Swinging her leg over him, she resumed her earlier position, which spread her wide. Her heart raced with excitement. The tip of his cock prodded at her opening. His hands clamped on her hips, but he didn’t stop her from arching her torso and shoving her hips back to take him in one quick thrust. They both groaned at the sensation.
“Oooh.” The shivery little sound escaped her throat. Letting her head fall back, she took a moment to relish the feeling of erotic fullness. He stretched her inner walls, and it was beyond amazing.
Planting her hands on his chest, she held his gaze as she lifted and lowered herself on his cock. She moved slowly at first, wanting to hold on to these moments. The heat that scorched through her, the wanton cravings, the way her body fit with his. Perfect. Too perfect to last.
“Ride me hard,” he growled, his fingers biting into her thighs.
“Or else what?” Rolling her hips in a deliberately unhurried motion, she lifted her eyebrows. She was bluffing. Urgency hammered through her, and she dug her nails into his chest to cling to a slender tether on her control.
His full lips quirked, his eyes sparkling with a hint of laughter. “Would it help if I said please?”
“I don’t know. Teasing me in theater deserves a little punishment, don’t you think?” She clenched her channel around his cock and watched a muscle jump in his jaw.
“Jesus, I want to come. I want you so fucking much, Meg.” He arched under her, shoving his dick so deep it made her moan. It was almost too intense. “I can’t get enough.”
Neither could she. She wasn’t even sure she wanted to. The thought shook her, so she swallowed and gave him what he’d asked for, distracting herself from the disturbing revelation. Bucking her hips, she took all of him, her clit stimulated by the coarse hair at his groin. She could feel the hammering of his heart under her palms, the way his lungs heaved for air as they worked themselves faster and faster.
Sweat slid in beads down her skin, making her shiver as the cool air hit her hot flesh. His hands glided up her back, one slipped around to cup her breast and tease her nipple. The other hand curled over her shoulder, pulling her tighter against the base of his shaft with each downward thrust of her hips. Moans spilled from her, and heat gathered deep within her. Soon, she would go over that wicked edge.
They raced each other for orgasm, and with each plunge, she could feel the tremors building in her sex. More. Now. She couldn’t move swiftly enough to satisfy herself. Finn dropped his hand to the place their bodies joined, pressed in to stroke his finger over her clit. The effect was electric. She imploded, crying out as the first wave hit her. Contractions shivered through her sex, and she clenched around his cock. Riding him hard, she pushed her orgasm further, kept the pleasure going as long as possible. She watched his brilliant eyes lose focus as he hit climax, as well. His big body bowed in a hard arc between her thighs, lifting her knees off the mattress. She clutched his shoulders for balance, and he shuddered beneath her.
“Meg.” He breathed her name with the reverence of a prayer. She collapsed onto his chest, and he caught her close, his arms wrapping tight around her.
When she began to resurface, disquiet wound through her. The total lack of control tonight was…terrifying. He shouldn’t be able to reduce her to a quivering mass of need. She liked him too much and he turned her inside out. This wasn’t good. Maybe it was time to draw back just a little. She didn’t want to end things yet, but some breathing room might be best for both of them.
Chapter Nine
Damn, it was fucking hot in Vegas. Even in on a spring morning like this, it could turn blistering. Summer could sear the eyeballs. Finn wished he’d gone for a run on one of the hotel’s treadmills instead of heading away from the Strip. It had been chilly when he’d started an hour ago, but the frigid desert dawn had burned away to scorching heat. Why his father had decided this was the place to retire, he’d never quite figured out. The desert was fine for visits, but living here full time? No way. The hellish temperature was not something he wanted to face constantly. Give him the mild coastal climate in Half Moon Bay any day.
Sweat poured down Finn’s face, and his muscles ached from the punishing workout. He’d pushed himself hard on the run, trying to ignore his annoyance that Meg had decided not to spend the whole night with him after their wild lovemaking, reminding him that she had her own room and she should use it. Offering to share his had been a strategic error, he now saw. It had rattled her, though he wasn’t entirely sure why. Too much intimacy perhaps, but he’d made the suggestion because his Meg was usually so logical. Paying for two rooms and only using one wasn’t sensible.
