by Nicola Marsh
When he handed it over, she tucked the foil packet in her bikini bra strap and knelt.
His breathing grew ragged as she slid her hands into the waistband of his board shorts and tugged, having to wiggle the wet material a little before they eased over his hips and landed where she wanted them. On the floor.
“Hey, what are you…ah, fuck,” he said, as she took him into her mouth, wrapping a hand around the base of his shaft and tugging gently on his balls with the other.
He laid a hand on her head and tried to ease her back, which only made her suck harder. She swirled her tongue around the tip, savoring his strangled cursing as she slid her lips along the length of him.
He leaned against the wall, one hand gripping her hair, the other resting on a nearby table, and the knowledge that she could make this sexy man weak-kneed made her feel like a goddess.
“Enough,” he growled, when she took him in so far he almost hit the back of her throat.
She could’ve pushed the issue, but who would’ve thought giving head would ratchet up her desire to unbearable?
He pulled out, but not before her tongue darted out to give the tip one last lick.
He groaned. “I’ll make you pay for that.”
“Yeah?” She stood, toe to toe with him. “And how are you going to do that?”
He moved so fast her head spun. One second she was standing in front of him, the next he had her pinned against the wall. He plucked the foil packet from her bikini strap and sheathed himself before she could draw a breath.
And then he was back. Pressing her against the wall. Hoisting her up. Ripping aside her bikini to thrust inside.
She clenched around him, her legs quivering as they wrapped around his waist. He held her as if she weighed nothing, driving into her with hard precision. Just the way she wanted it tonight. Nothing remotely soft or sensual. Fast and furious.
She wanted to experience everything she could with this guy. Maybe it was the fleeting nature of their fling, maybe because each encounter was tinted with a wildness she’d never experienced, but she reveled in the abandon and uttered a phrase she’d never thought she’d say during sex.
“Fuck me good,” she demanded, scouring Jett’s back as his relentless pounding picked up tempo until she almost passed out from the pleasure.
She gripped his ass. Bit his shoulder. Gained purchase wherever she could as he drove into her. Her sweat-slicked skin molded to his, the heat generated between them making her body burn.
She was so close, the pleasure bordered on pain. That’s when he changed the angle of his hips slightly and she fell apart, keening out her orgasm as he came a second later.
She clung to him, spent yet electrified. Finally knowing why some people made such a big deal about sex.
“Are you okay?” He guided her gently to the floor, held the condom, and slid out of her.
“Yeah,” she said, wishing she didn’t feel so goddamn bereft every time they finished. “Pretty unbelievable how you keep topping your previous efforts.”
His mouth quirked into a crooked half smile she had no hope of interpreting. “Keep boosting my ego like that and I’ll be ready to go in another five minutes.”
She held up three fingers. “Make it three and you’ve got yourself a deal.”
“Bossy woman,” he said, padding into the bathroom to take care of business before returning to scoop her into his arms and head for the bed. “Maybe I can spank you into submission?”
“Back to the kinky stuff, huh?” She cocked her head to one side, pretended to study him. “I think you’re all talk, Vanilla Man. I bet you like it rough.”
He laughed, a deep, husky sound that made her want to lie in his bed forever. “Vanilla Man? Does that mean I have the same powers as Superman?”
“Nothing wrong with your power.” Her gaze drifted lower. “Not from what I can see, anyway.”
He groaned and flopped onto the bed beside her, draping his arm across her waist in a casual embrace, like it was the most natural thing in the world. “Stop. I’ve got a ton of work I need to finish up before tomorrow and if you keep looking at me like that I won’t get it done.”
Uh-oh. She didn’t want to be anywhere near him when he mentioned work. The guilt of not telling him the truth was a constant burr she couldn’t ignore. Though he did a pretty fine job of erasing her memory banks with sensational sex.
Sex. She needed to focus on that. Needed to drown out the tiny voice in her head, her conscience insisting she should tell him the truth before they got in any deeper.
