“I figured you’d find the open doors...”
“Good guess.”
“So why are you still dressed?”
“Good question,” he muttered and tore his shirt off. While she watched, he undressed quickly, then stepped into the tub and hissed. “You like boiling?”
She grinned up at him. “I like it hot.”
“Now that, I take as a direct challenge.”
“Excellent.” She smiled and the fairy-like image intensified. Covered in bubbles, strands of blond hair falling out of the topknot on her head and those big blue eyes watching him, she was, at the moment, everything.
Lowering into the water, Cooper felt the jets blast against his back as he levered himself over her, taking her mouth with a hunger that surprised even him. She reached up and encircled his neck, pulling him down to her, parting her legs and wrapping them around his hips.
The wet glide of his skin against hers set his nerve endings on fire. He’d waited. Wanted. And now he would have.
Cooper filled his hands with her breasts, stroking his thumbs across her hardened nipples until she was writhing beneath him and the hot water churned and splashed up both sides of the tub. She tipped her head back against the edge and stared blankly up at the ceiling. Running her hands up and down his back, fingernails dragging along his spine, she groaned his name. Cooper dipped his head, took one of those perfect pink nipples into his mouth and rolled his tongue across the tip. She gasped and arched high, her legs still locked around his hips.
Cooper fought the urge to slide into her heat right then. But damned if he’d complicate things further with an unintended pregnancy. They’d have to wait for a bed to complete this, but for now he could torment them both even further.
He lifted his head and shifted quickly, spinning her around until he was behind her—her back to his front. Her butt was a temptation he ignored. For now. Hot water pulsed against his back as the jets, on high, pummeled the water and their bodies.
Cooper kissed her neck, ran his hands across her breasts and down her sides, sliding across her abdomen, to her center, then to those long, lovely legs.
“Cooper...” Her head against his chest, she turned her face up to his. Her eyes were glassy, her lips parted into a hungry pout that tore at him. “Cooper, what’re you—”
“You’ll see...” He held her thighs open and slid closer to one of the tub’s jets. As soon as that rushing hot water hit her center, Terri jolted in his arms.
“Cooper!” His name came out as a helpless shriek. The water pulsed, her body moved and she breathed, heavy, fast, rocking her hips into the source of her torment. And he watched it all. Watched her strain and reach for the orgasm that was inching closer and closer. He’d never seen anything as totally sexual as Terri moving in the bubble-filled water, finding pleasure in the swirling heat.
Lifting her arms, she reached back and brought his head down to hers. While the water pounded against her core, she dragged his mouth to hers and kissed him breathlessly, desperately. He held her, their mouths fused, their breaths mingling and when the hot, frothy water finally pushed her over the edge, he tasted her surrender and had never known anything sweeter.
When her body finally stopped trembling, Cooper spun her around in his arms again, lifting her legs to hook them around his hips. With one quick move, he could be inside her, buried so deep within that it might possibly ease the incredible ache that had been tearing at him for days. And because he was no more than a breath away from doing just that, Cooper muttered, “That’s it.”
“What? What’s it?” She threw her head back and looked at him through passion-glazed eyes.
He stood up, still holding her to him, her legs around his waist. “We stay here another second, I’m going to take you in this tub.”
“And that’s bad?” she asked dreamily.
“Without a condom it is,” he snapped, really close to saying screw it and getting on with things.
That registered fast. “Right. You have one? A condom? Or two?”
“I do.” He stepped out of the tub and a wave of water sloshed out behind them.
“We’re making a hideous mess,” she complained, glancing down at the water pooling on the green tile.
“Housekeeping,” he muttered, and snatched up his slacks on the way to the bedroom.
“Right. Good point.”
The French doors were still open to the night and a soft wind slipped inside, brushing across their wet skin, making them both shiver. But Cooper was past caring. There was only so much torture a man could take. Only so much waiting. He walked to the wide bed, dropped Terri onto the mattress where she bounced with a laugh that rippled through the lamp-lit shadows and made him smile in spite of everything. He grabbed a condom from his pocket, tore it open and sheathed himself faster than he ever had before.
And then finally he was where he’d wanted to be almost from the first moment he saw her. Cooper covered her body with his and when she lifted her legs to pull him in, he followed. He pushed himself deep inside her and as she gasped, he sighed at the sense of completion that swamped him. Tightly inside her heat, he held perfectly still for a long moment or two, just to savor the sensation.
Then his body took over and he moved within her, creating a rhythm that she eagerly matched. Their bodies sliding together in perfect harmony, their harsh breaths echoing in the stillness. Desperation fueled desire, and desire flashed into an almost unbearable heat.
He watched her face, saw everything she was feeling written there and knew that he would never tire of seeing her like this. Of knowing what they could build together. Days of wanting, thinking, needing, combined to bring them both rushing toward climax. It was going too fast and he knew it. Sensed it. He wanted to make it all last longer, to drag this out forever, but he couldn’t wait another second. And the sounds of her moans and gasps told him she felt the same. There would be time again for slow and torturous. Tonight they needed satisfaction.
