She moaned as he swept his tongue over her lips. Oh, he couldn’t help but think of what she would do when his tongue was farther down her body. Or of how it would feel to slide inside her, her body slick and ready to take him. How she would tighten around him and shudder.
And it wasn’t just about him trying to forget, and her being a very pretty woman who was convenient and thought he was attractive.
Afterward, he would curl his body around hers, hold her close. He wanted that, too. He wanted all kinds of touches with her. For a very long time.
He lifted his mouth from hers and she moaned again—in protest, perhaps.
“Let’s go to the hotel,” he whispered.
Chapter Ten
Elise skated as fast as she could, but she could barely move against the strong wind. At some points, she swore she was moving backward despite her best efforts. If Zach hadn’t started pulling her after a couple of minutes of struggling, she wasn’t sure she’d have ever made it back.
They unlaced their skates as fast as possible, not only because they were in a rush to get to the hotel room, but because it was so cold.
“I might have put a lot of thought into what I’m wearing under all these warm clothes,” she said.
“Oh, did you now?”
He leaned over to kiss her. Her body was confused as to whether it was hot or cold.
Scratch that. It was definitely cold.
Fortunately, the hotel wasn’t very far away, and less than twenty minutes later, they were shucking their outer layers just inside the door to their room. Elise pulled off her sweater before lying on the bed. She curled up on her side, a little embarrassed about this whole getting naked business. It had been quite a while since she’d stripped down for anyone. Zach soon joined her, his chest against her back. He cupped her frozen cheek and then brought his hand under the bottom of her black camisole.
She shot forward, nearly falling off the bed.
“Am I too cold?” he asked.
“You’re too cold,” she said.
“Shit. I really want to touch you.”
She rolled over to face him. He’d taken off his sweater too, and he looked awfully yummy in just that white T-shirt. She slid her hand underneath it.
“Payback,” she said.
He grimaced. Then he tried touching her through her camisole, but he was still too cold. He rolled onto his back and spread out his arms, palms on the bed.
“Get on top of me,” he said. “Promise I won’t touch you with my hands.”
“Only if you take off that shirt.”
“If you insist.” He pulled it over his head and lay back down.
Straddling him, she looked at his bare chest, his muscles. There was so much of him. She couldn’t believe she was in bed with a man who looked like this.
She couldn’t believe she was in bed with Zach.
She’d wanted him desperately for weeks, and now here they were, alone in a hotel room, with hands so cold they couldn’t even touch properly.
Elise leaned over, put her hands under the pillow, and kissed his forehead. A gentle kiss because that’s what she thought he needed, what he didn’t get enough of. She worked her way down the left side of his face, pressing kisses to his temple, his cheek, the corner of his mouth, savoring every inch of him. When she brushed her lips over his, oh so lightly, he captured her mouth in his and kissed her hard.
Parts of her were still freezing, but heat pooled between her legs, and she ground her hips into his, into what felt like a sizable erection. She would take him inside her. Very soon.
There was something cold on her back now. She winced.
“You promised you wouldn’t touch me.”
“I need to see all of you.” He rolled her over and made quick work of her pants.
He caressed her sides as he pulled her camisole up over her breasts. It was soon on the floor, along with her bra, and Zach’s weight was on her. She loved the feeling of being beneath him, his skin against hers. And it just got better when he took one nipple into his mouth and rolled his tongue over it. Then he grabbed the top of her panties and shoved them down, and she was completely naked before him.
She hadn’t been with a man in three years. Despite knowing how much he wanted her, she was a little uncomfortable being so exposed. When he put his hand on her inner thigh, she tensed, and not just because he was cold, though his hand was still a bit chilly.
“You’re nervous,” he said, brushing the hair back from her face.
“A bit,” she confessed. “I’m not very experienced and I think you are. But I want this. I really do.”
“You’re not going to disappoint me. Don’t worry about that, sweetheart, because it’s not going to happen.”
“You’re calling me sweetheart now?”
“I guess I am.” He didn’t seem bothered by this.
He dropped his head and kissed her once more, his hands roving her body—her ass, her back, her arms. He was still slightly chilled.
“I can’t help it,” he said. “I need to touch you. God, Elise, you’re so… I can’t explain. I just need you.”
She needed to touch him, too. It couldn’t wait until they’d warmed up.
Zach reached between them and unbuttoned his pants and then guided her hand inside. She wrapped her fingers around his shaft and moved her hand up and down a few times. He breathed in sharply. Elsewhere he was cold, but here he was so warm and hard. For her.
“You’re very thick,” she said.
“Is that making you more nervous?”
“Just a little.”
He slipped his hand between their bodies and touched her folds before penetrating her with one finger, slowly thrusting it in and out.
“I know you can take me,” he said.
His mouth over hers, he slid another finger inside. She groaned, jerking her lips away from his, and he kissed her gently from her forehead to her chin, as she had done to him. She was awash with sensation. Every touch…it was so much more than that. She wrapped her arms around him and dug her fingers into his back as he continued to stroke her in the most intimate way. When he was inside her, she would come undone. Never had she felt such desperation to have a man inside her.
