It was really too bad that things would end after tonight.
CHAPTER TEN
GRACE WOKE UP already halfway to orgasm with Owen’s head between her thighs. She didn’t even have time to assimilate to her surroundings, determine what time it was or get a good grip on the sheets before she came, moaning his name. Not once, but twice.
He rose from his position with a smug smile on his lips. “Good morning.”
“Hi.” She sucked in a breath, then another, waiting for her heart to return to normal tempo. The breathing didn’t seem to have much effect, but that might have been because Owen’s hand was sliding down her leg, lifting and placing it around his torso as he lowered himself on top of her, blanketing her with his warmth.
Grace shivered. She shouldn’t be here, shouldn’t have slept with him, shouldn’t have spent the entire night with him and shouldn’t have stepped foot in the sex house. And yet she didn’t nudge him aside, didn’t climb out of the bed and didn’t refrain from touching him.
His skin was so smooth. A soft covering for his hard muscles. She liked the contrast and slid her hands up and down his back. She’d get up in a minute, explain that this was a onetime thing, but for just now, she’d enjoy waking up to a rocking orgasm from the talented tongue of a hot man.
Really, she hadn’t had enough of these moments lately. For that matter, she hadn’t had enough of these moments in life. His body nestled against hers, his thighs pushing hers farther apart, his hand running up and down her side, his head settled into the curve of her shoulder.
“I like waking up like this.” His breath tickled her neck. “With you.”
Grace exhaled. She’d taken her second and then a few more. She couldn’t stay like this. “Owen?”
“Hmm?” He didn’t move.
She circled a finger around his shoulder, then realized what she was doing and stopped. “I should get up.”
He shifted, seeming to make himself more comfortable. “You should stay right here. With me.”
Grace felt a small hiccup of possibility, then brushed it off. “We talked about this last night.” She noticed her finger drawing circles again and pulled her hand away. Clearly, it couldn’t be trusted. “This was just a one-night stand.” And a fine one-night stand it was. Not that Grace had a lot of experience, but she was pretty sure that this particular experience could stack up against anyone’s.
She fought back the shudder of memory. His hands in her hair, cupping her face as he kissed her, holding her ankles as he drove deeper and deeper inside her.
“Owen?”
He pulled back, but only enough to prop himself up on one elbow. He played with the ends of her hair with his other hand. “If we stay in bed, does it still count as the same night?”
“It’s the middle of the morning.” She was making a guess, seeing as the sex house was windowless to provide privacy. But the sounds of the forest animals and birds at full alert were audible, which meant the sun had risen. Which meant her family had, too. And yet, this didn’t create any further urge to move.
“Then I guess we’ll just have to stay here until it’s night again.” Owen’s expression was one of utter acceptance. “I think I’m up for it.”
“You’re up for something.” She shifted beneath him.
Owen laughed quietly. “When you keep moving like that, it’s hard not to be.” She felt his body press against hers, felt an answering softening in her own. Her mouth might be saying no, but every other part of her was saying yes.
Still, she was nothing if not in control. Her body didn’t make the decisions, she did. “We can’t stay here all day.” They had to leave today, or at least she did. Owen was welcome to stay.
“Then how about just for an hour.” He shifted again, pressing his body against hers.
A shiver swept through her. She should say no. She really should say no. Her family would be up. They’d notice her bedroom door open and her bed empty. They’d notice Owen’s, too. They’d realize the pair of them were together and not having an early breakfast in the kitchen or the patio. Grace’s cheeks flamed. Her mother would probably provide a shower of condoms. Then again, all that was going to happen even if she got up now. “An hour,” she agreed, already reaching for him. “No more.”
“We’ll see.” Owen lowered his head to press a tender kiss to her shoulder. Now, why did he have to go and do that? He was supposed to take her hard and fast. Hot, dirty sex that didn’t include feelings or emotions, but was all physical sensations.
But even as she tried to pretend that was what last night had been about, she recalled the gentle way he’d held her face, the light touch of his lips and tongue as they’d traveled across her body. They’d been hot and dirty, too, but never emotionless.
She closed her eyes and swore. She wouldn’t do this. Wouldn’t let her feelings get caught up in anything that was happening here because she and Owen couldn’t be anything. Even if he wasn’t a client, he wasn’t the kind of future she’d picked out for herself.
Of course, it was hard to remember that when he was rocking her world so completely.
She moaned as his fingers slipped between their bodies to slide into her wetness. He was a thoughtful lover, and she was plenty ready for him, but he seemed content to move slowly. Slowly driving her mad with pleasure. “Right there,” she said as he hit her G-spot, his fingers curling just right and stroking.
Her entire body clenched, reaching for release. But he seemed to sense that, too, drawing back just when she might have gone over the edge. Grace gripped his shoulders, breathing hard. “Owen, please.”
“I love it when you beg.” He rolled her nipple between his finger and thumb. “Tells me I’m doing it right.”
“So right.” So, so right.
