His intense interest in me makes me feel self-conscious. “Well this is new.” My eyes drop to the counter. “There aren’t exactly guys lining up around the corner to ‘seduce’ me.” With all the issues I’ve got. I heave a sigh.
“You’re lying,” he says assuredly, sweeping his hand through the air. “Every man in here wants to dance with you.”
I grunt. Classy, Isla. Very classy.
He leans over the bar and licks his lips. “I want to dance with you.” He lifts up the flap of the counter, motioning for me to join him behind the bar.
I spit out a laugh. “Back there?”
He nods once, that playfulness in his gaze lighting up his otherwise serious features.
This guy is crazy. "I don't dance," I protest.
"Of course you do." His invitation to go behind the counter still lingers in the air.
I shake my head, looking around for his manager. “No. You’ll get fired…right?”
He just shrugs with silent determination in his eyes, still waiting for me to join him. I throw a glance over my shoulder back at my table. My friends are literally leaning over the banister, looking shamelessly in our direction. Grace and Faith giggle, thoroughly entertained while Sammie gestures with her hand, egging me on, encouraging me to take Reuben’s offer.
I feel a slight wobble in my knees and a smile curving my lips as I rise from my seat and step behind the bar.
One hand slides to the small of my back and the other traces a warm path down my side before fixing on my hip. Reuben takes the lead, pressing his body to mine and moving in time with the beat, his eyes on me like there’s no one else in the room. And I forget, too. I forget that we’re behind the bar and that the whole room is watching us…or maybe no one is watching us. It’s not like I care at this point. My only concern is the seductive man who’s holding me in his strong arms. My body moves of its own volition, my steps synchronizing with his. I don’t know this song. Honestly, I can hardly even hear it. All I hear is the pounding of my heart in my ears and the sharpness of each breath bursting out of my lungs. I try to break his stare but, dammit, I’m hypnotized, lost in those pools of honey.
His strong fingers slide beneath my chin and he cups my jaw in his hand. He tilts my face upward and those irises blaze down at me.
He's going to kiss me.
The idea doesn't terrify me nearly as much as it should. My eyes blink shut and my brain fizzles out as soon as his lips graze mine.
Chapter 4
Reuben
Isla’s ocean blue eyes sparkle with lust when I ease away from her, my lips still tingling from the kiss. She stands there immobile and speechless and so damn beautiful.
“You okay?” I ask. I can’t help the smirk pulling my lips.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see one of those annoying women waving her empty shot glass around, trying to get my attention. I gesture impatiently to the server working the other end of the bar.
Hmm…Maybe we need more staff. I make a mental note to bring that up with the manager.
Regardless, I won’t let anyone or anything come between me and the woman standing in front of me. I want her and I won’t stop until she agrees to be mine for the night.
“You should be working…” Isla says, still slightly breathless.
I can’t help it – I lean in and steal another kiss. Languid, searching, my lips dance with hers in perfect contrast to the wild stampeding of my heart. “I should be taking you home,” I whisper against her warm lips. Her skin oozes a sweetness I can’t quite identify. Maybe a spritz of heaven itself.
Floral patterns adorn the front of her vintage blouse. It flutters out around her body, revealing the slightest strip of midriff. Her cinnamon hair flows over one shoulder, exposing the freckles dotting her pale, creamy shoulders. I want to lay her in my bed and play connect-the-dots with my tongue. I trace my fingertips over her shoulder blade and she shivers visibly.
Man, she’s beautiful.
I’ve always had a thing for redheads but with this one, it’s not just the hair. She’s got these blue eyes that are sad and deep like they're hiding a million kinds of heartache. And high cheekbones I want to press my lips to. And her body – my god, her body. Long, toned legs. High, firm ass. Breasts that tempt me from under the fabric of her shirt. I want to feel them under my hands.
“Isla – let me take you home.”
She bites her bottom lip and shyness cloaks her features as she rakes her teeth over the flesh. “I’ve never had a one-night stand.”
“Who said anything about a one-night stand?”
The words sound crazy as they shuttle past my lips. I don’t know this woman. Twenty-four hours ago, I'd never even laid eyes on her. Yet here I am, promising her something beyond a few hours of frivolous touching and kissing and fucking. But I just can't deny that she's the kind of woman I could get lost in for days and nights on end.
I step closer to her, letting my breath skirt that sensitive flesh just beneath her earlobe. “Come home with me, Isla.”
I lean back to gauge her reaction. Those eyes tell me everything I need to know. She wants this as much as I do. She just has to give herself permission to take it.
“Excuse me.” I glance behind me and find the other bartender – what’s his name – standing there with an expectant look on his face. “I need the lemon squeezer, man.”
I take a step to the left and pull Isla from behind the bar with me. “Come home with me.”
I watch as the decision forms in her eyes. She nods her head slowly. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Okay.” A small smile graces her lips, causing those beautiful cheeks to swell. “Just let me go tell my friends that I’m leaving.”
