think that we should switch places. There's a whole bunch of things I want to do to you, too."
I couldn't deny that I'd been fantasizing about that as well. In fact, I'd stared at his hands far too much at the beach today. Thank goodness he hadn't noticed because I was sure that would come across as creepy. Really, really strange.
Without another word, he grasped my hips again and quickly flipped me on my back before I could even catch my breath. I let out an oof as I hit the mattress but I didn't get the chance to complain. Owen was popping open the button on my shorts and sliding them down my legs, leaving a wet path of kisses all the way to my toes. Who knew ankles were so erogenous?
The temperature in the room had zoomed higher in the last ten minutes. Ripping my t-shirt over my head, I tossed it away and went to work on my bra but Owen's fingers brushed mine away.
"Let me," he whispered into my ear before giving the earlobe a nip with his teeth. "I've been fantasizing about doing this since the day I met you."
That day in the bar. I'd had a few dreams myself.
The blood rushed through my veins and roared in my ears as my bra and panties seem to melt away under his tender ministrations. His rough palms cupped my breasts and his thumbs strummed at the hard points, sending arrows of pleasure straight to my clit. A coil of arousal had taken up residence in my lower abdomen and it only tightened further when Owen’s lips wrapped around my pebbled nipples. Grabbing the back of his head, I silently urged him on, arching my back and letting my eyelids flutter closed.
He didn't let the other rosy tip go unattended, his tongue dancing around until I was squirming under his muscular frame. So good. Flames licked at my flesh and it was as if I was on fire from the inside out.
Pushing my legs apart, he slid down farther until I could feel his warm breath on my inner thigh. He traced patterns with his tongue on the sensitive skin there, driving me closer and closer to the edge but never letting me go over. He pressed first one, and then a second digit inside my tight channel and rubbed at the sweet spot with his fingertips as his tongue meandered its way through my folds and right to my swollen clit.
It was like being touched by lightning.
White lights flashed behind my lids and I didn't so much as fall over the precipice as jump, my body no longer under my control. Owen was the maestro and he played me easily, keeping me suspended in air until I couldn't take it any longer. At some point, I called out his name in raw need and then he was there, his cock hard against my thigh.
"Honey, just one minute."
He was half off the bed for a moment and then he was back. The sound of crinkling foil told me what his errand had been. I was grateful that at least one of us was thinking clearly.
Then he was nudging at my entrance, pausing as he hovered above me, and capturing my lips with his own.
"Are you sure, Emmy?"
I'd had some terrible taste in men in the past but this one might just break that string of losers. If I'd said no, I knew without a doubt that Owen would stop. He might not be happy about it, but he would.
That wasn't what I was going to say.
"I am, Owen. Yes."
I needed him inside of me more than I needed my next breath. Wrapping my legs around his slim hips, I urged him on. He pressed forward and I could barely breathe. Stretched and full. Incredibly blissful. My nails dug into his shoulders and my legs tightened as he began to pull out and then thrust back in, slowly at firs
t but then picking up speed as we found our rhythm.
Gasps and moans punctuated by the sound of flesh slapping against flesh. It was hot, raunchy, and not at all sweet and romantic. We couldn't seem to get enough of one another and I heard myself begging him to fuck me harder and faster. Anything to make me come again. He obliged, his teeth gritted together and his lips pulled back in a snarl. The pleasure was so acute it was almost painful as it built in my belly. I needed...something...and I would climax spectacularly but it was shimmering just out of my reach.
My fingers anchored onto his ass, trying to direct his strokes. Owen seemed to pick up on my frustration.
"Can you not come, honey? Do you need a little help?"
I didn't know how to tell him what I needed but thankfully he seemed to get it. Angling his body, he snapped his hips forward so he slid over my clit with each thrust. Perfection. I came apart in his arms a minute later, my soul shattering into a million shiny pieces that looked like stars as they whirled around the room.
Owen followed me over the cliff, his body stiffening and then collapsing on top of me. Our skin was damp with sweat and our limbs in a tangle. Stroking his back, I tried to get my breathing back under control, taking oxygen into my starved lungs. Eventually he rolled off of me and quickly took care of the condom before coming back to bed and cuddling close.
Big spoon and little spoon. He pulled the covers over our rapidly cooling bodies.
"Are you okay? Do you need anything?"
Was I okay? The sex had been...indescribable. Far better than I'd ever imagined. I didn't have the words to express the myriad of emotions that were running riot inside of me at the moment. Honestly, I didn't want to talk about my feelings and things I couldn't quite comprehend.
"I'm fine."
It wasn't a lie. I'd wanted this and now we'd done it. I didn't know what it meant or how I was supposed to feel but I did know one thing to be true.
Touch Him (ManTrap Book 3) Page 8