So she was making sure she used her room instead of his. Damn it. Which gave them less time together than he’d expected when they first agreed to this arrangement. It was two steps forward and six steps back with her.
Frustration boiled within him, and he kicked his speed into a sprint, knowing he couldn’t outrun himself. His lungs burned from the exertion and dry desert air, but he didn’t stop running until he entered the hotel. Standing just inside the door, he bent and braced his hands against his knees, sucking in oxygen as the overly air-conditioned lobby made the sweat turn cold and clammy on his skin.
Straightening, he shoved a hand through his damp hair and strode through the ground floor of Caesar’s Palace. Halfway to the elevator, he switched directions, heading for the pool. He was still too keyed up to face his empty room and be reminded that Meg hadn’t even texted him this morning. His running shorts would do just fine for a few laps in the water.
A huge bank of windows overlooked a series of pools. He followed the glass wall to the double doors that let him access the crystal-blue water.
He grabbed one of the towels for hotel guests and then found an unoccupied lounger. He dropped the towel, removed his shirt, and took off his sneakers and socks. A quick dive and he was engulfed in the cool liquid. Scissoring his legs, he made it halfway across the pool before he resurfaced for air. It felt good, stripping away the sweat and heat from his run.
After a few minutes he leaned against the side and propped his elbows on the ledge behind him. Children squealed and laughed, splashing each other. People sat in groups in chairs and on loungers, some talking, others waiting for food from the concession stand, and more than one lying out to tan.
A familiar, whooping laugh sounded to his left and he turned his head to look for Carla. There. On a lounger next to the pool. And right beside her sat Meg.
In a navy-blue bikini.
The sight was enough to send every ounce of blood in his brain rushing straight to his dick. It didn’t matter that he’d seen her naked before. Nope, those little scraps of blue fabric molding to her breasts and hips, contrasting with her creamy skin, just made him want to strip her. Slowly. The fact that she was reading a book while looking that flat-out sexy was an intense turn-on. Her curly hair had been tamed into two girlish braids, which somehow managed to be seductive.
They hadn’t noticed him yet, thankfully, so he took a few minutes to look his fill and then got himself under control. The last thing he needed to do was show up, drooling over Meg and sporting a boner. He had a little more self-respect than that, no matter how much he might want her. Pushing away from the side, he paddled across the pool, dodged the playing children, and approached the two women.
“Morning.”
“Hey!” Carla’s smile was huge and welcoming, and for the first time since they’d landed in Vegas, she didn’t have a drink in her hand. He’d half-expected a Bloody Mary or mimosa.
“Hi, Finn.” Meg set aside her book and crossed her arms self-consciously over her breasts, even though her bathing suit was pretty modest compared to most of the women at the pool. He had to marvel again that a woman who was so reserved in public could be so uninhibited in bed. It was too bad that he loved the juxtaposition, found it insanely attractive.
He turned his gaze on Carla. “I take it you all got back okay last night?”
“Yeah, though we did have to call security on this drunk dude who wouldn’t take Cindy’s hell no for an answer. After that, we decided hanging out at our own hotel was more fun. So it wasn’t as late a night as we thought it would be.”
He frowned. “Is Cindy okay?”
Meg nodded, the braids on either side of her head bobbing with her movements. “She was just here. It was more obnoxious overeager guy who can’t take a hint than creepy rapist guy who wants to get too handsy.”
Shaking his head at the shit women had to deal with that didn’t even occur to men, he was glad nothing worse had happened, and pissed Cindy had to put up with that in the first place. Either a woman was interested or she wasn’t. End of story. Too bad he knew his fair share of guys who couldn’t tell the difference or didn’t really care that there was one. “I’m happy she’s all right, and that you guys stayed together so she didn’t have to deal with him alone.”