“Could you spare me another hour?” She trailed a fingertip down his chest, deliberately provocative as she circled his groin. “Because I really am curious about that Kink Kit, and thought we could take a look together?”
His eyebrows rose. “Really?”
She nodded. “I kinda like the idea of having you at my mercy.”
“Dream on.” He rolled on top of her so fast all the air whooshed out of her lungs. “I think it’s time you relinquished control and let me be your master.”
She tilted her chin in defiance, secretly thrilled by his teasing. “I’m no guy’s sub.”
“Losing control can be fun.” His pelvis pressed down and she whimpered, making a mockery of her declaration asserting her dominance. “I promise not to whip you too hard.”
He winked and she shoved him off, laughing as their limbs tangled. “Come on. Let’s think kink for a while.”
He groaned. “Think kink? Pretty woeful.” As he tugged on his shorts and pulled a navy polo over his head, he added, “A spanking is definitely in order.”
“Only if you bend over and ask nicely.” She smirked, enjoying their banter almost as much as the sex.
God, they were good together. She’d really miss him when they went their separate ways. Dressing this up as an exploration of her sexuality was one thing. But this easygoing repartee and constant laughs? Something she’d never had with any of the guys she’d dated.
His palm splayed across her chest, directly over her heart, which skipped a beat in response. “I really do have to finish some work. Why don’t you give me an hour or two, then I’ll take you out for dinner and let you tie me up later?”
“Promise?”
“Yeah, I’m starving so dinner is a given.”
She cupped his cheek, wondering if he could feel the way her heart bucked beneath his palm. “I was talking about the tied-up part.”
“That, too.” He dropped a kiss on her nose and whacked her playfully on the butt. “Better take care of this because after I’ve finished with you, you won’t be walking for a week.”
This time, when Allegra’s heart skipped a beat, she didn’t know if it was anticipation or fear. “You’re kidding, right?”
He smacked her ass again, this time a little harder. “You’ll have to wait and see.”
She scooted out of bed and scooped up her clothes. “Go do some work and I’ll see you later.”
“That’s a promise.” He hauled her into his arms for one last sizzling kiss before releasing her, and as she watched him pad into the bathroom, she hoped she wasn’t in way over her head with this one.
Chapter Seven
Allegra changed outfits three times. Swapped a leopard-print jumpsuit for a LBD. Tried on boot-cut satin pants only to ditch them in favor of a handkerchief chiffon skirt. Put her hair up. Took it down. Slicked gloss on her lips. Swiped it off.
She was a wreck.
Somewhere between Jett making her laugh and making love to her, she’d fallen for him. Way deeper than expected. She’d known it the moment she’d proposed that they try out the Kink Kit, because relinquishing control—inside or outside of the bedroom—wasn’t something she did well.
To trust him enough to explore outside her normal sexual boundaries…yeah, she had feelings for him and it terrified her. She couldn’t keep her secret any longer. It wouldn’t be fair. Tonight, she’d tell him and hope to God he understood.
Zoe glan
ced up from a spreadsheet she was working on. “Tell me again why you’re going to all this trouble when you’ll be naked in five seconds flat?”
Allegra flipped her the bird.
Zoe hooted. “I love it when you get feisty. You should do it more often.”
“Feisty is what got me into this mess in the first place,” Allegra said, glancing in the mirror one last time to see if her zebra-striped maxi-dress looked okay.
“Mess?” Zoe pushed her laptop away, giving Allegra her undivided attention. “Sweetie, get a clue. You being involved with the stud-muffin has been nothing but good for you.”
“How do you figure that?” Allegra whirled on her best friend. “Look at me. I’m dithering. I never dither. I’m one hundred percent in control all the time and it works for me.”
“Really? Because from what I’ve seen over the years…” Zoe’s hand wavered. “The control freak thing? Not working out so great.”
Unsure whether she should be having this conversation five minutes before Jett was due to arrive—like she wasn’t rattled enough now that she’d decided to tell him the truth—she folded her arms. “What do you mean?”
