by Jess Bryant
The knocking came again and he scowled even as he moved to open it, wondering who had the nerve to be on the other side. He wasn’t in any mood for a visitor that most likely intended to cheer him up even if he had just told himself he was going out to do just that. He was already preparing to berate one of his friends for ignoring his request to overlook the holiday but the minute the door opened, letting in a gust of arctic wind and snowflakes, all his arguments went straight out the window.
Victoria Sands was standing on his porch and a shiver ran down his spine. He wanted to attribute it to the winter air but he knew that wasn’t the real cause. It was her, standing there with her dark hair whipping around her shoulders, her cheeks flushed red from the cold and her arms wrapped around her middle but more importantly it was the slightly shy way she bit into her bottom lip and blinked her big brown eyes that got to him.
“Hey…” She shrugged nervously, “Can I come in?”
Something was wrong. That much was clear despite the fact she looked amazing. He stepped out of the way on principle alone. She was upset and despite his own troubles he didn’t have it in him to turn her away.
“Hey, you okay?” He shut the door behind her.
She froze in the middle of blowing warm air into her hands like a deer caught in headlights, “Of course I’m okay. Why? Do I not look okay?
Austin fought the urge to take a long, lazy appraisal of her from top to bottom. He already knew she looked more than okay. She looked gorgeous, just like she always did. She looked prim and proper and sexy as hell in her sleek hound’s-tooth pea coat and slick black high-heeled boots.
That was one of the things that always fascinated him about Victoria. She was always put together, always poised, always flawless. That’s why her sudden appearance on his doorstep worried him. Because he knew she wouldn’t be in his house, searching him out unless something upsetting had happened. She only ever came to him when something disrupted her perfect little life and she didn’t want to think for a while.
He knew there were men that would take offense if Victoria only sought them out when she wanted to make herself feel better but Austin wasn’t one of them. He was smart enough to know Victoria wasn’t the type of woman to indulge in meaningless one-night-stands but he’d never seen any reason to argue if she wanted to pretend she was with him on occasion. Their unspoken agreement worked just fine for him. She used him to forget whatever problems were weighing on her and since he had more than a few dragging him down today her arrival was actually very timely.
“You know exactly how you look Vicky.” He casually leaned back against the door frame and watched as her lips pursed at the nickname.
“I’ve asked you not to call me that.”
“Have you?” He shrugged, “I don’t recall you ever asking me anything… unless you count begging me to make you come.”
Her nose tilted a full degree up in the air so that if it had been raining she probably would’ve drowned. Austin had to fight his first smile of the day. Damn if one of his favorite hobbies wasn’t watching her try to get up on her high horse when they both knew full well she only dealt with him because he could give her an orgasm on demand.
“I do not beg.” She harrumphed and then she seemed to realize he was wearing a coat, his keys in his hand and her chin dipped back down, “Were you leaving?”
“I was, yeah.”
“Where are you going?”
“Thought I’d stop by the Roadhouse, grab a beer, try to find some better company than myself.” He watched her closely, “You’re welcome to join me.”
Just as he’d expected she visibly faltered. Her brows furrowed and she went back to chewing her bottom lip. He could practically read the panic in her eyes. She didn’t want to be seen with him in public, certainly not at a shady bar like the Roadhouse. She was worrying just what kind of gossip it would generate if word got out Queen Bee Victoria Sands was slumming it with the likes of him.
Anger burned through his veins even when he knew he had no right to be angry. It was the strength of that completely irrational reaction that told him he was in no mood to deal with Victoria tonight despite how much he usually liked seeing her. He’d never once given a second thought to the fact that she hid their occasional hook-ups like dirty laundry.
He knew the only reason it riled him now didn’t have a thing to do with her either. It was just this holiday. It was just his damn father. It was just his yearly bout with insecurity.
It wasn’t as if he had any preconceived notions about being an appropriate partner for the likes of Victoria. She was practically royalty among Fate’s citizens. Her daddy was the town doctor. Her mama was the head of every board, committee and country club charity group in a fifty mile radius. The Sands were one of the founding families. She came from a long history of big houses and he came from the woman that cleaned those houses.
Austin didn’t hold any of that against her. They were simply from different worlds despite living only a few miles apart. He couldn’t blame her if she might indulge in the occasional romp on the wrong side of the tracks when she was looking for some fun but was clearly holding out for forever with the kind of guy that preferred good china to red solo cups.
It wasn’t as if she was his ideal match either. He liked his life just fine but she’d never be comfortable watching football on Saturdays at Sully’s or grabbing a beer and burning up the dance floor at the Roadhouse. She preferred white wine and tennis and fancy dinners at the country club. She was far too reserved, too controlled for his tastes and she cared way too much what other people saw when they looked at her.
All in all, she was a little too… perfect. He could admit, to himself at least, that was at least half of her allure. He liked making her come undone, liked watching her cool polished mask slip away until she was calling his name and scratching him with her finely manicured nails.
The other half was obvious with just one glance… she was gorgeous.