“Yep.” Carla stood and wrapped some silky bit of fabric around her. “I’m going to go find something to eat. You guys want to come along?”
Finn shook his head. “No, I just got back from a jog, so I really need to shower first.”
Meg’s gaze flicked uncertainly between Carla and Finn, and she bit her lip. “I want to read a little more, then go up to my room and change.”
“All right. Later, guys!” Tipping her hand in a wave, Carla sashayed across the pool deck. More than one man stopped what he was doing to stare as she walked by.
“Carla is something else,” Finn mused.
“She’s a riot at staff meetings, that’s for sure.” Meg picked her book up, thumbing through until she found the right page. “Especially when she gets on Anne’s nerves and they start competing for alpha female status.”
He chuckled at the incredibly accurate description. But his mirth died as he watched her bury herself in her book. “What are you reading?”
“Hmm?” She hummed absentmindedly, not looking up. “Oh, a biography of Cleopatra.”
“Why are you avoiding me?” He kept his tone quiet, but underlying it was…anger, hurt. It wasn’t a good combination.
Her gray eyes lifted, wariness in their depths. “I’m not.”
“What do you call this?” He tipped his chin toward the thick volume in her hand. “And what do you call last night, if not avoidance?”
Her throat worked for a moment, her mouth opening, then closing.
If he’d thought his frustration had been high on his run, it was nothing to this. He felt a muscle begin twitching in his cheek, and he clenched his jaw to hold back angry words that would only push her further out of reach. The best thing to do would be to get the hell away from her, let his temper cool off and regroup.
Pulling himself out of the pool, he felt the water sluice off his body as he gained the deck. Meg’s gaze widened, sliding over him, and naked want flashed in those stormy eyes. It just pissed him off even more. He bent forward, lowering his voice so no one would overhear. “Our deal was that we spent time together outside of bed.”
“We have.” Her chin set mutinously.
“I don’t enjoy being treated like some cheap gigolo that you can fuck and then discard. That’s how last night felt.” He hated to say it, but being strangled alive by the ugly emotions roiling inside him wasn’t something he was willing to do. “If that’s how you want it, I’m going to have to bow out of our…arrangement…because that won’t work for me.”
Her eyes widened—guilt, fear, and frustration that matched his own warring in her expression. “Finn…”
When she didn’t continue, he shook his head. “If you’re scared that you’re going to like me a little too much by the time the week’s out, and maybe even give in and date me when we get home, then be grown up enough to deal with it. Don’t take it out on me. I don’t deserve to be treated like crap.”
“I know.” Her gaze dropped and her tongue darted out to lick her lips. “I’m sorry.”
“Just decide if you want to keep this thing going and let me know.” He shoved both hands through his wet hair, sleeking it to his scalp. “You know where to find me.”
Turning on a heel to stride over to his stuff, he toweled off roughly, then gathered everything into his arms and left. He didn’t bother to look back. He frankly didn’t want to know if she’d gone back to reading and ignoring him.
He showered quickly when he got to his room. After he was done, he stuffed himself into a pair of baggy board shorts and a T-shirt. What the hell was he going to do with the rest of his day? He’d planned on hanging out with Meg, but that wasn’t high on his list now. Normally, he’d go visit his dad, but the weird shit with the new girlfriend made him reject that idea.
His cell beeped with a text, and he picked it up. It was from Meg. His gut churned a bit at having to deal with her again so soon. He was still pissed. Tapping an icon on the screen, he brought up the message.
Meet me in the lobby in 15 minutes?
His mouth tightened, and he shot a quick text back. Why?
There was a pause, and then her response popped up. For some off-Strip fun, and so I can apologize again. Please?
Sighing, he had to think hard before he decided what to do. For the first time since he’d met her, he didn’t really want to be around her, but holding a grudge wasn’t his style. He’d be cutting his nose to spite his face if he did it now. He replied with an affirmative and then went to dig a pair of sandals out of the closet.