Faster, higher, they chased each other up the mountain until the peak was within reach and then, locked together, they flew over the top and held on to each other all the way down.
* * *
A couple of minutes later Cooper’s head cleared of the lust-driven fog he’d been living under for days. He was staggered. Shaken. Nothing he’d ever known had prepared him for what had just happened and damn, if that didn’t put the fear of God into a man. His control of any given situation was what he prided himself on. But with Terri, his instinct was to throw control out the closest window.
What the hell was he supposed to do with that?
But in the next second he reassured himself that what he was feeling was only because Terri was new to his life. She was at once an innocent and wildly receptive. She was different from every other woman he knew. She was open, kind, funny and didn’t really care about the money or power she now commanded.
What he had to do was get used to having her, being with her. Then these...feelings would fade and he could send her back to Utah with a smile on his face. He congratulated himself silently on once again taking the reins in the situation. He felt a little better about everything.
When he was fairly certain he could move without collapsing, he rolled to one side and draped one hand across his belly.
Next to him, Terri went up on her elbow and looked down at him. “That was amazing.”
“You really like that word, don’t you?” He gave her a quick smile, because what else could he do? Her hair was a tumble of waves and curls, her lips were swollen from so many hungry kisses and the curve of her mouth hit him hard.
“Sometimes, it’s the only one that fits.” She licked her lips and sent a jolt of fire to his belly and Cooper knew he was still in dangerous territory.
“This one time, I’ll agree with you.” But he wouldn’t stay lying there beside her. If he did, he’d take
her again and that wasn’t going to help him get his head on straight. He pushed off the bed and stalked to the bathroom. Cleaned up, he tossed a few towels onto the floor to soak up the flood, then reached down to turn off the tub jets.
On his way back into the bedroom, he snatched his slacks and pulled them on.
Terri sat up in the bed and looked even more fairy-like now. The bed was huge and she looked so small in it. A single lamp tossed just enough light to make the shadows deeper and to somehow highlight her. Her blond hair tumbled down over her shoulders and onto her breasts, and his hands itched to cup them again.
Danger, his mind shouted. Get out while you can.
“You’re leaving already?”
“Yeah.” He was leaving now, while he could still convince himself to go. But he had to say something. To head off at the pass any thoughts that this might be more than what it was—satisfying sex. “Look, Terri, I don’t want you to—”
She tipped her head to one side, her long hair sliding off her shoulders to swing free like a golden curtain. Holding up one hand for quiet, she finished his sentence for him. “Get stars in my eyes? Hire a wedding planner and pick out a sweet little bungalow built for two?”
He stopped pulling his clothes on, leaving his dress shirt hanging open. Staring at her, he tried to figure out what she was thinking. Feeling. Was he somehow completely wrong about what was rushing through her mind? Usually about now, whatever woman he was with started sighing romantically and hinting that if they were so good together they should stay together. Be a couple. Be engaged. Then married. But he’d already discovered Terri was like no one he’d ever known.
Hell, for all he knew, she hadn’t enjoyed any of this. No. Bull. He knew when a woman had a damn orgasm, and hers had rocked both of them. So what was she up to?
“Yeah,” he said. “I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to.” She scooted off the bed and naked, she walked right up to him. His mouth watered. He wanted her again. Now. “God, Cooper, do you really think you’re completely unreadable? Panic was shining in your eyes so brightly I could have read a book by it.”
No one had ever seen through him so easily before. “I don’t panic.”
“Not about much, probably, but this, yes.” She slid her hands up his chest, her fingers defining every ridge of every muscle. Heat spiraled from her touch, soaking through his skin to burn up his bones. Then her thumbs moved over his flat nipples and he hissed in a breath as he fought for control.
“But you don’t have to worry,” she continued, sliding his shirt down off his arms to let it fall to the floor. “I didn’t fall madly in love in an instant.”
“I didn’t say you did.”
“And, if I promise not to propose, will you stay?”
Well, didn’t he feel like an idiot? Cooper was used to being the one to hand out the after-sex cautionary tale. Felt weird to be on the receiving end and he didn’t much like it. But damned if he didn’t admire her for it. “Blunt. No BS. I still like that about you.”
“Here’s more blunt,” she said, going up on her toes to slant her mouth over his in an all too brief kiss. “How many condoms did you bring?”
Nine
A slow smile curved his mouth as he dipped into one of his pockets and came up with a handful of gold foil packets.
“I do like a man who comes prepared.” Terri felt the rush of pure, feminine power as she saw the flash of heat in his eyes. Taking one of the packets, she opened it, then unzipped his slacks, found him hard and ready and slowly slid the thin layer of latex along his length.
She watched his silent battle for control and loved that she had been able to bring this strong man to a place of vulnerability. While her fingers curled around him, he pushed his slacks down and kicked them aside. Smiling to herself, she knew he wasn’t going anywhere. Not yet, anyway.
“I’ve got to have you again,” he muttered.
“Just what I wanted to hear,” she whispered.
