Tamed by the Outlaw

by Michelle Sharp

  Sweet Jesus. Her tongue began tracing the lines of his tattoo from under his belly button down close to his cock. “You never did tell me why you have this tattoo.”

  “It’s a phoenix,” he managed through gritted teeth.

  Breathing heavily, she nuzzled the inked bird and then traced it with her finger. “I know what it is. What does it mean to you?”

  “It means I was nineteen and drunk off my ass. The fucker hurt like a son of a bitch.”

  She grinned up at him.

  “You know what a phoenix symbolizes, right?”

  Her brow rose. “Something that rises…” She stopped and threw her head back and laughed. “You’ve got to be kidding me?”

  “Laugh all you want, baby. My phoenix has never failed to rise.”

  “That is so wrong for a sweet Ivy League boy like you.”

  He made fast work of the condom, then grabbed her arms and hauled her naked body on top of his until she straddled his lap with their most intimate parts touching. His head was spinning and he wasn’t sure why, but the fact that she’d called him “sweet” pissed him off. “Is that how you see me? A sweet, harmless corporate geek?”

  Her eyes widened and her breath rushed out. “I…I honestly have no idea what to make of you…Oh God,” she cried out as he grabbed her hips and slammed inside her.

  “Is that what you want, for me to fuck you like a boring, selfish college brat?”

  Her arms tightened around him and her teeth sank into his shoulder. “Grayson,” she murmured as her breath rushed out again. “I want it to be just like last time.”

  Which had been fast and furious. Followed by slow and deep. With a round or two of oral sex in between. He flipped their positions and pinned her to the sofa, then drove into her with enough speed and strength to have her body convulsing in seconds.

  He stilled when she cried out. What was it about this woman that made him lose his fucking mind? “Christ. You want me to stop?”

  “I want you to do so many things,” she whispered against his ear. “But stopping isn’t one of them.”

  Chapter Nine

  Grayson woke spooned against Jessie’s soft behind. His legs were entwined with hers, and his hand was tucked around her breast like he was holding a favorite security blanket.

  Her skin was soft everywhere, but her breasts were like warm, smooth velvet. He nuzzled closer and inhaled the scent of her hair.

  He thought about how few moments in life were real game changers. The kind that stick and replay over and over—sights, sounds, smells—like a video clip in the brain.

  Twenty years later he could close his eyes and go straight to the moment that his grandpa had told him his dad had been killed in a car accident. Every detail, sharp as a snapshot.

  Then there was scoring the winning touchdown in the playoffs of his senior year. A moment he’d never forget. Not because they’d won. But because he’d looked up in the stands and seen his grandpa jumping and cheering like he’d never seen the composed old man before or since.

  Some moments couldn’t easily be classified as good or bad, but you knew they were going to leave a mark. He had a strong suspicion that being buck naked in a Vegas hotel suite with Jessie James was going to leave a hell of a mark. It was most definitely a game changer, because it’d take a severe brain injury or years of senility to wash away the details of last night.

  Maybe his basic philosophy on love and romance hadn’t changed. But one thing had changed substantially. He wanted to keep seeing Jessie. The thought of never being this close to her again made his gut lurch up into his throat.

  Or maybe that was guilt crushing his windpipe. He should have come clean about the sale of the romance division before taking her to bed. But his brain simply checked out whenever she was around.

  She moved and her bottom wedged firmly against his dick. He rolled her nipple between his thumb and finger, and she stirred again.

  “Mmm.” She turned over and put her arm around him. “You’re still here. I’ll take that as a good sign this time.”

  “Well it is my room. I considered hauling you out into the hallway and leaving you there naked, but it seemed like a lot of work. So I decided to just let you stay.”

  She tweaked his nipple. “Jerk.”

  He laughed. “Hey, I was perfectly honest. I told you I was no hero.”

  “Hmm” She traced a finger over his lips. “After last night, I’ve decided I’ll be the judge of that.”