“I like it when you say that, too.” He covered her nipple with his mouth, alternately sucking and licking. Grace arched back against the bed. She wanted to give him pleasure, too. Take him into her mouth, touch him all over, guide him into her body, but she was having trouble keeping her thoughts straight.
“Just don’t stop.”
“Never.” His tongue swirled, sending sparks of pleasure arcing through her. Oh, yes. But when she reached, urging him to move faster, to put on the condom, to fit himself between her legs, to hurry before she was ready to come just from the brush of his breath on her sensitive skin, he slowed.
Purposeful, careful. “Trust me, Grace.” He tipped her chin up so she had to look at him. “Just trust me.”
She didn’t want to. She wanted to have sex. Rollicking, romping, noisy sex. But he was staring at her with those sweet eyes, asking her to let him set the pace. Because that was all he was asking, right? To be in control of whether they went fast or slow, hard or gentle. Nothing more. She didn’t answer. But she didn’t have to.
She saw the flash of surprise and pleasure in his eyes when he read her answer. When she allowed him to take over, to return to exploring her body in a dedicated and thorough manner. And when he finally rolled the condom on and slid into her heat, she almost came from relief. That and he was a really, really great lover.
Her eyes drifted shut, focusing on the ripples beginning to build to a wave. Knowing it would crash down shortly, drenching her in hormones and completion.
Owen pressed a kiss to one eyelid then the other. “Open up for me, Grace.”
Her eyes popped open and he smiled. Her stomach jumped in response. His smile did something to her, something she wasn’t sure she liked. Or maybe something that she liked too much. She didn’t want to think about her reaction, about the repercussions it might have, how drastically it could damage her five-year plan if she allowed it.
Owen stroked deeper, his body setting a rhythm that had her clutching and moaning. Her eyes shut again. She felt one of his hands cup her face. He rubbed his thumb
lightly along her cheek. “I want to see you.” His voice was quiet in the silent room. “I want to see you look at me.”
She opened her eyes without thinking while he moved inside her. Their bodies rocking against each other, slow and deep. “Why?” She couldn’t manage anything above a whisper.
“Because.” He moved his hand down to her hip, to anchor her while he sank even deeper inside her, reaching her in places she hadn’t expected, in places that weren’t physical. “I want to see you again.”
She opened her mouth to tell him that wasn’t an option. That this would be an experience she’d never forget, but it could only happen once. All that came out was a long sigh.
“And I think you want to see me, too.” He leaned down to kiss her, their tongues tangling, hot and wet, like their bodies.
Grace felt the pulse of truth roll through her. She did want to see him again. And again and again. She wrapped her legs around him, holding him close with her body, and tried not to think about it, letting his mouth kiss away her thoughts, his hands hold back her feelings and his body shield her from the facts.
That she feared last night and this morning weren’t even going to be close to enough.
* * *
OWEN DIDN’T HEAR FROM Grace for a week. Six days and four hours to be exact. Not that he was counting. After leaving messages for her on Monday and Tuesday, he’d busied himself with work, filling his time with inventory control, budgets and staff and making sure Elephants ran smoothly.
He didn’t want to think she was going to maintain her declaration that what had happened at her parents’ farm was a onetime thing, but as the days and nights drew on, he began to wonder. It made no sense to him. He liked her; she liked him. They were both single. Both of legal age. They lived in the same city. Plus, she’d already slept with him. Refusing to see him now was kind of like closing the barn door once the horse was long gone.
But despite his friendly messages, asking her to go out for drinks or dinner or both, she didn’t call back. He knew she was in town thanks to a casual questioning of Julia—okay, fine, he’d asked outright—who’d acknowledged that she’d met with Grace midweek and Grace had told her she’d be in town all weekend overseeing a wedding and was available by phone or email.
She was probably swamped with preparations. He’d seen her at work and knew she didn’t leave anything to chance, making sure her team was fully briefed on what was supposed to happen and then putting everything in place to make sure it went according to plan. But he was busy, too, and he still found time to call her, think about her, fantasize about her.
So when his cell rang late Saturday night, near closing time for Elephants, and Owen saw her name on the screen, the burden of worry he’d been lugging around lifted. He smiled, already moving out of the wine bar’s loud main room toward his office. “Grace.”
There was no sound for a moment. Owen actually pulled his phone away from his ear to see if they’d been disconnected, but the screen continued to count the call time and when he put the phone back to his ear he heard her sigh. He closed the office door behind him, shutting out the noise of the bar.
“I’m glad you called.” An understatement, but he didn’t want to scare her away.
“I shouldn’t have.” There was only the sound of her breathing.
“Yet you did.” He sank down in the desk chair. “And you aren’t hanging up.”
She laughed softly. “I could still change my mind.”
He ignored that comment, not wanting to find himself backed into a corner he couldn’t get out of. “So, tell me, why did you call?” Owen unscrewed the cap from the bottle of water he generally had on hand at the club and sipped. It did little to cool the heating of his blood.
“I’m not entirely sure.”
“Haven’t been able to stop thinking of me?” He went for light and breezy. For now. “I understand. I am fairly irresistible.”