He could still remember the way she’d looked the last time she’d randomly shown up at his door. She and her latest too good to be true boyfriend had broken up and Austin had helped her forget for a few hours. He’d helped her forget right there against the doorway and then again on the couch and then, finally, on the floor. It had been fun, really fun right up until she grabbed her clothes and insisted they had to stop fooling around. It was that last image of her backside walking away from him and the fact he hadn’t seen her since that made him scowl when she shook her head.
“I’m not really dressed to go out.”
“Well, that’s too bad Vicky. We’ll have to catch up some other time then. I’ll see you around.” He pushed off the door and his keys jingled.
Her eyes widened in surprise, “You’re really just going to leave?”
“I really am.”
She stared at him with a look of pure confusion as she opened her mouth, closed it again without any argument coming out. Austin ran a hand through his hair and instantly felt bad for acting like a jerk. She certainly hadn’t come to see him for that kind of attitude and it wasn’t as if he’d ever even thought of turning her away before today. He was just in a terrible mood and she didn’t deserve to have it taken out on her because she was there.
“Look, Vicky… I’m sorry. I’m lousy company today.”
“Clearly.” Her sarcasm pricked at his bad mood again and his eyes narrowed.
“Honestly, I’m not in any mood to talk about whatever boy toy Brad or country club Chad or whoever you’ve been seeing most likely did to send you running over here this time.”
Her eyes widened slightly at that rebuff and only made him feel worse. He was supposed to play the part of fun-loving playboy. That’s the guy she’d expected to find. Not a moody prick. He really hated that this holiday was ruining even more than his mood. He liked that Victoria had sought him out again, that she’d come to see him, but what were the odds she’d ever do it again if he kept acting like an ass?
She bit
her lip again but met his gaze as she held her ground, “I guess… it’s a good thing… I didn’t come here… to talk.”
Victoria punctuated each word by unbuttoning part of her coat and Austin could only watch, fascinated by her bravado, as she peeled the proper winter coat apart. Her chin was up again but her hands trembled lightly as she took off the coat. It slipped from her shoulders to puddle on the ground and he wasn’t certain if it was a curse or a prayer that escaped his lips.
The woman wasn’t wearing any clothes!
He knew he was gaping at her but he couldn’t seem to pull his jaw shut. No wonder she’d looked like she was freezing standing on his porch in the middle of a snowstorm. She was practically naked, only tiny triangles of barely there lace covered her breasts and the flare of her hips, leaving an obscene amount of honey colored skin on display save for those sexy-as-sin black boots he’d noticed before.
“You picked that… outfit…. to come see me?” He had to clear his throat, twice, before his voice came back.
She nodded and he swallowed hard. Good God those preppy boys she dated were damned idiots for not holding onto her with both hands and never letting go. Any woman that’d show up on a man’s doorstep to seduce him in nothing but a coat and lingerie was meant to be worshiped. His lingering bad mood was instantly replaced with something stronger; something that stirred his veins and made his body come to life with a blisteringly urgent need.
“I… I had a feeling you might say no after the way I left things last time.” She shyly blinked up at him despite her near nakedness.
Austin felt his feet move towards her despite every reason he’d had for turning her away, “Darlin’ saying no to you doesn’t seem to be in my vocabulary.”
It was the truth. He might not like to admit it but he’d never been able to walk away from Victoria as easily as she seemed to from him. She certainly didn’t associate with him on any sort of regular basis. They weren’t friends. They didn’t do more than pass polite hello’s on the streets but the minute they were naked and alone he always had to concede that other women never really wiped out the memory of having this one in his arms.
She smiled as he edged closer, “I wasn’t aware no was in your vocabulary with most women.”
He only smirked at her teasing remark, “Those other women don’t hold a candle to you Vicky and you know it.”
He sealed his mouth to hers before she could tease him further. She opened to him immediately and his tongue slid against hers. She made a small noise in the back of her throat and then her hands were in his hair, tugging him closer as if she could meld their bodies together by sheer force of will.
Austin groaned as his hands went around her, exploring all the skin brazenly open to him. She was chilled but he could feel the sparks snapping between them begin to warm her and then turn to a flush of heat. When she shivered he didn’t think it had anything to do with the weather.
Her taste spread through him, drugged him as he turned the kiss from hot to intimate to a full on mating. He lingered over the kiss, enjoying the way she responded to him and met him stroke for stroke. Lord he could spend all night kissing her, wondered why he’d never thought to try that before even though he already knew the answer.
He’d never been able to go slow with Victoria. He had a reputation as a playboy, as a fantastic lover and he’d certainly done his part to earn it. He could be patient and devoted and spend all night building up the pleasure for himself and his partner with some women but the minute Victoria appeared, the moment he touched her, all control abandoned him and it became a mad dash for the finish line, for the prize. He’d only had her a couple of times but whenever they were together it was rushed, frantic and edgy between them.
Maybe it was because she only ever came to him when she was troubled and needed a quick release. Maybe it was because he knew it was best to keep it a hasty interlude so they could go their separate ways after. Maybe it was because they both knew better than to continue to go to bed together but whatever the reason, he had a feeling tonight wasn’t going to be the opportunity to change that cycle.
