Finally, he pulled out. As strong as he was, his stance was unsteady. ‘God, baby. You can take the lead whenever you want. You’re awfully good at it.’
‘Am I?’ she asked, smiling up at him.
‘You know you are,’ he growled.
His eyes sparked. Reaching down, he caught her under the armpits and lifted her off her knees. His muscles bunched, and he tossed her onto the bed. Missy let out a laughing shriek when she bounced. He caught her by the ankles and spread her legs wide.
‘Now it’s my turn to show you how good I am.’
Her laughter stopped short. Her heart began to pound as, like a sleek panther, he crawled onto the bed. With his hands still holding her ankles, he bent her legs until her thighs were pressed against her chest. The position left her toes pointed straight up in the air and her pussy lifted like a sacrificial offering. Her fingers anxiously clutched the bedding beneath her.
Watching her closely, Hawk dipped his head.
She bucked when his mouth settled on her.
‘Good?’ he murmured.
Any better and she’d have jolted right off the bed. Unable to answer, she reached down and cupped his head. It felt sleek and smooth under her fingertips.
His tongue was adept. Keeping her legs splayed open wide, he investigated every nook and cranny of her pussy. And his tongue…it would lick and soothe, only to plunge deep when she least expected it. With each intimate touch, her pleasure wound tighter and tighter. When his lips finally puckered around her clit and began to tug, she went off like a firecracker.
She was still floating back to earth as he crawled up on top of her. She took his weight as his cock determinedly slid into her wetness.
‘Ohhhh,’ she groaned as her body was pressed deep into the mattress.
‘This time, I’m going to show you what a bed is for,’ he said, his voice tight.
The box springs began to creak, and the headboard began to totter.
‘A bed,’ Missy said with a sigh.
It was a very, very good thing.
Chapter Seven
The next day after work, Roma pedalled the stationary bike at the gym as if she were racing in the Tour de France. She couldn’t help it; she was a bit frazzled. How was she supposed to react when she saw Jake today? It was, after all, the morning after. Or the evening after. Yesterday, they hadn’t even dealt with the uncomfortable minutes after. He’d just hopped out of his chair and ran once precious old Liz had called.
Liz.
The stationary bike cranked up to a higher rpm.
Just who was this paragon of physical fitness anyway? The woman even had Missy in awe of her. Missy, goddess of the female form! Men in the gym practically fell at the beautiful brunette’s feet – especially one beefy brute, but that was an issue for later. What must this ‘high-end client’ of Jake’s look like? And just what kind of a relationship did they have? Obviously, they were close enough for him to help pick out the bikini that best showed off her assets.
Ass being the important part of that word.
Roma put her head down and cranked away when the bike went into hill mode. If she had to try on a bikini right now, she’d run screaming in the opposite direction. The styles got skimpier every year, which brought up a disturbing thought. Just how much taut, toned skin had Lizzipoo shown last night?
The Lizard!
Her forehead crumpled in concentration. She needed to find out more information about this woman, but how? She’d searched the membership database, but there were so many Elizabeths it was useless. She’d tried talking to people around the gym. To say they’d gushed would be understating it. Tito, in particular, had gone on and on and on and on.
Ay yi yi. Roma’s head began to hurt. She didn’t have time for relationship roulette right now. She could barely keep things straight as it was. Her and Jake. Jake and Liz. Missy and Hawk. If that wasn’t enough, tax season was at its peak. It would only get more stressful as 15 April approached, and then there was the reunion!
Every time she thought about that, she got woozy.
Should she ask Jake? Was he available or wasn’t he? She’d learnt long ago not to step on another woman’s turf – especially one who could pummel her into the ground with her pinkie. Even ignoring the Jake factor, there were so many other things to consider. How many people were actually going to show at the thing? After all her hard work, would Ellie even be there? What about her old boyfriend, Brian?
And what should she wear?