He found her in the lobby standing near the white stone statue of three women in togas which dominated the middle of the space. He paused for a moment to watch her. She fidgeted, checked her watch, played with the strap of her purse. Checked her watch again. Her gaze met his when he started forward, and he could see the hesitation on her face.
“Hi,” she said, her voice quavering a little. “I…”
“You?” he prompted, not giving an inch.
She blew out a breath. “I really am sorry, Finn. I shouldn’t have ditched you last night. That was awful of me.”
“Yeah, it really was.”
Tears brightened her eyes, but she blinked them back. “I want to see this week through, if you’re still interested. And I would understand if you don’t want to. But you should know it’s important to me to keep my own room. It is stupid, I realize that, but maybe some of the nights you could share my room with me instead of me always coming to you. Though, the bed is smaller because there were two doubles for when Anne was here.”
It was a compromise, a peace offering, and as much as he’d like to demand all or nothing, he knew it would be foolish. He’d be left with nothing. As exasperating as it was, he needed to remember this was a marathon, not a sprint. “I think I can handle that, but if you want sex, it comes with spending the whole night together, no matter whose room we’re in.”
Her two braids bounced when she nodded. “I accept that.” The grip she had on her purse strap turned white-knuckled. “And you were right. I am scared. Of myself, not of you. You’re wonderful. Too much so.”
“You don’t have to be scared with me.”
“I can’t date a coworker, Finn. I have a hard enough time depending on guys after watching my mom deal with my dad’s infidelity.” Her lips compressed. “My job is important to me. I don’t want to dread teaching because I have to see an ex when I go into school. That probably played a role in what happened with the last couple who dated at our school. You can’t have a clean break from someone who works with you every day. I saw that so plainly with them.”
“My job is important to me too, but I don’t go into a relationship with a woman assuming it will fail. I also know you can have an amicable breakup. Not all of them are like your parents’ or those other teachers’. You have to know that.” Crooking his finger under her chin, he made her meet his gaze. “There’s something more to this coworker thing than just having watched that couple’s relationship melt down.”
He was taking a stab in the dark, going with a gut f
eeling.
Her eyes deepened to a stormy gray, but she nodded. “That couple…the woman accused the man of cheating on her. Like my dad did with my mom. It just made me see how those two situations could combine into my worst nightmare.”
“Oh, damn, sweetheart.” He cupped her cheeks between his palms, his heart aching for what she’d been through, wishing he could erase it for her. “I am so sorry. Not every man cheats. I don’t cheat.”
“I know that, logically.” She wrinkled her nose. “But fear isn’t logical. I just don’t want to end up like my mom, and I don’t want to end up with a bad relationship I can’t escape. I’d have that if I dated a teacher and we broke up.”
“We aren’t your parents and we aren’t those other teachers. Give me a chance to show you how unfounded your fears are with us.” He pressed a finger to her lips to stop her from responding. “I don’t want you to answer that now. Just be with me this week, that’s all I ask. Don’t run and hide from this.”
He wanted her trust, all of it, but it was easy to see she wasn’t ready for that. The quick, deep connection they shared was something he celebrated and she feared. He only hoped he had enough time to convince her he was right, but pushing too hard wouldn’t get him anywhere, so he backed off the heavy emotional stuff. “You said you wanted some off-Strip fun. I know of a local history museum you might like. About atomic testing in Nevada.”
She tipped her head toward the exit. “Sounds interesting, but we have other plans today.”
“We do?”
“Yep.” A genuine smile touched her lips and reached her eyes. She checked her watch. “Uh-oh, we’re running a bit late.”
Spontaneity wasn’t exactly her forte, so he was more than a little curious. “Late for what?”
“The bus. Come on.” She jogged outside and he had no choice but to follow or be left behind. They crossed one of the walking bridges and ended up in a small crowd waiting for public transportation. “Oh, good. This one’s ours.”
A two-story bus pulled up, and they joined the line shuffling forward to get on. “Where are we going?”
Vegas Vacation (Destination Desire) Page 9