  “Yeah. Is that all it takes? A handful of orgasms and I become a hero?”

  “No.” She laughed. “The sex certainly doesn’t count against you, but surprisingly, it’s all the other stuff that make women swoon.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like when you defended me when that reporter was nasty.”

  “Pffft. Big deal.” He rolled his eyes. “Only a romance writer would turn that into something heroic.”

  She touched her lips to his and softly kissed him. “You kept my virtue in tact by not having sex with me on the patio last night.”

  “Now actually, that did take willpower of heroic proportions.”

  She laughed and whispered close to his ear. “And you threw the last hand of poker so I could win.” She pulled back and looked at him.

  What the hell was she doing? Sex was one thing… “Don’t make me out to be something I’m not, Jessie.”

  “I’m just stating the facts. You seem to have all the makings of at least a hero in training.” She propped up on an elbow and ran her fingers back through his hair, then pulled him close and kissed his forehead, his cheeks, his chin.

  It was a stupid, non-sexual, meaningless move.

  And he hated that he wanted her more now than he wanted his next breath because of it. Hated even more that he didn’t deserve this. Didn’t deserve her. “Don’t do this Jessie. Heroes don’t exist, and even if they do, I’m certainly not one.”

  “You don’t have to win a war or save a busload of children to be a hero. Plenty of women just want a man to put them first once in a while.” She wrapped her smooth fingers around his dick and stroked him. “Then we tend to be very grateful creatures.”

  He rolled on top of her, pinned her arms to the mattress, and kissed her until she had to turn her head and gasp in air.

  “As much as I’d like to continue this,” she whispered, “I think checkout is at noon.”

  “What if I said I plan to keep you in this bed for at least another day or two,” he murmured as he kissed her neck.

  “Really?” She laughed “Have you spoken to the hotel about this plan.”

  He lifted his head and wiggled his eyebrows. “Money has a funny way of getting check out time extended.”

  “Well that’s great for you, but I need to go to my room and pack. And I have a plane to catch at four.”

  “I’ll have the concierge pack your room and bring your stuff up here.” He resumed kissing her neck and tugged her earlobe between his teeth.

  She moaned.

  “And I know there are other planes you can catch.” He nudged her legs apart and wedged himself snuggly against her core. “Please stay.” He reached for one of the condoms on the nightstand and quickly rolled it on. Moving gently, he let the slide of his cock against her clit seduce her like a drug. He fucking loved the way her body responded. So greedy. So open. And so incredibly wet. “But if you really want me to stop…”

  She wrapped a hand around the back of his neck and pulled his mouth to hers. After devouring his lips, she said, “Lila’s going to kill me. She still thinks you have ulterior motives for seducing me.”

  Guilt skipped down his spine and raised the hair on the back of his neck. He closed his eyes. God, they needed to talk. But his dick was like steel, and she was so damn soft and wet.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” She brushed a finger over his lips. “I’ll set Lila straight, tell her how wrong she is about you. How wrong we both were about you.” She pulled him in for
a kiss and then whispered. “I’ll stay. I want to stay.”

  If they hadn’t been in that exact position, he didn’t know if he’d have chosen sex over a business deal. But right now, any business that needed to be worked through felt a distant second to getting inside her.

  He kissed her softly, continuing to grind against her until they were both wet, ready, and nearly frantic from the teasing.

  Then he sank deeply inside, but this time with an agonizing amount of restraint.

  This time they weren’t rushing anything. He wanted to fuck her long and slow until she came undone and cried out for mercy.

  Or did he?

  The stone that had been lodged in his chest since last night grew heavier when he realized he really didn’t just want sex. He wanted to lay claim, making love to her so thoroughly that no one else was ever going to cut it for her again. If that made him a dick, so be it. But Jessie James belonged with him and no one else.

  “Grayson,” she whispered breathlessly. “Oh God, you’ve got to move faster. I don’t think I can take this.”