He broke the kiss to trail his stubble down her neck and cupped her breasts, “You are so damn gorgeous Vicky.”
“Austin…” She moaned his name and tugged his head back up, “Kiss me, please I…”
He cut off her words with his mouth and she arched into him. Heat and desire scorched through him and her hands were everywhere in frantic response. Tugging his coat from his shoulders, returning to peel apart his pearl snap shirt and jerk it down his arms. When she slid her palms up his chest only to find another t-shirt she groaned and pulled back from the kiss.
“How many freaking clothes are you wearing?” She glared at him from eyes darkened with desire.
“A hell of a lot more than you.” He chuckled and pulled the t-shirt over his head, “There’s a snowstorm raging out there in case you hadn’t noticed.”
“Are you going to give me a lecture on appropriate winter attire now?” She smirked.
“Not a chance. C’mere darlin’.”
Her hands slid up his bare chest and wrapped around his neck at the same time he lifted her. She buckled her legs around his waist. He appreciated her initiative and took advantage, letting her hold herself to him so his hands could explore more of her smooth skin. He unclasped her bra as he moved them through the house.
Victoria paused in the midst of rubbing against him like a sex kitten, “Where are we going?”
“My bed.”
“Oh, that’s new.” She giggled and he kissed her again.
It was new, which only reinforced that she’d always thrown him off his game. He’d had her in his truck that first time. On a table once. Then there had been the triple score: against a wall, on the couch and then the floor. But he’d never been able to wait with her long enough to locate a bed. He fully intended to correct that egregious error immediately.
They reached the bedroom and collapsed together, mouths still fused. Austin broke the kiss to pull back and trace her body, pausing to admire the way her full breasts rose and fell as she sucked in air. Her eyelids drooped with desire and her lips were swollen from his kisses.
“Absolutely gorgeous.”
“Thank you. You’re pretty gorgeous yourself.” She smiled softly, “Now, please take your pants off.”
“Since you asked so nice…” He chuckled and toed off his boots, dragged his belt apart and paused as he unbuttoned his pants, “Lose the panties darlin’. They’re pretty and all but I like what’s under them more.”
As he dropped his jeans and boxers she wiggled out of the black lace and the boots she’d been wearing. When he refocused on her she was gloriously naked and his pulse pounded so hard the world went fuzzy except for the small space of his bed and the beautiful woman spread across it. He crawled over her, locking her hands above her head when she tried to touch him.
“No.”
“I want…”
“I know what you want and I’ll get you there but…” He’d been about to tell her this time he wanted to slow down, drag it out, take his time, but then she flexed her hips up against his throbbing erection and moaned.
“No buts, I need you Austin. Now. Please.”
He lost the last threads of his control when she begged, because despite what she wanted to believe, she always begged and reducing this strong, beautiful woman to begging made him snap. His patience was gone, buried under the urgent need to be inside her. He grabbed a condom from his nightstand, slid it on and moved back over her. She opened her legs wide for him and he drove forward, pushing into her on one long stroke that made them both moan loudly.
“God you’re so wet.” He nipped at her neck and tried to suck in a steadying breath at the feel of her body squeezing tight around him.
“You tend to have that effect on women.”
He growled. He really didn’t want to think about other women when he was buried inside Victoria’s beautiful body. At the mome
nt he couldn’t remember ever touching anyone but her. Couldn’t imagine why he’d want to ever again.
His hips snapped harder, punishing her for teasing him when he was so close to the edge. It was hard and fast but Victoria must have loved his lack of restraint because already he could feel the first flutters of her body pulling at him. She was close and he wasn’t far behind.
His lungs burned as their bodies moved together in perfect synchronization. The heat radiating off of them was at odds with the cool room. Pleasure gathered at the base of his spine and he released her wrists to press the heel of his hand to her clit. She nearly jerked off the bed and he had to use the last of his strength to keep his pace. She arched into him, called his name and he saw stars.
“You’ve got to come now Vicky. I can’t slow down. I need you to come.”
At his urging she tightened instantly and threw her head back. It was still too fast, too frantic and edgy but as she began to shudder beneath him she pulled him under and he crashed beneath the tidal wave of his climax.
He collapsed to his side as they both struggled for air. His body ached like he’d just lived through a firestorm. It had been a long day, emotionally and now physically, and he was completely wrung out.
Austin disposed of the condom in the trash beside the bed and then turned his head towards Victoria when he felt her shift a few moments later. Her dark hair was splayed across his bedspread. Her cheeks were rosy. Her lips swollen. His five o’clock shadow had left burn marks on her neck and he couldn’t help but grin at just how much she would hate that when she realized.
“Wow…” She sighed heavily, her eyes still closed, “Thank you Austin. I needed that.”
He chuckled at her ingrained sense of manners, “No thanks necessary darlin’. It was my pleasure.”
He’d needed it too. More than he’d realized. So much that the intense change in his moods freaked him out a little. Victoria showed up on his porch, seduced him with her half-naked body and everything else had fallen away. There was a power there that he didn’t want to look at too closely so he ignored the traitorous way his heart pounded when she sighed with contentment.