I grasp her hand just as she’s about to walk away. “You aren’t gonna let them talk you out of it, are you?”
She laughs. The sound is smooth and unadultered. “My friends wouldn’t talk me out of it. They’d probably tell me to drag you out to the service entrance right this minute.” She kisses my cheek. "Don't worry. I'll be right back."
The pride of a successful hunter swells my chest as I watch her hips swing all the way to her friends' table.
Chapter 5
Isla
I try to infuse confidence into my movements as I lead the way out of the lounge’s front door and into the parking area.
I'm quaking on the inside.
What the hell am I doing? Why am I going home with this beautiful stranger whose body promises to do dirty things to me I won't soon forget?
Zayn is the only man I've had sex with. I gave him my virginity on prom night. After we separated, I dated a few men but none of those relationships lasted long enough to give way to more than kissing and heavy petting. Now, I'm about to let this strange man have his way with me. And though I'm stunned by my decision, my lust for him overpowers my doubts.
I stand expectantly in the middle of the lot, waiting for Reuben to pull out his remote starter and fire one of these vehicles to life. Instead, he approaches me, forcing back a smile. “We’ll walk. It’s not far.”
Of course…College guy.
I try not to let it bother me that he might actually be even broker than I am. I’m not about to marry the guy, for crying out loud. It’s just a one-night stand. Just a simple one-night stand. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this.
“So, how long have you been into yoga?”
I startle as his hand settles against my spine and he leads me back toward the sidewalk. Even through the wool of my coat and the layers of clothing sheathing my body, I can feel the cosmic energy seeping from his hand into my bones. Am I imagining this?
I clear my throat quietly. My introduction to yoga is painful to talk about, but it's an integral part of my life story. “I discovered meditation after my parents died. That was, uh,” my eyes peer up at the star-filled sky as I calculate in my mind, “seven years ago.”
“Oh. Sorry to hear about your parents.” He eyes me sympathetically.
"Thank you." I shrug. “I got really deeply involved in meditation. It helped with my grief and the healing process. Then eventually, I discovered yoga. And I’ve been in love with it ever since.”
At that moment, we pass by Prasanna sitting on the dark street right next to Herbivore Café. A spark of pride fills my chest as I watch the yoga studio I built from scratch. It may be struggling but it’s still my baby, my greatest achievement.
We slow our stride as we approach the intersection. I’m about to step onto the road when Reuben’s hand stretches out and presses protectively into my stomach, halting me completely. He looks both ways, up and down the street. Satisfied that there isn’t a car in sight, he releases me and leads me off of the curb. A small smile hits my lips because what woman doesn’t like a man who’s protective even if it’s over something as minor as crossing the street?
“So what are you majoring in?” I ask as we stroll to the other side.
He gives me a sidelong glimpse. “What am I majoring in?”
“Yeah,” I say matter-of-factly. “You’re at Reyfield Community, right?” What else would explain his holding two low-paying part-time service industry jobs at the same time, especially in a town like Reyfield?
He laughs heartily. “You’re just full of assumptions, aren’t you?” he says as he opens the door to the Sapphire Inn and allows me to enter before him.
For a second, I’m surprised that Reuben is taking me to a hotel instead of to his apartment. But relief quickly sweeps in. After all, college boys aren’t exactly known for maintaining salubrious living quarters. It would suck to discover a banana peel clinging to my back while in the throes of missionary position or to find myself face-down in potato chip crumbs while enjoying some doggie-style action.
Yes, a hotel is a good idea.
My line of questioning is quickly forgotten when I see Fiona, one of my yoga students, sitting at the reception desk in the lobby. She and her husband, Ralph, own the only hotel in town. From our conversations, I’ve gleaned that the inn is struggling financially, just as much as my yoga studio is. Very few of the businesses in town are thriving. As Sammie likes to say, Reyfield isn’t exactly the center of industry.
Fiona’s eyes travel from me to Reuben and back again. A wave of self-consciousness assaults me. Word travels fast in the suburbs. By morning, everyone and their mother will be gossiping about Isla sneaking into the hotel with the new guy in town. Why didn't that occur to me before? I swallow down my shame and hold my shoulders straight because if I overthink this, I won’t be able to go through with it. And after everything I’ve been through, I deserve this, I’ve earned it.
“Good evening, Fiona,” I say confidently.
“Good evening, Isla.” She pushes down her smile, trying to appear professional. Her gaze goes to Reuben. “Mr. Barre.”
“Good evening.” Reuben gives her a curt nod, ushering me straight to the elevator.
I glance back at her over my shoulder. “Oh. My. God.” she mouths to me, barely able to contain her excitement.
Just as we’re closing in on the elevator, the door flies open and Ralph steps off looking weary as he pushes a janitor trolley. “Mr. Barre!” he exclaims, and then his eyes land on me. “Isla...?”
Yup, all of Reyfield will be talking about this by sunrise.
“Have a good evening, Ralph.” Reuben takes my hand and pushes past the nosy old man.
I bury my face in my palms the moment the doors close.