  Still, he kept every thrust deep, but purposely slow. Sliding in and out, time and again. Pushing all of her limits until she gasped.

  He opened his eyes and watched her. Her breath trembled out with each thrust. “Come for me, honey.” He’d spontaneously combust before coming without her but, damn, she was killing him here.

  Her body finally caught fire and pulsed helplessly around him. She screamed. Not his name. Not anything coherent.

  Not a chance in hell he could keep up the slow pace any longer. He rocked against her. Fast. Wild. Until his muscles trembled and he poured into her with everything he had.

  …

  Jessie had spent an entire night being sexually devastated by a man who didn’t believe in love or relationships. Perfect. As far as her life went, it seemed par for the course.

  “I feel you thinking.” Grayson opened his eyes. “Stop it. Because I’m too tired to keep up.”

  She glanced at the clock. “It’s almost ten. I really need to get dressed and go.”

  He shifted until they were face to face on the pillow. “But you said you’d stay.”

  She smiled and touched the rough whiskers on his cheek. “I know. Then I started thinking it’s not going to be any easier to leave in a few more hours or another day. Plus, Lila really is going to shoot me if she finds out I spent the night with you again.”

  “Screw Lila.” He propped up on an elbow. “She doesn’t have any say about what happens between us. Maybe she takes care of your business, but she can’t control who you see.”

  “No. She’s never tried to do anything like that. It’s just…” She sat upright in the bed and wrapped a sheet around her. “This is different because the lines blur, and you know it. I think it’s important for me to be honest.”

  Grayson sat up too. “Okay.”

  “Being with you doesn’t feel like casual sex. It doesn’t feel like a one-night stand. But I know seeing someone isn’t in the cards for you. So I think it might be smart if I go before things go any further.”

  He took her hand. “You know. Some chick with crazy hair and spiked heels once told me romance was meeting the person you care enough about to sacrifice for.” His face sobered “After last night, I’m not at all sure what’s in the cards for me. But I think we need to have a serious talk. About everything. Business. Pleasure. All of it. But I’d like a shower and some food first.”

  “I know I’m starving.” She poked his stomach. “I never did get to eat last night.”

  “Okay, you call room service. Order two of everything on the menu. I’ll call the concierge desk and get your things brought up here. Then I’m jumping in the shower. After breakfast we can talk.” He leaned close and kissed her cheek. “And maybe do other stuff.” He smiled. “Will you stay? At least one more day?”

  Hell, yes she wanted to stay. She’d have robbed a bank for him if he’d said pretty please. “Okay.”

  …

  So the guy who claimed he didn’t date had asked to see her again. No use in kidding herself—there was something sort of devastatingly exciting about it. Small time author hooked up with the big time CEO. It made no sense on paper. Then again, some of the greatest love stories never did.

  She found a T-shirt of Grayson’s and a pair of shorts with a string. It was going to have to do until her clothes and toiletries got brought up from her room. Her curly hair tended to look wild on a good day. But after a long night of sex, with none of the tools to tame it, she was lucky she’d found a rubber band in the desk drawer to subdue it into a fuzzy ponytail.

  There was a knock at the suite door. Darn it, Grayson was still in the shower. She walked out of the bedroom and into the living room of the suite. Embarrassment hit her full force. Her dress was in a puddle on the floor. She spotted one of her shoes, but God only knew where the other one was. Grayson’s shirt, pants, belt, and socks were strewn about in what looked like a sex gone crazy video.

  She grabbed up his socks and belt, then noticed the lamp that had fallen and shattered in the foyer. Geesh, they’d made a mess.

  Someone knocked again, but louder this time. “Room service.”

  “Coming.” She stuffed his belt and socks behind a pillow, quickly tossed his shirt and pants on the couch with her dress. She opened the door and waved the room service guy inside. The young man pushing the cart looked around, but to his credit, didn’t smile or say anything.

  He did however stop when he stepped on a shard of the broken lamp. “Would you like me to get housekeeping up here?”

