Moving closer, she ran her fingers across his stomach, letting the truth set her free. “I want to try the panties, but I’m too wet to put them on.”
Did she actually say that out loud? Any second now she’d be properly horrified. Any second now…
Eyes darkening, he pushed off the doorway, backing her into the dressing room until she was against the wall. Her breasts rose between them with every breath, but he still wasn’t close enough.
“That’s the hottest thing I’ve ever heard,” he murmured between kisses.
Was it? The hard shaft seemed evidence enough.
Palming her thigh, he slid up at a maddening pace, adjusting her over his leg, letting the smooth, warm leather play against her. She wound her leg around his hip, pressing into him with a move she’d only ever imagined.
“Baby.” His voice turned gravelly again. He cupped her breast, his fingers circling her nipple. “Tell me, have you ever fucked?”
She blinked, her mind tearing away from the caress. Oh god, if sex was supposed to be like this, she was a freaking virgin. She bit her lip, suddenly embarrassed about the pathetically inadequate state of her sex life.
“I’m not… I’ve had sex before.”
He tightened his jaw, shaking his head. “No, little angel,” he rasped, setting her directly over his shaft. “I mean, have you ever wrapped your legs around a man and just let him pound into you so hard you knocked the riding crops off a display on the other side of the wall?”
Her eyes widened. Lord. He wanted to have sex here. In the dressing room of Mary Lou’s boutique. The image filled her head, leaving her both excited and a little lightheaded. She curled her fingers into his arms. “No. Never.”
“I’d give anything to fuck you right now,” he rasped. “Hard.”
And she thought she was wet before.
“But we’d shatter this hollow wall before we were through.”
Her breath left her lungs, and she wasn’t quite sure her legs would hold her up.
“Holy hell, Rio.”
He put his finger on her mouth. “I know, boundaries.”
“No.” She parted her lips and rubbed them along his knuckle. “The images you put in my head.”
A lazy grin spread across his mouth. “I’m still trying to get past the tree thing.”
He kissed her jaw, then her neck, moving steadily down, leaving a trail of goose bumps along the way. “Was the shade really what you thought about?”
…
The gravel in his voice caught him by surprise. Damn, but this woman threw him out of his element. He’d never dealt with anyone like her. Baby. He’d called her that, a word he always used because he couldn’t be bothered to learn a woman’s name. Something inside him contracted at the realization. He’d never be able to call her that again. Angel seemed appropriate. Though, thankfully, his angel wasn’t as lily white as she looked.
Her eyes were huge, her skin flushed down past the edge of her rounded collar. She was venturing into new territory and still didn’t know how far she’d go. The fact she hadn’t bolted was already a win. He breathed in her perfume from the warm spot between her breasts.
Dropping his lips to her throat, he basked in the heavy beat of her pulse, but she didn’t utter a protest. She’d broken through her shell, and his cock was ready to burst at the possibilities. Though he wouldn’t run the risk of embarrassing her if Mary Lou busted them. Not when there were so many other options.
Under her dress, he hooked his thumbs into the elastic on either of her hips and tugged. She wore cotton. Something plain that covered all of her, the high cut at the legs the only break in the severe design. They’d be a solid color, likely white. It was a nice change from the thin strips of nothing that passed for underwear. They left little to the imagination, and imagination played a big part in this thing between them.
He splayed his fingers, curving around silky thighs to caress her incredible legs. Every few inches he paused, dropping kisses down her body until he was kneeling, helping her step out of the white panties. The scent of her arousal surrounded him, and he spread his legs, relieving some of the pressure on his aching cock. Endless seconds passed as he memorized the way the skirt’s flower print draped along the sexy little V of her mound. How her breath echoed in the closet-size room. And how she braced herself as he cupped her calf, bringing her leg up until it was level with his mouth. As promised, he started at the inside of her knee, pushing her skirt up while he explored the soft skin covering her firm, muscled thigh.