Reuben brushes my hair over my shoulder. “You okay?”
We look at each other and both erupt into laughter. He pulls me into his arms, tucking me deep against his chest. God, I feel so good there. He kisses my lips and I feel it between my thighs. My humiliation, my doubts, my anxiety all drift out of my mind and this elevator ride suddenly feels like a one-way express train to heaven. I open my mouth and his tongue dips inside, tasting me, stimulating every part of me.
A sharp ding informs us that we’re on Reuben’s floor. He shoves his hand into his pocket and produces a small silver key. With a deft movement, he unlocks the door and playfully pushes me inside. I stumble in with a laugh and he slams the door, catching me by the wrist and pinning me against it.
He claims my lips again, kissing me and kissing me. Turning me into a wild, desperate woman. I don’t even recognize myself right now.
He lifts me off the ground and my legs wrap around his hips. We rock against each other, reckless and animalistic. His greedy mouth finds my neck and he feasts on me, causing beams of pleasure to shoot all through my body.
Reuben sets me back on the floor and now his fingers hurriedly undo the buttons of my coat. My hands move under his jacket, under his oxford shirt, up over the hard ridges of his washboard abs.
“I’ve wanted to do this all day, Cinnamon,” he grumbles against my throat, his fingers tangled in my hair. “Since the moment you stepped into that coffee shop.” My response is an unrestrained moan as I dip my face, searching for his mouth again.
When our lips meet, we move blindly through the room, banging into furniture and tracking slush across the wooden floors until I feel the bedframe bump up against the back of my thighs. I collapse onto the mattress, shrugging out of my jacket and gazing up at him expectantly as he kicks out of his shoes. The moonlight peeking in from the window above the bed illumunates his glorious face.
He leans down and pulls off my boots, the left and then the right, tossing them to the floor. His jacket is off in a flash. And then his shirt. And then his jeans. He pushes his briefs to the floor and well...wow.
The man standing in front of me is a work of art. Long, muscular limbs. Smooth, tanned skin. Ridges and peaks sculpted to perfection. His cock is so long and thick and stiff that my spine arches off of the bed in anticipation just by looking at it.
Unbuttoning my fly, his hands graze my navel. He rakes his short nails down my thighs as he rids me of my jeans. I writhe at his touch. Now he's kneeling on the floor by the bed, his body positioned between my bare legs. His palms run down my thighs causing me to quiver, so aroused.
"I don't ever want to stop touching you." He murmurs it into the inside of my thigh and the heat of his mouth sends electricity through my nerves. “I love the way you feel in my hands.” His fingers crawl up under the hem of my shirt, pushing my bra over my breasts. He cups them, kneading them, gently pinching my pebbled nipples. I sigh as his lips travel over my hipbone, up the hollow of my stomach, across my ribs. I lift my arms over my head and pull off my shirt and bra. I moan, arching up into him when one hand roughly squeezes my breast, his mouth closing around the nipple. With his free hand he caresses, the other swollen globe.
“Reuben…”
He replies with a deep rasp. His big, warm hands leave my breasts, settling on my hips where his fingers hook into the elastic of my panties. He slowly drags the underwear down my thighs before carefully setting them on the nightstand.
He’s on his knees again. "I'm going to take my time with you, Isla." That announcement is the most sensual promise I've ever heard. I shiver at his words. He leans in and I feel the tip of his nose touch my slickness. He groans deep in his throat. "You smell so good. I can't wait to taste you." A moment later his tongue moves slowly across my folds. My breathing stalls and my muscles go taut. It feels so good. Almost too good.
I’m so turned on right now. Still, something that feels strangely like guilt starts forming in my mind. There’s a nagging voice telling me that I shouldn’t be here with this man that I just met. I’m making this too easy. I’m too easy. I’m supposed to play hard to get, right? Make him work for it? So…why does this feel like the most natural thing in the world?
It’s almost as if he reads my mind. “Relax, Isla,” he whispers, his finger tracing light circles on my clit. “I won’t hurt you. Tonight, I’ll just make you feel good. I’ll show you how beautiful you are.”
I look at him, kneeling between my legs, completely devoted to pleasuring me. That’s
all he wants to do right now. As I lie back against the sheets, I turn off my doubts and offer myself up to him. I want to be present, in the moment. I want to experience him as he experiences me. There’ll be lots of time for chastisement and self-reproach tomorrow.
Right now, I just want to be fucked.
His tongue settles on the puckered flesh of my anus and moves slowly over my pussy lips before swirling around my clit. I cry out sharply, stunned by how good it feels. I sense his cheeks swell against the inside of my thighs. The bastard is smiling. And he licks it again. And again. Until, I’m begging him. Please, please, Reuben, please. Two of his fingers press into my throbbing, wet channel. My flesh undulates, so hungry for him. He massages a reactive spot inside of me, a bunch of nerves that causes fire to shoot through my limbs. His tongue continues to work my little bud.
Dirty Stranger (The Dirty Suburbs Book 3) Page 4