“Zach,” she pleaded.
“Yes,” he said. “You’re so ready for me.”
He raised his hand and dipped his thumb into her mouth. She swirled her tongue around it. Then he brushed his thumb over her clit, slipping his fingers inside her once more and pressing the heel of his hand against her.
She grabbed onto the sheets, but before she could come, he pulled out, a devilish grin on his face.
“Don’t worry. I won’t make you wait any longer.”
He removed the rest of his clothes, rolled on a condom, and covered her body with his. Slowly, he eased inside.
And God, yes, she came undone as he filled her. Held onto him for dear life and screamed, burying her face in his neck as she climaxed.
“Elise,” he groaned.
He ran his fingers through her hair as he thrust slowly, and she treasured every sound he made, her heart soaring at the pleasure he could take from her, at how her body could take his.
They were perfect together.
Zach kissed her as he moved within her, the stroke of his tongue unhurried and luxurious. Everything he did was exactly what she needed. Every thrust was so deep that it sent sparks of electricity to the tips of her fingers, the soles of her feet. She melted into the bed, savoring everything he gave her.
“I’m going to take such good care of you tonight,” he said, slipping his hand between their bodies to touch her once more.
“I know you are,” she said. “I know.”
She only hoped that she had more than one night with him.
He lifted her off the bed and held her to his chest as he came. And the very idea of him finishing inside her was enough to put her over the edge again, the pleasure more intense than anything she had ever known before.
&
nbsp; »»•««
Zach said he’d be happy with room service, but Elise insisted they go out.
“I didn’t come all this way to eat in a hotel,” she said, leaning over the bed to look for her underwear. Even though the idea of not going out in the cold again was rather tempting.
He grabbed her around the waist. “I enjoy watching you bend over like that,” he whispered. “Nice view. I think you should put on a show for me later. I’ll tell you exactly what to do if you need any help. I’ve got lots of ideas.”
She giggled as he nuzzled her neck. “We’ll see. Hey—is this a suite?”
“You just noticed that?”
“I was a little preoccupied when we got in.”
“Just a little preoccupied?” he said, kissing under her chin. “More places to do you in a suite. And there were no regular rooms available. My treat.”
She squirmed at the thought of doing it somewhere other than a bed—which she’d never done before—and his arms tightened around her waist.
“Glad that excites you too.” His lips were nearly on her ear, and as his low voice rumbled through her body, she felt herself getting wet again.
Maybe they’d have to eat here. If he kept touching and talking to her like this, they’d never get out.
Elise ducked away from him and reached for her jeans. A few kisses later, they put on all their winter clothes and went out into the cold again.
Two blocks away, they found a tapas restaurant, where they ordered six different dishes and a bottle of wine, and Elise tried to keep the conversation G-rated. Which took an awful lot of effort. But there were people on either side of them and the tables were tightly packed, so she was determined to succeed.
As soon as they returned to the hotel, the conversation was decidedly not G-rated, however. He dropped her coat to the floor and pressed her against the door as he slid the deadbolt in place.
“You know how hard it was not to touch you at dinner?” he said. “I wanted to drop to my knees under the table and lick you.”
He kissed her fiercely while one hand fumbled with the button on her jeans. He slid two fingers inside her, and she whimpered.
“I need you,” she said.
“What part of me do you need?”
“Your tongue. Your cock.”
She didn’t feel shy around him. It was easy to talk like this.
Zach pulled back and gave her a wicked grin, and then he shucked off her clothes and carried her to the desk. He kneeled in front of her, parted her folds with his hands, and licked her entrance. She tipped her head back in bliss. He continued to lick her with his talented tongue, swirling it over her clit. She clutched his hair as she shattered, pleasure shooting through every inch of her body and causing her to cry out.
When she came down from her climax, he picked her up and put her on her feet, bent over the desk.
“I want to fuck you just like this,” he said. “I was thinking about it at dinner, too.”
She heard the crinkle of foil, and then he pushed inside her. She took him easily, wet as she was, though the intensity of it all was nearly painful. With Zach she just felt so much.
“You like it like this, don’t you?” he said.
“Yes,” she gasped.
He grabbed her hair, pulling her head back so he could kiss her. She responded eagerly, lost in this moment with him. Overwhelmed by all that he was making her feel as he continued to slam into her from behind. She felt so dirty.
So dirty and so free.
»»•««
At one in the morning, Zach declared he was spent. He didn’t roll over and fall asleep, but lay on his back, and Elise lay against him on her side, her arm across his stomach. She remembered her self-cuddling session last Wednesday and smiled. It was nothing like the real thing. Nothing at all. Although she still felt pathetic for doing it, she couldn’t blame herself for pretending.
Because this felt incredible.
And the sex had been, well, mind-blowing. Though perhaps that had something to do with Zach having lots of experience.
“You know you have a freckle on the back of your earlobe?” he said, fingering her left ear.