He bunched up her skirt, stopping to admire the pale hair at the juncture of her thighs. Every female body was essentially the same, yet they weren’t. Just now, with this beautiful woman, he realized how different they could be.
She sucked in a breath, and he didn’t hear her exhale, so he stopped torturing them both. Using the tip of his tongue, he ran up the crease along her mound, reveling in how she raked her nails behind his collar. Then, setting her leg on his shoulder, he gave a long, wide tongue lick to her heated center, enjoying her cream, then going back for more. Above him, she moaned, arching until the wall protested around them.
He teased the sensitive skin along her slit, one side then the other, until neither one of them could stand the wait. Parting her with his thumb, he explored her inner folds, reveling in every bit of her welcome. Knowing he triggered all this heat. All this moisture.
Celeste whimpered above him, her calf muscles tightening against his back. She tilted her hips, giving him better access to her swollen folds and a view he’d like to mold out of clay.
This was supposed to be a quick taste. Just enough to keep the image of him going down on her in the front of her mind. But she was so damn sweet. Her throaty purrs egging him on, making him want more. More of the sexy little noises. More of her pleasure. Fuck. He needed relief. Needed to bust out of his jeans and stroke his cock as his tongue tunneled into the tightness of her body until she screamed her release and brought every leaf of the imaginary tree down around them.
“Y’all okay in there?” Mary Lou called, dropping more clothes over the door.
Hell. He hadn’t even heard her coming past the rush of his blood. Pulling back, he pressed his eyes closed for a second, keenly aware of the unlatched door. Celeste wouldn’t appreciate being caught this way, and she’d be in no condition to answer. “Yep.” He gave her another deep pass before he let his thumb take over the caress. “Just helping convince my girl she’ll need more of these panties.” He looked up to find stormy skies alive in her eyes.
Mary Lou chuckled on the other side of the door, obviously used to the occasional mischief in her dressing rooms. The little bells chimed, announcing another customer, and Celeste released a breath. “I’ll be right over here if you need me.” With that warning, she turned away in a click of high heels.
Celeste closed her eyes, letting her head drop against the wall while she settled her skirt.
Much as he wanted to, he didn’t push. Any more and he’d end up inside her, fulfilling his threat to knock over Mary Lou’s kinky displays, despite whoever waited on the other side of the damn door. He sucked the edge of his thumb while he stood, savoring the last taste of her. He kissed her, pushing through to stroke his tongue along hers, then watched her eyes shoot open as she tasted herself on him. She rewarded him with a jagged whimper.
He cupped her breasts, kneading them as he studied every minute reaction. “Do you need to come?” he asked against her mouth. Erotic possibilities flashed through his mind. “Or will you put on the underwear?” He plucked at one hard nipple, wishing he was using his mouth. “And think of me on my knees, enjoying every lick on your beautiful pussy.”
“Yes.” She pressed his hand against her, stopping his play. “I’ll wear them. And I’ll take two more to go.”
They needed to get to the hotel. Someplace he could fuck her properly. He d
rew back, adjusting himself. Six o’clock couldn’t get here soon enough.
Chapter Five
“What brings you to Houston?”
Her shoe caught on the sidewalk, and she came crashing down from her mental high. Rio reached out, setting her straight and providing support. She offered a weak smile. He’d chosen the one topic guaranteed to burst her erotic bubble and land her facedown on the sidewalk—almost literally. She needed to derail the conversation. Pronto. “I’m visiting family.”
“Parents?”
“Something like that,” she mumbled. “You?”
“Work.”
Silence stretched between them, increasing the echo of her footsteps on the damp sidewalk. Shoot. Trust her luck to meet the one guy who didn’t enjoy hearing himself talk. If she’d been in all her senses, she might have prepared a response and avoided this awkward situation. Well, she could give a little, or wonder what-if for the rest of her life. She chose to go with the truth. It would be off-putting enough. “My father and I aren’t close. At all.” Dread wandered along the edge of her conscience, waiting to overrun the banks. “He and my mother…didn’t work out.” To say the least. His hold tightened around her, and she found a sliver of comfort in his embrace. “What do you do?”