Missy had put that wonderful question into her head, and it just wouldn’t go away. Whatever outfit she chose, it had to be stunning – but what would be best? A dress? Pants? A clown suit? Even if she did find something, how was she supposed to know what size to get? What was her body going to look like in three months?
Ugh! As Missy had so kindly reminded her, it was more like two months now.
Sweat began to drip down her temples as she started peddling like a fiend.
Two months!
The front door to the gym opened.
‘Hey, Goldie.’
Roma jerked. Oh, crud. It was Jake. Morning-after time had arrived, and she still didn’t know what to say or do. Why had she let herself get sidetracked?
‘Sorry I’m late,’ he said as he headed her way.
‘It’s all right,’ she said, continuing to pedal furiously. It was true what they said about exercise. It did help with stress.
He grinned. Before she could prepare herself, he leant down and planted a big kiss smack dab on her lips right in front of everybody. And it was no ordinary ‘nice-to-see-you’ kiss. It was a ‘this-girl-is-mine’ sort of kiss – the kind directors put at the climax of a romantic movie. His lips sealed against hers, and her toes curled inside her tennis shoes.
Then he used his tongue.
Sproing!
‘Oh!’ Roma pulled back sharply. The bike! The bike was attacking her!
Whistles and catcalls filled the room. Jake smiled at their audience but, behind him, Roma yanked frantically on her captured foot. It was stuck.
He turned his attention back to her and ran a hand comfortingly down her spine. ‘Are you feeling better? Have your muscles loosened up from yesterday?’
Momentum had the pedals spinning around endlessly. On each rotation, the heel of her tethered foot got smacked. It hurt like the dickens, but she didn’t want him to see. She’d already single-handedly shut down half the equipment in his place. ‘A little,’ she said, smiling painfully.
‘Are you up for what we talked about?’
With the bike out of control, it took a second for her to catch on. When she did, she slammed on the brakes. The whirring sound of friction pierced the air.
Vo-di-o-do or lunges. He was talking about vo-di-o-do or lunges!
He winked. ‘Come meet me in the office.’
Her jaw dropped, and she looked at him wide-eyed. That was how he wanted to handle the morning after? What about Liz and her bikini?
He grinned and tapped her on the chin. ‘I’ve got something for you.’
Oh, Lordy!
She finally got the pedals stopped, but her heel throbbed. As nonchalantly as she could, she looked around the room. Nobody seemed to be staring or eavesdropping – except for one overgrown pool cue. Hawk chose that precise moment to wander by. He looked down, saw her predicament, and let out a laugh.
Jake had stepped away, but he stopped when he saw her frozen on the bike. Reaching out, he gave her ponytail a playful tug. ‘Don’t you want to see?’
Her mouth went dry. He was so casual about it – as if they just had some ordinary, everyday business they needed to finish. Everything about his demeanour said ‘Liz who?’ Roma shifted on the bike. Well, she could be casual, too. She was a consenting adult. She’d be so casual, he’d never believe it. Of course, first she had to disentangle herself from this man-eating machine.
‘I’d love to,’ she said, stalling. Her brain whirled frantically for an excuse. He was being all cl
ever and seductive. She didn’t want to spoil the mood by being all klutzy and goofy. ‘Give me a few more minutes on this. I want to put in a full thirty minutes.’
‘All right,’ he said, his gaze moving over her face. ‘That will give me time to get things ready.’
Get things ready? What did he have? Props? She felt herself overheating all over again.
‘I’ll be right there,’ she said in what she hoped was a scintillating voice.
He turned and walked from the room. The moment he was out of view, she turned a furious gaze on Hawk. ‘Well, don’t just stand there laughing, you big muscle head. Help me!’
She pulled on her shoe, but it wouldn’t let go. Frustration made her want to scream. Darn it! A girl didn’t get an invitation like that every day. He’d had a shot with a toned hottie, but he’d chosen her.
‘Hold still,’ Hawk growled as he lowered himself down beside her. Even kneeling, the man was huge. ‘Your shoelace is wrapped around the axle.’