He scooped her up into his arms and stalked across the bedroom. She could really get used to being carried by Cooper Hayes. At the bed he sat down and settled her on his lap. Instantly, Terri sighed at the feel of him rubbing against a tender spot, still trembling with her last climax. She was greedy and she was okay with that. She wanted more and wasn’t afraid to show him how much.
Moving on him, she swiveled her hips, teasing, almost taking him inside, then pulling back, torturing them both with the hunger that gnawed at their souls. His ice-blue eyes were swimming with heat and she knew hers looked the same. There was something vibrant and powerful between them. She’d never known that sex could be this good. Always before, it had been a soft, almost sweet experience, with a muffled ripple of pleasure to cap it off.
But with Cooper, there was magic. There was an explosion of sensation that left her trembling even as she ached to feel it all again.
His hands closed on her hips; his gaze pinned hers. “No more playing, Terri.” He tipped her over onto her back and loomed over her.
But before he could, Terri rolled over onto her belly and lifted her hips off the mattress. Looking back at him over her shoulder, she whispered brokenly, “Be inside me, Cooper.”
“You’re killing me,” he admitted.
She grinned and wiggled her hips. “That is so not the plan.”
Cooper moved to kneel behind her and closed his hands over her butt. She groaned as his strong fingers kneaded her flesh, then he slipped one hand down to stroke that hot, desperate core of hers. Her hips moved of their own accord, rocking, swaying, as her body looked for what only he could give her.
Curling her fingers into the meadow-green duvet, Terri lifted her hips higher and held her breath until he pushed himself deeply into her body. He moved with long, sure strokes, pushing her along the path to completion at a breathless pace. She moved into him, taking him so deep, she thought he almost became a part of her. Again and again, he took her, pushing her, claiming her. His hands held her steady and still the world rocked around her.
She tipped her head back and moaned, hearing the hunger in her own voice. Her body coiled tightly. Anticipation heightened every thrust he made because she was that much closer to the explosion she was reaching for. This was more than just physical, her mind whispered. He wasn’t simply taking over her body, but he was sliding into her heart, as well. She felt something deep, something overwhelming for him. But she just couldn’t think about that now. At this moment, all she wanted in her mind was what he was doing to her body. What he was making her feel. But one day soon, she was going to have to deal with this new development.
He breathed fast and hard, and Terri heard his desperation as clearly as she felt her own. When the first ripple began deep inside her, she quivered in response, pushed back against him and shouted his name. In reaction, Cooper pushed himself even deeper into her heat and Terri’s vision went dark under the strength of the orgasm that hit her. She called his name again and rode the waves that crashed inside her.
Her body was still trembling when she felt him stiffen, heard him shout and then his body, too, was shattering and the world tipped crazily one more time.
* * *
Terri could hardly look at Cooper over the conference table the next afternoon. If she did, she was sure everyone at the meeting would see what she was thinking. And she couldn’t stop thinking about the night before.
It had been magical. Incredible. They’d gone through every one of the condoms he’d brought to her room and they’d finally given in to exhaustion as dawn touched the sky. When she woke up, Terri was alone with her memories and rumpled sheets. She hadn’t heard from Cooper all day and now they were here, in the conference room, sitting at opposite ends of the table from each other as if they were strangers.
Her stomach spun; her mind kept replaying the things he had done to her and with her all night
and yet, in his eyes, she saw a cool indifference that she didn’t understand.
“So,” Cooper demanded, his voice shattering her thoughts and bringing her back to the moment at hand. She was about to find out if her family vacation idea would be approved or not. “Ethan. What’d you find out?”
The man shot Terri an apologetic look before saying, “Surprisingly enough, I found that the numbers bear out the family vacation angle. I wouldn’t have thought so many people were dragging their children to Europe, but they are. And it’s not just families.” He paused, checked his notes, then continued. “As Terri suggested, there are more and more seniors doing extensive traveling. Most of them seem to prefer organized tour groups where reservations and luggage and itinerary are taken care of for them.
“If we work in tandem with those tour organizations, it would be a profitable angle for a Hayes 2. Heck, we could even offer our own tours—maybe offer a stay at two or more of our hotels. They’d come flocking to us for, as Terri put it, ‘affordable luxury.’”
Terri let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. Then Cooper asked, “Sharon?”
“Ethan’s right. He brought the numbers to me and together, we dug deeper. There is a demand for the kind of thing Terri suggested. Actually,” she added apologetically, “I can’t believe none of us considered this before. You asked me to look for locations and I’ve found several possibilities in Chelsea, Kensington or Knightsbridge for the first Hayes 2.” She turned to look at Terri with a new respect in her gaze. “How do you feel about it, Terri?”
Delighted with how this had gone, Terri spoke with more confidence than she’d had the day before. She’d also done some research on family-friendly areas, so she said, “Any of those options sound great, but I’d prefer Kensington. Why don’t you see what properties are available and we can go forward from there?”
“I’ll get right on it,” Sharon said. “And if it’s okay with you, I’ll bring what I find to your office tomorrow.”
Again, Terri felt a rush of pleasure and now it was mixed with pride and a terrific sense of accomplishment. Whatever else happened, she’d at least earned the respect of the people at this table.
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