“I’m a staff coordinator and part time trainer.” Pulling open the hotel door, he ushered her in.
“Doesn’t surprise me.” Her pulse kicked up. Yeah, just what she needed, to spend the night imagining Rio in tiny gym shorts, doing squats with a loaded bar. Maybe a military press. All those muscles bulging and relaxing, bulging and relaxing. Mmmm.
“Ma’am?”
Blinking, she looked up at the desk clerk who stood watching her, waiting for some sort of answer. Focus. Someone’s speaking to you. “I-I’m sorry…” If you were wearing these pearls, you’d totally understand.
The woman grinned, her crow’s feet becoming more pronounced. “May I help you?”
Celeste ducked her head, blindly rummaging through her bag as her face heated. Yeah, she got it now. Idiot. “Um, w-we came by earlier.”
“Oh, yes.” She pulled over the credit card and ID, then turned serious. “I’ve got you covered. And let me apologize. I heard about your visit, and I’m so sorry. I didn’t expect anyone to show up in the middle of the day.” She continued typing. “My kid had an emergency at school, and you know how that goes.” Grabbing the pages off the printer, she turned them around for a signature. “Okay, you’re all set. Go down this hall, past the breakfast area, then you’ll see the elevators on the left.” The clerk handed back her ID and credit card along with two keycards.
“Thanks.” Celeste palmed the cards, her smile freezing on her face. It’s not like she would be sharing a key with Rio. Picking up her shopping bag, she moved over while she dropped the little stack in her wallet. How would this work? Was she supposed to assume he heard her room number and he’d come by later? Once again her lack of experience when it came to the opposite sex left her fumbling at the very moment she needed it most.
Rio stepped up to the counter, pulling out his wallet. “Thank you for making sure we had rooms.” He placed the cards in front of the clerk.
“I thhhhh-ought you were together.” The woman shut her mouth, looking from Rio to her and back with a cringe. “Ron only held one room.”
Shock. Relief. Anticipation. All of them rushed through her, tightening her hold on her bag. Ron inadvertently saved her from an awkward situation. She bit the inside of her bottom lip, trying to come up with something witty. Unfortunately, with the world’s biggest spotlight shining on her, her brain stalled all creativity. The memory of Vix straddling him on the plane flashed through her mind. That woman knew what she wanted and exactly what to do in a situation like this.
“I happen to have a room, you know.” She arched a brow, tilting her head in what she hoped was a suave and sophisticated move.
“Is that so?” Rio played along, tucking his wallet back into his pocket while the clerk did her best to hide her knowing smile.
“Mmhmm. It would be rude of me to leave you without a place to stay.”
With a devilish grin, he wrapped an arm around her waist, urging her down the hall. “And you’re entirely too well-bred to be rude.” He punched the call button while she fought the urge to fidget. Her breeding, as he called it, as well as her upbringing left her with no idea what to do with him. Well, after the sex part. Maybe even before. The during part was pretty clear, and if his reactions were any indication, she was sure she’d nailed that. At least she hoped so.
They stepped into the elevator, and Vix popped up beside her. With an eager grin, she wrapped her arms around Rio’s neck and went for his zipper. No. She bit off the word before she said it out loud. Vix pouted, unhappy with being held back. He pushed the button for their floor. Oh God, their floor. The doors closed, reverberating in her throat. If she’d ever imagined a moment like this with someone like Rio, she would have done a lot more crunches. Planks. Stairs. And damn it, she might have given up dessert…for a while. Or gone fat free.
Rio’s fingers tucked a hair strand behind her ear. “You all right?”
She rolled her lips, looking up through her lashes. Would it be a turnoff if she told him she was a bundle of anxiety at the thought of sleeping with him? Or as he put it, fucking. Well, someone with a body like his, all hard muscles and sex appeal, could pull off everything the single word implied.