Zoe gnawed on her bottom lip, as if contemplating the wisdom of delivering her own brand of bluntness.
“Come on, Zo-Zo. You’ve never held back before. Give it to me straight.”
“Okay, here’s the thing.” Zoe absentmindedly ruffled her spikes. “You give off this vibe to people all the time. Like you’re untouchable. You don’t let people get close. Yet with this guy you dropped your guard after knowing him for ten seconds. Doesn’t that tell you something?”
“That I’m a moron?”
Zoe made a buzzer sound. “Wrong answer. Try again.”
Allegra inhaled, puffed out her cheeks, and exhaled. “We have chemistry. Big deal.”
“You’re doing it again.” Zoe shook her head. “Hiding behind that levelheaded facade you present to everyone.” She made a strangling action with her hands. “Sometimes I want to throttle you. Or shake some sense into you.”
“Tell me how you really feel.” Allegra stopped fiddling with her outfit and plopped into the chair opposite. “What do you want me to say? That I really like Jett?” She threw her hands up. “Fine. I’ll say it. I like him. Really like him. But where can this go? We live on different continents.”
Plus she’d lied to him. No way would he trust her once he heard the truth.
Zoe dismissed her with a flick of her wrist. “What you two have is more than a case of raging hormones.”
Zoe was right, damn her.
Deep down, in a place Allegra never acknowledged let alone adhered to, she knew why she was so damn nervous about telling Jett the truth tonight. Because she cared for him, she wanted to ensure that she did this right.
After tonight, she’d probably never see Jett Halcott again. A thought that made her breathless and light-headed and sick to her stomach.
“Your expression says it all.” Zoe smiled as she shut down her laptop and slid it into her carryall. “You’re in love with the guy.”
“No way—”
“Might be a good idea to tell him at some point during your sexathon.” Zoe blew her a kiss. “Have fun, sweetie.”
Allegra glared at Zoe’s retreating back as her friend breezed out the door and closed it behind her.
She wasn’t in love with Jett.
She couldn’t be.
But then her heart twisted, and a small part of her had to admit that maybe, just maybe, she was.
…
Allegra went through the motions at dinner. She praised the delicious salmon and scallop terrine, the sweetened Swiss chard in a thyme sauce, the pappardelle pasta tossed with calamari, and the coconut cherry cake.
She drank the smooth Shiraz and sweet dessert wine, made small talk, and laughed in all the appropriate places at Jett’s inappropriate jokes, all the while feeling like she was having an out-of-body experience, floating somewhere above the table on the ocean’s edge, watching a play between two exceptional actors.
If Jett felt the tension, he didn’t show it. He flirted and charmed, reminding her of their first meeting at LAX. Had it only been last week? It seemed like she’d known him a lifetime, and that more than anything reinforced how much she cared.
Zoe was right. She was half in love with the guy. Which made telling him the truth all the harder.
“You haven’t heard a word I’ve said.” Jett placed his cutlery together on his plate, rested his forearms on the table, and leaned forward.
“Sure I have.”
“Really?” A devilish smile curved his lips. “So you don’t mind filming how we test out the Kink Kit later and posting it to YouTube?”
“You didn’t say that.”
“How would you know if you weren’t listening?” He tapped his ear and she slumped in resignation.
“I have a lot on my mind.”
“Like?”
“Work.” A semi-truth that would have to do, because no way would she be telling him the real reason behind her somber mood. Not until later, in the privacy of her suite. She owed him that much, to be away from prying eyes when she dropped her bombshell.
“You’re on a gorgeous island. You should switch off.”
As if. Her business was on a slippery slope to bankruptcy and she had to score the campaign of a lifetime or go under. A campaign that would lose her the guy she’d grown to care for.
She pushed around a cherry on her dessert plate before laying the fork down. “Occupational hazard, I guess.”
He studied her with an intensity she found unnerving. “You’ve never mentioned your work—”
“Want to get out of here?” She couldn’t discuss this, not here.