‘Then undo it!’ She twisted her foot and hissed. Bad idea. The lace pulled tighter and cut off her circulation. ‘I’m losing the feeling in my toes.’
‘Tito, help us out here,’ Hawk barked over his shoulder. Looking again at the problem, he followed her shoelace from her shoe back to the machine. He shook his head. ‘Boy, you’ve done it good this time.’
Tito approached with a pair of scissors, but Roma pulled back. ‘Wait. I need this shoelace.’
The kid smiled broadly and held up a spare. ‘We’ve got back-up plans for people like you.’
‘You mean this has happened to others?’
‘Uh, no,’ he said, his smile wavering. He put an OUT OF ORDER sign on the bike’s display screen. ‘Usually people just break their shoelaces when they’re tying them.’
‘Yeah, you have to be special,’ Hawk grunted.
Roma’s eyes rounded when the big guy took the scissors. She didn’t know if she trusted him with those things. ‘Be careful there, Hoss.’
He let out a snort. ‘What? You think I’m the dangerous one?’
He efficiently freed her from the bike, but Jake chose that precise moment to poke his head around the corner. ‘Hey, Goldie. What’s the hold up?’
Hawk pivoted and blocked his view. ‘Keep your pants on, Logan.’
Jake’s eyebrows rose. ‘You’re one to talk,’ he muttered. He looked at them strangely, but eventually backed out of view.
‘Hurry!’ Roma hissed. Time was wasting. She snatched the shoelace away from Tito, and the kid went back to his desk. She began working on her shoe, trying to rid it of the useless lace, but she’d ridden the bike like a mad-woman. The moment she bent over, all the blood rushed to her head.
‘Ah, hell. Do I have to do everything?’ Hawk grumbled.
He pushed her back upright on the seat and steadied her until the light-headedness passed. Once he was sure she wouldn’t fall off, he turned his attention to her shoe. The broken shoelace was tossed aside, and he started replacing it with the newer one. For such a big man, he did have deft fingers.
‘I don’t know why I’m doing this,’ he muttered. ‘He’ll have it off of you within thirty seconds.’
Roma gaped. ‘Hey!’
He looked up at her, perplexed. ‘What? It’s the truth.’
‘Maybe, but…’ She bit her lip when she realised what she’d nearly admitted. ‘You don’t say things like that out loud to people.’
He threaded the shoelace through the last holes and began cinching it up. ‘Why not?’
‘Because,’ she sputtered. ‘There is such a thing as decorum.’
‘Decorum? Shit. That’s just a big word for “dancing around the facts”.’ He tied the bow securely and looked her dead in the eye. ‘If two people want to get it on, they should just do it. Keep it simple and straightforward, and everyone stays happy.’
Her mouth opened and closed three times before she could form a response. She couldn’t believe she was having a talk about her sex life with Hawk of all people. ‘You don’t know what’s going on between Jake and me.’
‘No?’ He stared blatantly at her chest. ‘You look pretty happy to me.’
Roma nearly fell off the bike when her nipples peaked. Whoa. She suddenly understood what Missy had been talking about. When this guy looked at a woman – really looked – she could feel it right down to her core. Self-consciously, she crossed her arms over his chest. Darn Jake for banning her flamingo shirt! ‘So what’s it to you?’
Hawk shrugged and uncharacteristically patted her on the knee. ‘I like to see my friends happy.’
Roma shook her head to try to clear it. What? He thought of her as a friend? Or was he talking about Jake? Before she could ask, he stood and walked away. She pushed herself off the machine to go after him, but Missy walked into the room. Hawk’s attention focused on her, and Roma could feel the blast furnace of attraction from where she stood.
It made her stop and think. Maybe there was something to his point of view after all.
She glanced towards Jake’s office. Simple and straightforward, huh? She had a tendency to over-think things – hence her tizzy over the Liz situation – but she could try.
She could try right now, in fact.
Screwing up her nerve, she went in search of her trainer. She found him standing in the doorway of his office, waiting impatiently. Her palms began to sweat. Was there a difference between straightforward and overeager? Because after that pep talk from Hawk, she was ready to jump his bones.