She shook her head. “I’ll have to look in the mirror.”
“I’m going to learn every bit of you.” He moved his hand to her hair, smoothing it against her face. “You just frowned before I mentioned your freckle. What were you thinking about?”
“It’s nothing.”
“Tell me.”
Well, if he insisted. “I was thinking the sex was probably so good because you’ve been with lots of women.”
“Now I know why you didn’t want to say anything.” He let out a sigh and then rolled onto his side and faced her. “Don’t think about that. Tonight is all about you.”
Tonight. She’d known that might be all she got from him. Although when she thought about the rest of the day, it was hard to believe this could be it. And he’d said, I’m going to learn every bit of you. Like it would be more than just tonight.
She bit her lip. “I can’t help it—I’m jealous. How many have there been?”
“I’m always safe. The rest is not important.” He pulled her closer.
“When was the last one before me?”
“Back in September.” He paused. “Talking about this stuff never leads anywhere good.”
She nodded. No, it probably didn’t. She liked to think she was different, that she had something more with Zach, but it was naïve to think that way.
She rolled over so he couldn’t see her face but could still spoon her. She did love his touches—his rough ones, and the gentle way he held her now.
“But let me tell you something,” he said. “When we met, you didn’t tell me much, but you said you’d had a messed up childhood and that’s why you hadn’t learned how to skate or bike or swim. Yet you seemed so happy to be learning now, laughing when you fell down. And that was the first time since Darren’s death that I thought, someday, I’d be okay. That his kids would be okay. I’ve had a pretty sheltered life, and that’s the first traumatic thing I’ve had to deal with. Unlike you. I don’t know, Elise, but from the beginning, it was different with you. You weren’t just some woman I wanted to sleep with, though obviously I wanted that too. And I thought I had nothing to offer, but now…I promise you, I want more than tonight.”
“You’re very sweet,” she said, now crying for entirely different reasons.
He brushed his hand down her side. “When we were in the car, back at the parking lot, I…well, touching you is the only substitute I’ve found for punching things. The only other thing that helps me cope. Now tell me I’m sweet and romantic.”
“I never said you were romantic,” she said, finding it easier to focus on the minutiae of what he’d said.
He raised his head. He must be able to see her tears now.
“Oh, Elise.” He smoothed her hair again.
She smiled at him. “I’m fine. Just fine.”
For the first time, she fell asleep in someone’s arms.
Chapter Eleven
It wasn’t the feeling of waking up next to a woman and realizing he must have been wearing beer goggles the night before, which Zach had done a couple of times. No, Elise was still lovely, dark lashes fluttering against her cheeks as she slept. But he felt a similar regret.
At night, his mind weak from having more sex in a day than he’d had since university—really, he hadn’t known he still possessed such stamina—it had been easy to tell her she was different and make promises. But now he felt like he’d just talked a big game, like Elise at the bowling alley.
He knew how to walk away. He didn’t know how to stay. And he was convinced he’d screw it up, and he’d rather walk away now than screw it up later and hurt her badly. He just had to think of Sheri.
But a few minutes later, Elise woke up and wrapped her arms around him, and his thoughts melted away. She kissed her way down his body, taking his cock in her mouth. He almost cam
e, even though she hadn’t had her lips on him for very long, just remembering the feeling of sliding into her slick passage. She’d been adventurous in bed—and elsewhere—last night despite her shyness. When she took him deeper, he completely lost his ability to think. He looked down at her, her lips wrapped around him—God, what a pretty picture. He arched against her, and she circled her hand around the base, stroking him in time with her mouth.
Zach didn’t last long. How could he when she was touching him like this? He told her when he couldn’t hold back anymore. She didn’t move away, and he groaned as he came in her mouth.
And after she swallowed his load, a little dribbling down her chin, he was only more turned on. He sheathed himself and pulled her onto his cock. She rode him, touching her breasts when he asked her to, her head tipped back in pleasure. He pulled out before either of them came and finished fucking her against the wall.
She liked it this way—her moans and encouragements told him so—but he felt like he was using her, using her to forget. Right now, ironically, he was using her body to forget that he might be too screwed up to have her.
He came violently, and his mind was briefly blank before he wondered how on earth he could ever make anything like this last, no matter how much he wanted it.
He probably couldn’t.
»»•««
They had a quick breakfast and were on the road before ten, Zach behind the wheel. He was so mixed up right now, and he didn’t think it had escaped Elise’s notice. It looked like she was trying to fall asleep so she didn’t have to face his company.
She wasn’t succeeding, however. About an hour into the drive, her phone rang, and she quickly answered it with no hint of sleep in her voice, though she’d had her eyes closed.
“Hi, Brit.” This was followed by a very long silence on Elise’s end, in which he tried to figure out who Brit might be. “No, of course you can stay with me…I know, I know…Really, it’s no trouble…Don’t you dare think of that. You need to leave…That’s terrible…He’s an asshole.”
Meet Me on the Ice Page 8