“Are you?” He could hear the humor in her tone. Whatever reason for her call, she was enjoying this.
“I like to think so. Don’t go shattering the image, Grace. It’s carefully cultivated and you know how sensitive I am.” He kicked his feet up onto the desk and leaned back in the chair. “How was the wedding tonight?”
“You’ve been talking about me to Julia.”
True, but his brother’s fiancée wasn’t his only source of information. “You told me. You said you were booked every weekend into October, except last weekend.” Thoughts of the weekend flooded him. Not that they’d been very far from the surface to begin with. He’d been in a state of semi-arousal for almost a week. Six days and four hours to be exact. “How did it go?”
“Do you really think I called you to talk about my job, Owen?”
“I hope not, but since you haven’t told me I can’t be sure. Of course, if you’re into phone sex, I’m up for that, too.” He had no doubt that phone sex with Grace would be amazing. Perhaps not as good as live action and in person, but a hell of a lot better than in-person sex with another woman. He lowered his voice. “What are you wearing? No, let me guess. A pair of sexy high heels, your hair up just waiting to be freed from pins, matching silk underwear—I’m hoping for white.”
“Why white?”
“It suits you. So proper in your business wear and uptight hairstyles.”
“I’m not uptight.”
“Your hair is. But that just makes it sexier when you let it down.” He flexed his hand, imagining those silky strands running through his fingers, along his shoulder and across his chest. Definitely draped across his chest while she rode him. His body tightened. “So those sexy lace panties in white and your breasts spilling out of your bra. Yeah, I’m definitely hoping for that. Do you have any idea what it does to me when you wear that virginal-looking underwear and smile at me with your sweet red lips?”
“I think I’m getting the idea.”
“I think I should show you.” He felt the pause as much as heard it. The sudden quiet, not even the sound of her breathing, and he wondered if he’d pushed her too far, too fast. But she’d seemed to like the phone sex, the humor, as well as the tease. Had he read her entirely wrong? “Grace?”
One more deep breath in his ear. In and out. Was it sick that it turned him on? “I think you’re right, Owen.”
He was right? About what? He couldn’t think, the blood in his brain mostly hanging out in his groin, thanks to the talk about the white underwear.
“Come over and show me.”
He shot out of the desk chair, almost kicking over the water bottle in the process. He wouldn’t have cared. The office furniture was old and shabby, leftovers from the main office upstairs after his mother had redecorated a couple of years earlier. A little water wouldn’t have hurt anything. But something else stopped him cold. The idea that Grace might change her mind. That she might call him, but by the time he arrived she’d be talking about how it had always been a onetime thing and she’d come to her senses. He paused with his hand on the doorknob and his heart in his throat. “Are you sure?”
Part of him, the old Owen, who was only out for a good time and wasn’t looking for anything serious, shouted in his ear. Asking what the hell was wrong with him. Reminding him that when a gorgeous woman asked him to come over and show her how attracted he was to her, he said yes.
But another part, a newer, more thoughtful part, said he was doing the right thing. Yes, he wanted Grace. Pretty much anytime and any way. But not for just tonight. He didn’t want another six days and four hours of waiting in his future.
It felt as if it took forever for her to answer. Time where Owen cursed his new self and wondered if a cold shower could end the torment now rocking his body. And then she gave him her address and said, “I’m sure.”
He was all the way out the door before she finished talking and pressing the buzzer at
her building before another five minutes had passed. Luckily, she didn’t live far from Elephants and he was motivated not to give her time to change her mind.
Good thing he insisted on wearing sneakers with his suits, too, seeing as he’d run the entire way there.
“Owen?” Her voice sounded tinny through the outside speaker.
“Did you invite someone else?”
His answer was the sound of the front door being unlocked. He pulled it open and, after waiting impatiently for the elevator for ten seconds, decided to take the stairs. Grace’s apartment. Grace’s bed. Grace’s body.
He knocked on the door, barely waiting for the locks to click open before he nudged his way inside and kissed her. She said something, but it was muffled. And then she loosened in his arms and kissed him back.
Just as he’d suspected, her hair was up. Owen pushed the door closed behind him and flipped the lock, all while maintaining full lip-to-lip and body-to-body contact. His years of casual dating had paid off in some ways. He began walking her backward, out of the entry and into the apartment.
He got a brief impression of elegant warmth. Clean lines and natural colors, very unlike her office and the day-to-day impression she put forward. It surprised and intrigued him, but he didn’t delve deep. Plenty of time for that later when he didn’t have six days and four hours of pent-up affection to work off.
She pulled on the lapels of his jacket, dragging him closer to her as she took charge, leading them down a hall to what he assumed was her bedroom. He sure as hell hoped it was her bedroom, although he thought the hall would do just as well. Pushing Grace up against the wall, lifting her, helping her lock her legs around his waist and sinking deep into her warmth. Yes, he could get behind hall sex.
But she tugged him through an open doorway into a room with a large bed, then she turned them so he was the one moving backward. He was happy to go along for the ride. So long as Grace was with him.
One More Night Page 15