‘Close your eyes,’ he said.
Oh, God. She obeyed and ventured closer. He caught her outstretched hands. To her surprise, he started guiding her down the hallway. Her sense of direction was terrible with her eyes open. With them closed, it took only a few turns before she was completely lost.
‘No peeking,’ he warned when she started to cheat.
She clamped them back shut but, just then, he stopped.
‘OK. Stand right here. Now open them.’
Roma opened her eyes and saw…the massage room. Soft, relaxing music floated through the air. Candles were lit, and the table was prepped. Her insides got all tingly and, this time, it wasn’t due to peppermint schnapps. With effort, she turned her gaze on Jake.
‘Paul wasn’t available,’ he said. ‘But I am.’
Jake watched as Roma’s pretty lavender eyes widened. Self-consciously, her hand came to the nape of her neck. It was damp from exertion. She looked down at herself and her nose curled.
‘But I can’t. Not like this. I need a shower.’
He took a step towards her. ‘You’re fine as you are.’
She looked at him as if he were crazy. ‘No, I’m not. I’m sweaty and stinky and…just wait. I’ll be back in a flash.’
He reached out to stop her, but she was a wily one. She grabbed a robe from the wall and was gone before he could catch her. He started to follow her, but made himself stop. She’d said she’d be right back.
But who knew how long a flash was in female time?
He raked a hand through his hair. He didn’t know why she was so fussy. They were just going to get hot and sweaty all over again. And that didn’t even take into consideration the lotions and massage oils. Oh yeah, oil was definitely going to come into play once he got her onto that table.
Busying himself, he strapped Paul’s belt of assorted lubricants around his waist. He had to adjust the bottle of almond oil when it rode just a little too close to his crotch. He’d been dealing with half a hard-on ever since he’d left her yesterday. The cold showers he’d taken last night and again this morning hadn’t done the trick.
Not even close.
‘Idiot,’ he said to himself for what had to be the thousandth time.
He never should have left her like that.
If he’d had half a brain, he would have rescheduled with Liz. By leaving Roma and showing up late, all he’d ended up doing was irritating both women. Liz had been grumpy from the moment he’d stepped into that swi
msuit store, but he’d understood. This competition was important to both of them. He’d made it up to her by paying for the bikini. The cost for such skimpy pieces of fabric was mind-blowing, but then again, so was the way they’d looked on her.
Talk about sizzling. The judges weren’t going to find anything wrong with that.
He shook his head. Now it was time to make it up to Roma. And he would – just as soon as she got her cute little butt back in here.
Her cute little butt.
Damn. He wiped the back of his hand across his brow. Just thinking about how she’d felt sitting on his lap made him break out in a cold sweat.
A flash was too long.
He was just heading towards the door to go get her when it squeaked open. Roma slipped into the room, and his senses jumped. Her hair was wet from the shower, and she looked all pink and cuddly. She was wearing the robe she’d swiped, only it was at least two sizes too big. She acted uncommonly shy as she gathered the lapels together. It made him wonder what, if anything, she was wearing underneath it.
He cleared his throat roughly. ‘Ready?’
His cock nearly jumped out of his pants when she took a deep breath and reached for the belt of her robe. She was taking it off! The vee between her lapels widened, and he looked in fascination at her smooth skin. He’d just caught a glimpse of well-rounded breasts when her gaze focused on his crotch.
The intimate look nearly sent him off.
‘What are you wearing that for?’ she asked bluntly.
He couldn’t really help it!
He glanced down. The belt. She was talking about Paul’s tool belt.
He gritted his teeth. ‘For your rub down.’
Her eyes went huge as she looked from him to the table and back again. In an instant, she whipped the lapels of her robe together so tightly, she nearly strangled herself. ‘You’re really going to give me a massage?’
‘Well, sure. What did you think?’
She blushed redder than he’d ever seen her.
High School Reunion Page 12