The doors rumbled open. “Regretting the offer?” He shook his head. “You don’t—”
“I’ve never done this.” The words tumbled out of her mouth before he told her they didn’t have to do anything. “Spending the night, I mean.”
He ran the back of his fingers along her cheek. “Neither have I.”
Her eyes widened. “No?”
“Never wanted to.” His thumb caressed the edge of her jaw. “Until now.” Her breath caught. “I warn you. I’m a bed hog.” She chuckled. “So I’ll probably end up all over you.” Now that sounded heavenly. This time she recognized the purr he’d mentioned. “If things get bad, you can kick me off the bed.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” He caught the elevator doors just as they were shutting and pulled them both through then down the hall to their room. Her toes curled. Their room. He wrapped his arms around her, nibbling behind her ear as she grabbed one of the cards from her wallet. Try as she might, she couldn’t pull the card from the sleeve, not while her insides were melting again.
“Need some help?” The full length of his forearm brushed the side of her breast as he plucked the card out of her hand. He held her against him with a palm to her tummy. The click echoed in her head, but she was too busy with the hard shaft pressed to her bottom. That thick length would be inside her. Her legs went weak just thinking about it.
Rio pushed the door open, taking her with him as he shuffled into the room. He latched the door while she set her bag on the dresser at the end of the narrow hallway and shucked off her coat. The room wasn’t the typical, nondescript hotel room. White walls with old rose accents, a shaded window seat complete with books and a nearby chaise lounge sofa, and an intricate, wrought iron headboard on the double bed.
Rio’s arm circled her waist, and he pressed his lips to the back of her head while he worked open the zipper on her dress. Feather-light kisses moved across her shoulder, and she melted, coming close to dropping right along with her discarded clothes. He kissed her neck, cheek, and finally her mouth as he drew her near, covering her bare breasts. His large hands discovered every inch of her sensitive skin, holding, kneading, plucking at her nipples until she was whimpering.
Urging her down to the sofa, he whipped her around to face him, spreading her legs to kneel between them. Their breaths mingled as he reached up, digging his fingers through her hair to pull the clip and toss it somewhere behind her.
She fisted his shirt, dra
gging it up his chest. Separating from her for a split second, he whipped off the shirt and sunglasses, sending them to the floor. If he’d been a vision before, he was simply mouthwatering bare-chested. She spread her fingers over hard muscles, eager to explore and experience everything to do with Rio. With this day.
Sensitive fingertips tested the warm, smooth skin as he stretched her out and settled against her, pressing his erection to the pearls that still lay between them. But the part of him she needed was still fully covered. “Rio?” She shifted her hips carefully, aware of where the beads were sitting.
“Not yet, little angel. Not when I finally have you under a tree.”
Blinking, she tilted her head back until she saw the branches cut to just beyond the window. Her inner muscles tightened. Oh God, he was going to—
His lips closed around her nipple, tearing a gasp from her throat and dragging her away from the image that had haunted her for hours. If it hadn’t felt so good she might have taken offense. But the man knew how to use his mouth. He had her floating on a cloud of pleasure, something she’d never experienced before.
He dragged her to the edge of the sofa, allowing her to move freely while he continued to lavish attention on her breasts. The new position allowed her to rock against him, adding a new element to their play. He must have sensed it, because he increased the pressure.
Every stroke of his tongue, every pull from his mouth reverberated at her core. She arched, cupping his head to keep from unsettling him. His hair was so short it was barely a whisper against her palms.
“I’ve got you, angel.” After one final lick, he moved down, dropping open-mouthed kisses across her tummy as his splayed fingers worked down her sides. Reaching her thighs, he cupped the outside of her legs, moving on with a caress. Wrapping his hands around her calves he brought them up to stretch across his torso as he straightened. The leather-encased bulge still at her apex, he pulled her damp panties past her knees… Oh my God, I’m still wearing shoes.
Temptation and Treachery (Dangerous Desires) Page 4