She expected him to push her for answers but thankfully, his mouth eased into the teasing smile she’d grown to love. “You’re that eager to get spanked?”
“Maybe.” She kept her tone flippant, happy to resort to flirting to hide her tumultuous nerves. “Let’s go.”
“You’re calling the shots,” he said, slipping his hand into hers as they headed to her suite.
“I soon will be, once you’re buck naked.” She forced a smile, feeling increasingly guilty with every step.
The closer they got to her suite, Allegra mentally rehearsed how she’d tell Jett the truth. Starting with the real reason she was here on the island, incorporating how she’d tried to do the right thing by him in changing her pitch, ending with how much she’d grown to care for him and she’d never meant to deliberately deceive him.
Yeah, like he’d believe that. Maybe she should wait until after they’d indulged in the hour or so of passion she’d been fantasizing about since she’d first glimpsed that Kink Kit.
It was wrong of her. Incredibly wrong. Selfish, too. But she knew without a doubt Jett would walk once she told him the truth and she wanted to have one, last, special memory to tide her over in the lonely months ahead when she focused on salvaging what she could from her failed company if she didn’t land the Kaluna deal.
“Are you nervous?” He squeezed her hand as they paused outside her door. “Because you don’t have to be. We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”
She stepped into his embrace, impressed by his thoughtfulness. “Guess I’m wondering if this vanilla girl has what it takes to open the Kink Kit, let alone use the stuff in there.”
“Sweetheart, you’re incredibly passionate.” He ground his pelvis against her to prove it. “I want you all the time. And not just because you’re hot. It’s because you make me feel good. And I want to share that feeling with you in return.”
Damn, now he’d almost made her cry
“You should come inside and let me prove it,” she said, stepping out of his arms, fumbling with the key card twice before opening the door and preceding him in.
She heard the door click and then he was on her, wrapping his arms around her from behind, planting hot, openmouthed kisses on her neck, h
ugging her close.
When he touched her like this, she could almost forget what tonight was about. But the ugly truth was there, unsaid between them, and her eyes squeezed shut to stave off the tears that threatened.
“Let’s go open the box,” she said, hoping her voice didn’t quiver as she blinked rapidly, not surprised when he all but pushed her toward the bedroom from behind.
She’d laid it out on the bed in preparation, the deep crimson of the box a startling contrast to the five-hundred-count ivory sheets.
“You sure about this?” He nuzzled her neck. “Because you’ve been kinda out of it all evening and I don’t want this to stress you out. We can—”
“Shh.” She spun around in his arms and pressed a fingertip to his lips. “I want to do this.”
He nodded and led her to the bed. “So are you a take-it-slow-peek-under-the-lid, or a rip-the-wrapping-off-fast kinda girl?”
She slipped her fingers into the waistband of his pants and tugged him closer. “Don’t know about you, but considering how turned on I am around you? Fast sounds good.”
“Feeling’s entirely mutual, babe,” he said, jerking his head toward the box. “Though once we choose something to play with out of there, fast won’t be an option.” He brushed a soft kiss across her lips. “It’ll be slow all the way.” He trailed tiny kisses along her jaw to nip at the tender skin beneath her ear. “Real slow.”
Allegra sighed and sank onto the bed, Jett right beside her. She reached for the box, ripped off the black silk ribbon binding it, and flipped the lid. Considering what she’d been expecting, she exhaled in relief.
“Doesn’t seem terribly kinky to me.” Jett snagged a pair of fluffy leopard-print handcuffs on the end of his finger and picked up a blindfold with the other.
“What about this?” She held up a leather whip, with tiny embedded studs in the tail. “Or this?” She grabbed a paddle and smacked it against her thigh.
He winced on her behalf. “Guess now’s the time I should come clean and tell you I have a very low pain threshold.”
“So whipping and spanking are out?”
He chuckled at her fake pout. “Unless you want to be on the receiving end.”