  “Oh, uh, yes. I guess so. I’m sorry. It was dark and I bumped into it.” With my drunken, naked ass while I was having sex with my boss. “I’ll pay for it. You can put it on my room charge. I was in room 495…”

  “Not a problem.” The kid’s face turned red. He threw his hands up like he didn’t need to hear any more.

  Now her face was scorched hot, too. She’d just admitted this wasn’t her room. That probably made a nice impression. And she was dressed in morning-after men’s clothing that obviously didn’t fit. She might as well of just said, Yes, I got drunk, naked, and partied like a rock star.

  “I’m sure we have Mr. Reynolds’s card on file,” he said as he pushed the cart near the dining table. “But I don’t think management charges for little things like that.” The bellhop bent to pick something up. In his defense, it looked like it could have been one of the white cloth napkins from the food cart. But it turned out to be Grayson’s underwear. The young guy quickly dropped them and coughed away a smile. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

  “No. Thank you. Oh, just let me get my purse for your tip.” She looked around. Had she dropped it by the door? Or the couch? Maybe she’d carried it in the bedroom…

  “You know what. That’s really not necessary—”

  “No, just a second,” she said. She’d mortified the young guy. The least she could do was give him a handful of cash. She picked up Grayson’s pants. Surely he’d have a wad of money in his pocket or a wallet or something.

  Nope. Pockets as empty as her head.

  “Oh. Over here.” She spotted his briefcase on the desk. “Let me just look through here, he probably has some money or something—”

  “It’s okay, really. We’ll just put this on his tab. I’ll be around all day if you wish to find me later. You have a nice morning, miss,” he said as he backed out the door.

  Jessie nodded and looked back down at Grayson’s briefcase. She hadn’t found his wallet or any money, but there was an envelope with her name on it and the logo from King of Hearts publishing. In fact there were several envelopes with the King of Hearts Logo.

  Instinct told her to pick up the one with her name on it, but she shouldn’t have been in his briefcase. She was struggling with the moral dilemma when Grayson walked out of the bedroom.

  “Hey, is breakfast here? It smells great.” He turned and looked at her, noticed her
hand on his briefcase. “Is there something you need inside my briefcase?”

  She shook her head. “I was looking for cash to tip the delivery guy. I can’t find my purse so I picked up your pants hoping to find some money. Then I thought maybe you’d dropped your wallet in your briefcase.”

  He stepped in front of her. “I put your purse on the nightstand next to you. I figured women like to keep those things close by.”

  “You know, I’m not really hungry. I think I’ll just run down to my room—”

  He caught her arm as she turned. “What did you see in my briefcase?”

  She considered murmuring “nothing” and escaping. A little white lie would have made things easier. But not giving Grayson the benefit of the doubt last year had been a huge mistake. “An envelope with my name on it. And the King of Hearts logo.”

  “And?”

  “And nothing. I’m standing here trying to figure out why there’s an envelope in your briefcase with my name on it and another company’s logo. I’m telling myself it’s nothing.” She looked up at him. “Is it nothing?”

  Grayson didn’t reply.

  “Did they offer to buy my contract or something? If so, you don’t have to hide anything. R and R has done a lot for my career. I wouldn’t jump ship just for a little more money.”

  He let go of her arm, walked to the briefcase, and took out the file. “It’s a little more complicated than that. Sit down, Jess.”

  The expression on his face wasn’t reassuring. Neither was the fact that he’d asked her to sit. A small chair sat across from the couch they’d made love on. She dropped down on it.

  He leaned back against the desk. “King of Hearts has offered to buy the entire romance division of Reynolds and Reynolds.”

  “Well, that’s insane. You’re not going to sell to them, are you?”

  He was quiet for a long moment. “I’m considering it, yes.”

  “What? Why? King of Hearts is determined to monopolize the romance industry. R and R does a great romance business and is one of their key competitors. You should be proud of that.”